Tennessee football stock report after week 8: Vols WRs soaring

Stock up

Wide Receivers

For two weeks in a row, Tennessee football has found something by airing the ball out and trusting its receivers to make a play. After doing that led the Vols to victory against the Auburn Tigers, it helped them put up some points against the Alabama Crimson Tide. In fact, UT became the first team to have a 100-yard receiver all year against Nick Saban, as Jauan Jennings had six receptions for 102 yards.

On top of that, Josh Palmer was able to get things going with a huge 30-yard reception before he and Jarrett Guarantano both got hurt. Add in the fact that Brandon Johnson had a big play and Tyler Byrd made a sighting with a touchdown reception, making the slot position relevant for the first time all year, and there is clearly a collection of players at receiver. The unit’s stock remains up as a whole.

Pass rush

Against Georgia Bulldogs, Darrell Taylor had three sacks. Coming off the bye, against the Auburn Tigers, Jeremy Pruitt called a perfectly timed blitz with Baylen Buchanan that forced an interception. Alexis Johnson and Kyle Phillips then got a rush and forced a Jarrett Stidham fumble that resulted in a touchdown for the Vols. Those plays were the difference in the game overall.

Then came this past weekend. Tua Tagovailoa managed to torch the UT secondary, but the Vols overall were actually pretty good at getting pressure on him without blitzing. And in a perfectly called blitz with Buchanan again, they got another turnover. This time, it was Phillips again, who got an interception and ran it in for a touchdown. So for three weeks, the Vols have been getting some serious pressure from their pass defense. That’s a good sign.