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Tennessee Football Report Card: Grading the Vols vs Appalachian State

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fans after winning in overtime against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fans after winning in overtime against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won in overtime 20 to 13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won in overtime 20 to 13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Grades

Quarterback: D

Joshua Dobbs should get an F. He had a fumble, a terrible interception, and an awful stat line, going 16 of 29 for only 192 yards.

Meanwhile, he was no threat on the grounds, constantly made poor decisions, and was wildly inconsistent in terms of accuracy.

However, he did make some key clutch plays that warrant credit. Dobbs did have the nice bomb to Josh Malone for a touchdown. He also had a couple of nice runs down the stretch to set the Vols up for scores.

Running Backs: B-

Tennessee football faced a Top 25 rush defense that returned six of its seven starters from a year ago. Naturally, the Vols would struggle as a result, especially with them breaking in a new left tackle and facing a complex 3-4 defense.

Still, Jalen Hurd was the workhorse he always is,picking up 110 yards on the ground 28 carries. Alvin Kamara added 21 yards on six carries along with 20 yards on three receptions. Hurd had a six-yard reception.

Hurd also saved the Vols in overtime by recovering Dobbs’s fumble in the end zone in overtime. Was this an elite performance by the backs? No.

But it was more than good enough for them to earn praise.

Offensive Line: F

If there was such thing as an F-, the Tennessee football offensive line would have earned it. This unit was atrocious all night.

Drew Richmond struggling against a complex 3-4 is one thing. But the whole unit struggled. That is unforgivable. Brett Kendrick had a terrible holding penalty. And Coleman Thomas flat-out collapsed at center, missing multiple blocks, causing blatantly bad snaps, and creating far too many penalties.

This was by far the worst unit of the night, and they deserve no passes. Heck, they couldn’t block well enough to create nice passes.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B

It’s hard to give a certain grade to the Tennessee football receiving corps. However, what is true is that despite an atrocious offensive line and terrible quarterback play, the Vols receivers still managed to make huge plays.

Josh Malone came away with the huge touchdown reception in regulation, Ethan Wolf was a model of consistency, and Preston Williams and Josh Smith found some lanes. Overall, this unit played well. They just had a lot to deal with. Drops by Williams and Smith keep this from being an A.

Overall Offensive Grade: D

The skill players may have played nicely, but the terrible play of Joshua Dobbs and the offensive line was unacceptable. As a result, this unit earns a D.

Next: Defensive Grades

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