Tennessee football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols performers vs. Florida Gators

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Running back Madre London #31 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for yards 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: Running back Madre London #31 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for yards 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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

Jeremy Pruitt has been turning more and more to his freshmen to make plays in the secondary, and Alontae Taylor was one of those guys for the Vols Saturday. In fact, he made the biggest play for them in the game.

Down 14-0 and having just been stopped on a fourth down, Taylor got the Vols the ball back by forcing a fumble on a Florida running play. The recovery set up Tennessee football’s first points of the game to make it at least 14-3. It was huge at the time because he and the rest of the defense had every reason to roll over because of the way the offense was playing. But he didn’t.

With four tackles, including one for a loss, to go with it, Taylor managed to be a playmaker for Rocky Top. The guy was recruited as an athlete, so it was a good thing to see him be able to get physical like that.

Taylor, like the rest of the defense, was guilty of a few mistakes all night. But he managed to keep playing and keep fighting, and as a freshman, you have to give him some respect for that. He was one of the crucial players for the Vols Saturday.