Tennessee football: 10 best 2018 single game performances by returning Vols
6. Bryce Thompson vs. ETSU
Stat line: 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 interception, 1 pass defended
Result: Tennessee wins 59-3
It was only against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. But while Alontae Taylor showed his promise as a future cornerback on Rocky Top, Bryce Thompson showed his potential stardom in 2018 for Tennessee football. And this was the game that started it all.
Coming off a 40-14 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Vols had little excitement for this game. They knew they would win pretty handily, and they did, pulling away 59-3. However, Thompson breaking out was a big plus for them.
In the game, Thompson did it all. He had two tackles for a loss, defended one pass and came away with an interception. That’s a heck of a stat line for a cornerback, and he proved that despite being an athlete, he could be a very physical player. That’s something Taylor later proved as well.
Thompson also returned that interception 21 yards to the ETSU 3-yard-line, setting up a touchdown that put the Vols up 24-0 at the time. Again, there’s a deeper level of significance here than just beating the ETSU Bucs.
This was the start of a freshman campaign that turned Thompson into a freshman All-American. Expectations are through the roof for him this year, and his versatility makes him a deadly threat at cornerback for any defense. He was certainly all over the field against ETSU, and he kept up that consistency for the year as well.