Tennessee football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols performers vs. Alabama

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Defensive lineman Kyle Phillips #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after an interception for a touchdown during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

I brought this down to Nigel Warrior and Baylen Buchanan. Both got beat on some plays, but both made a few plays as well. The difference is Warrior did get beat on the deep touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa that gave the Tide a three-touchdown lead. And he also dropped an interception in the end zone that could have made a world of difference in the first half.

So Buchanan gets the edge. He was fourth on the team in tackles behind Warrior, Daniel Bituli and Quart’e Sapp, who all had eight tackles. Warrior had a pass breakup while Bituli assisted on a tackle for a loss.

But Buchanan, with seven tackles, also had a pass breakup AND a tackle for a loss. And for the second straight week, he forced an interception off a blitz. Buchanan was the guy who came around the edge to strike Jalen Hurts, which caused the pick-six in the game. By moving over to nickel, he took it to another level in Jeremy Pruitt’s system.

Buchanan is not fast enough to purely cover wideouts. But he is the guy who can make lots of open field tackles and at least force a few bad things to happen for the other team’s offense. And on Saturday, while the defense altogether was horrendous, and it was, Buchanan fought his guts out time and time again.

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