3. Daniel Bituli vs. Kentucky
Stat line: 8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss
Result: Tennessee wins 24-7
Tennessee football’s upset win over the Auburn Tigers was a complete performance. But the Vols beat the Kentucky Wildcats, their other big win on the season, with two big plays on offense and a dominating defense.
Daniel Bituli was beginning to settle into his new role in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 scheme by this point. A week before this game, he was key in helping the Vols hold off the Charlotte 49ers, registering 13 tackles overall.
However, he hadn’t had a breakout game in his new role, and Jeremy Pruitt was clearly waiting on that given the fact that he was by far the best overall complete linebacker on the team. That came in this game.
The guy didn’t just have eight tackles and three tackles for a loss. He came through at the most crucial time to put the Vols in control for good. Coming out of the locker room to start the second half, UT was up 17-0, but you just had the feeling Kentucky could make a run.
On their opening drive in the second half, though, Bituli made his mark with back to back tackles for a loss to force the Wildcats into a third and long, which they couldn’t convert. As a result, they were forced to punt, and UT responded with a long touchdown drive to put them up 24-0. Bituli did that, and his elite play and timing in such a big win is what puts him so high on this list.