Nov 7, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Marquavius Lewis (8) peruses Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports. Tennessee won 27 to 24.
Offensive Grades
Quarterbacks: B
Joshua Dobbs went 20 of 34 for 255 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday while also running the ball 13 times for 35 yards, so he put up solid numbers. But he also did exactly what we said early in the week he could not do: turn the ball over.
Dobbs once again had a crucial fumble while running recklessly with the football, and he then threw an interception that cost his team a halftime score. Those things could have knocked him down to a C, but he made nice plays in the end and was clutch for the most part. So he still deserves credit.
Running Backs: C+
This could have been higher, but just like the quarterback grade, a crucial turnover knocks it lower. First, the positives. Alvin Kamara rushed the ball four times for 30 yards and had three receptions for 27 yards with two total touchdowns while Jalen Hurd was once again a workhorse with 23 carries for a hard-earned 90 yards.
However, Hurd could have had a few more big plays. And Kamara had a terrible fumble. With the Vols holding onto a 17-10 lead, Kamara caught a pass from Dobbs deep in Tennessee territory in the third quarter and fumbled it, setting up the game-tying touchdown for the Gamecocks. That mistake pushed this from a B+ to a B. Not taking over against a weak rush defense knocks it to a C+.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+
With their depth at wide receivers, the goal of the Vols every week has to be consistency from slot receiver Josh Smith and tight end Ethan Wolf along with big plays from some of the elite receivers. The past few weeks those big plays were from Josh Malone. This week, they came from Von Pearson.
Pearson had eight catches for 121 yards. Smith kept up his consistency with three receptions for 42 yards. And Wolf had a catch for 23 yards. And this was against a very good secondary, one bright spot for this team. However, the performances did not blow anybody away enough to warrant an A.
Betsided
Offensive Line: D
Honestly, this should probably be an F. Before we start, we have to be fair and say this unit remains extremely young, inexperienced, and now decimated by injuries. They keep piling up, and they did again in this game.
With the Vols best lineman already out in Jashon Robertson, his replacement, Dylan Weisman, also went down. The result was a lot of issues all night, which contributed to Dobbs being sacked twice and the running game never taking off. This one unit really played the biggest role in holding the offense back. They deserve a pass for this grade simply because of injuries, but we have to call it like it is.
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Overall Offensive Grade: B-
The offense was clicking on all cylinders en route to building that 17-0 lead, but three turnovers and an inability to close in the red zone on the final scoring drive nearly cost this football team. Poor play by the line and a lack of explosiveness from the running backs brings them down.
Next: Defensive Grades