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Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols in their loss to Florida

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

Offense

Quarterback: D

Jarrett Guarantano had been playing it safe for three weeks, and against an aggressive defense, it finally got the best of him. To be fair, he could have used a lot more help. But The guy did throw two picks and give up a fumble, which were three of the six turnover. Add in Keller Chryst dropping a snap to give up a fumble, and the quarterbacks as a whole played terribly. Guarantano should have had a touchdown pass, to be fair. but even with it, the unit completed fewer than 50 percent of its passes and had no touchdowns with four turnovers.

Running Backs: C+

Tennessee football’s running backs were not super impressive, and in fact, they made numerous mistakes at times. However, the unit was the only one that did not cause a turnover for the Vols on offense Saturday, unless you count a couple of missed blocks. But those fall as much on the line as they do the running backs. Anyway, on top of that, Jeremy Banks and Madre London each got a touchdown. So while the group wasn’t great overall, they were serviceable enough. This loss isn’t on them.

Wide receivers/tight ends: C

Wide receivers and tight ends would not be sharing blame in this loss were it not for a critical mistake by Austin Pope. After a great fourth-down call, Pope appeared to be running in for a touchdown before getting hit and fumbling the ball out of the back of the end zone. That was crucial. Outside of that, the unit played fine. But they didn’t play well enough to warrant an above-average grade. That was just too big a mistake.

Offensive line: F

No debating this one. Three of the quarterbacks’ four turnovers were solely due to mistakes on the offensive line. On top of that, their inability to block made it impossible for Tennessee football to establish the run, and it’s also what resulted in the safety. The unit was awful all day, starting with two early turnovers and a Trey Smith personal foul. So yes, it was a failure.

Overall offensive grade D

The Vols actually showed that they could move the ball at times. But no unit was able to play well consistently with another one. That’s why the offense was terrible Saturday.

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