Tennessee Football Report Card: Grading the Vols vs Appalachian State

Kicking: A

There wasn’t much too this, but Aaron Medley’s clutch gene and consistency were enough. He nailed a a short kick and a 39-yard field goal, and both were crucial in this game.

Meanwhile, on kickoffs, Medley never let the Mountaineers get past the 20 yard line. He also was perfect on extra points. All of these things were a fundamental difference from Appalachian State’s kicking situation, and it hugely affected the game. As a result, Medley deserves credit for his performance here.

Punting: B-

It seemed like Tennessee was forced to punt all game, but Trevor Daniel picked up right where he left off.

In terms of power, Daniel booted six punts for an impressive 295 yards, averaging over 49 yards per punt. That was huge in this game since Appalachian State tried to control the clock and field position.

Tennessee football could continue its tradition of Punter U as well. However, this only gets a B- due to the factors outside of power. Daniel only had a net average of 38 yards after he had one punt for a touchback and Appalachian State returned one punt into Tennessee territory. Overall, though, it was a decent performance.

Return Game: F

Are the Vols already missing Mark Elder? They may be. After the first drive, Cameron Sutton set the tempo of the game by fumbling a punt.

It doesn’t matter that Evan Berry returned a kickoff past the 40. A return fumble automatically meets a failure in special teams. On top of that, Sutton had another return called back for an illegal block.

Therefore, we give this unit an automatic F.

Overall Special Teams Grade: D

The place-kicking was fine, but it was nothing special. Trevor Daniel’s power was there as well at punter.

But Daniel failed to change field position the way he usually does, and the return game nearly cost the Vols. As a result, this unit gets a D, and Larry Scott has some work to do before Virginia Tech.

Next: Coaching