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Tennessee football week 3 stock report: Vols suffering on line of scrimmage

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Quarterback Kai Locksley #1 of the UTEP Miners throws the ball as defensive lineman Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers defends during the first quarter of the game at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Quarterback Kai Locksley #1 of the UTEP Miners throws the ball as defensive lineman Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers defends during the first quarter of the game at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

Stock down

The trenches

To be fair, a different defensive tackle has made a bit of an impact each week for Tennessee football. Emmit Gooden had a nice impact against the ETSU Bucs, and Alexis Johnson did have five tackles against the UTEP Miners. But overall, the Vols continue to struggle to get a consistent push up front against teams on defense. That is definitely not a weakness we expected when Jeremy Pruitt took over this team, and it’s one that needs to improve quickly.

The offensive line, meanwhile, showed a bit more promise against UTEP by finally getting a push. But the running game was much more about perimeter blocking. On top of that, as they got a push, they created more mistakes. A critical play was a chop block that cost them in the first half, and Jarrett Guarantano did get sacked twice. So this unit still has a lot of work to do.

Marquez Callaway

Marquez Callaway was the top receiver for the Vols through the first two weeks. But he only had one reception for eight yards against the Miners. Jauan Jennings had the one touchdown reception in the game, so he’s getting back to form. Josh Palmer led the team in receiving, and by all accounts he could be the best at the position once he fully learns it. Brandon Johnson was also ahead of Callaway in receiving.

Meanwhile, Callaway struggled severely on special teams. He fumbled a punt, which was a huge deal at the time, and then he didn’t field another one. It was a bad day for him overall, and enough to keep his stock down. Whether or not this is a trend depends on if he can improve in special teams and if other receivers begin to catch up to him. But it was not a good week for him overall.

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