Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols at South Carolina
Offense
Quarterbacks: B+
Jarrett Guarantano took a ton of hits in the pocket. And he was willing to take what Will Muschamp and the defense gave him by completing 27-of-39 passes for 209 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. That should be enough to improve this grade. However, Guarantano missed too many easy deep balls when he actually did have good pass protection. On top of that, he missed a few sideline routes. This wasn’t his night in terms of accuracy on tough passes, and that’s why we could only give him a B+. He just managed the game well. The plus is for the toughness he showed in the pocket.
Running backs: A-
They had very little blocking, but the Tennessee football running backs made huge plays. And it’s not just the running game that warrants them an A-, although 26 carries for 136 yards has to count for something. On top of that, though, Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan combined for 11 receptions for 58 yards. So these guys were all over the field, and they generated 194 total yards for the offense while Carlin Fils-Aime scored a touchdown. Tyson Helton didn’t use Jordan specifically enough in the second half. They all played great and earned this grade. It’s not higher only because they didn’t make any splash plays.
Wide receivers/Tight ends: B+
This one should be an A+. However, key penalties and Josh Palmer single-handedly brought it down to an A-. Palmer made too many mistakes out in the open field on Saturday and couldn’t bail out Jarrett Guarantano on a couple of missed passes. Everybody else, though, was flawless. Eli Wolf proved he should be the starting tight end. Not only can he pass-catch, but he was a very good outside blocker. Meanwhile, Marquez Callaway became a stud on the crossing patterns as South Carolina focused on stopping the deep ball. Add in Jauan Jennings’s epic stiff-arm touchdown, and this unit as a whole played great. But Jennings and Callaway both made costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Jennings’s gave South Carolina great field position for their first touchdown drive. Callaway’s forced the Vols to settle for a field goal. The combination of those and Palmer’s play bring this grade to a B+.
Offensive line: C-
Honestly, this grade would have been higher but for the final two drives. The return of D.J. Wonnum was clearly difficult to deal with, as was the loss of Trey Smith. But Tennessee football was still able to generate a running game, and Jarrett Guarantano often had time to throw. The final two drives, though, changed everything. Guarantano first had a fourth-down pass batted down, which is on the line. Then, on the next drive, Marcus Tatum committed a false start with time running down that made it 4th and long for the Vols. And needing a first down trailing 27-24, the line gave up a sack on a three-man rush. That was a horrific sequence of plays and showed why they missed Smith. And it’s why we docked their grade all the way down to a C-.
Overall offensive grade: B
Tennessee football’s offense had to carry the weight in this game and built a two-score lead. However, thanks to poor protection, Jarrett Guarantano struggling with the deep ball, Josh Palmer having an off-night and key penalties by other receivers, they couldn’t hold onto it late. So the unit gets a B.