All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols performers vs. Charlotte 49ers

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 3: Wide receiver Josh Palmer #84 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for yards with Jeff Gemmell #34 of the Charlotte 49ers and Ben DeLuca #28 of the Charlotte 49ers defending during the game between the Charlotte 49ers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 14-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 3: Wide receiver Josh Palmer #84 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs for yards with Jeff Gemmell #34 of the Charlotte 49ers and Ben DeLuca #28 of the Charlotte 49ers defending during the game between the Charlotte 49ers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 14-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
Tennessee football
Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images /

Tennessee football looked horrible in its win over Charlotte, but there were still some standout Volunteers who earned helmet stickers against the 49ers.

Hey, look on the bright side. Tennessee football only allowed the Charlotte 49ers to score three points. That has to count for something, right? Well, yes. And that’s why, even in a hideous 14-3 win that should concern everybody, a few individuals still deserve credit for their play.

Say what you want, but the Vols are now 4-5 on the year, and Charlotte was their second best win of the season. Heck, it may be their third best win since the start of the 2017 season, tied with their victory last season over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The win is certainly better than their wins over ETSU, Indiana State, UMASS and UTEP.

Anyway, Charlotte posed specific match-up issues against Tennessee football. The key was that the Vols were able to maximize their advantages against the 49ers as well, and that’s why they were able to pull out the victory.

With those advantages came some key standout performers. And, in many ways, they were who you should have expected them to be based on what was going to be key to beating this team. They were even more critical given the Vols’ weaknesses.

As we get set to give out our Smokey Points for this game, you’ll be surprised to know that some offensive players certainly belonged on the list. We could’ve made a case for four of them, but a couple were left off, either because they weren’t spectacular enough or because they made too many other mistakes in addition to the plays they made.

The defensive standouts were actually pretty clear. Two of them didn’t just fill up the stats sheet. They also accrued their stats when they were most needed. Meanwhile, a third managed to get on the list as well because he got his name out there with spectacular plays.

Yes, there are negatives to what happened Saturday. But for all the faults of some players, others give Vols fans reason for hope. Let’s name those guys here. These are the five best Tennessee football players in their win over the Charlotte 49ers.

Home/Vols Football