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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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Special teams

Place-Kicking: A-

Brent Cimaglia did not miss an extra point, and he nailed a clutch field goal beyond 30 yards. But the highlight was obviously a 41-yard field goal he hit in the second half. Tennessee football has found a kicker, and Cimaglia continues to prove it. At the same time, Paxton Brooks was solid on kickoffs. Now, the reason this grade isn’t an A or an A+ is because Brooks only had one kickoff of four go for touchbacks. But the other three were still really solid kicks and pinned Florida deep. He also had a perfect onside kick that just wasn’t executed right by the hands team. That’s why this grade could stay in the A range but can’t go above A-.

Punting: B

Joe Doyle’s average is going up, and that’s a good thing. He had three punts and averaged 44 yards a punt on Saturday, including one that went inside the 20. With a long of 47, the guy still has some work to do. But he is clearly improving and developing, and maybe he could indeed continue the Tennessee football tradition of Punter U into the future.

Return game: F

The Vols returned one punt for six yards and four kickoffs for 78 yards, averaging just over 19 yards a kickoff return. Those are all below average numbers. Add in the fumble on the opening kickoff to start the second half by Shawn Shamburger, which broke this game open, and it’s safe to say the return game was a complete and utter failure Saturday. This unit is also part of the recovery team in onside kicks, and after Paxton Brooks nailed a perfect one that Jeremy Pruitt called, they couldn’t execute.

Overall special teams grade: D+

It’s crazy to think this grade is so low when the kicking was so good. But outside of the kickers, everybody else playing special teams was terrible on Saturday. So it brought the entire average down.

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