Tennessee Football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols Who Performed vs Texas A&M Aggies

Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) is brought down by Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson (92) during the second quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) is brought down by Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson (92) during the second quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) rushes past Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Avery Gennesy (65) during the second half at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) rushes past Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Avery Gennesy (65) during the second half at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Barnett vs Myles Garrett was the hyped up match-up of the game. And both made a ton of big plays.

Barnett had an incredibly difficult task going up against a high-powered Texas A&M offense and a mobile quarterback in Trevor Knight. However, he was his usual self, coming up huge in a variety of ways.

In the first half, Barnett had a key sack on Knight that caused a nine-yard loss. Throughout the game, he also broke up a pass and registered two quarterback hurries. Barnett finished the game with six tackles.

It may seem odd to give so much credit to Tennessee football defensive players after Texas A&M’s offense nearly gained 600 yards on the ground. However, the unit only allowed 17 points in regulation on drives that didn’t come after turnovers.

Barnett helped with that by getting pressure on Knight all day. That pressure also forced bad throws from Knight throughout the day. For that, he deserves to be on this list.

It’s hard to say who won the Barnett vs Garrett match-up since both guys made key plays, but we can say that Barnett did his job.

Going into the game, he had expectations to perform. It’s safe to say that he met them.