All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football Smokey points: Top five Vols performers in 41-21 South Carolina win

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images /

Standout talent came through with huge plays for Tennessee football in their win over South Carolina. Here are the top five Volunteers performers.

Talk about big-time players stepping up in big-time moments! Tennessee football relied on everybody who was supposed to be a standout player at the beginning of this season to score a huge 41-21 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Their biggest weapons made sure they would move to 3-5 on the year, and all of a sudden, a bowl game is in sight. Given how they started the season, with two home losses to Group of Five programs, that’s a major accomplishment.

Heading into the year, the book on Tennessee football was that they would be young but had enough elite veterans in specific spots to keep them relevant. Those veterans weren’t enough in the first few games of the year.

Now, though, they are. And as we get set to dish out our Smokey points for Saturday’s game, those veterans managed to steal the show. We’ll be naming lots of them in what was a huge game for so many people.

It wasn’t just a game of weapons stepping up, to be fair. This win was a rebound game for certain players who have dealt with excessive levels of scrutiny all season long. Specific individuals had every reason to be thrilled with what they were able to do on Saturday.

And with four games left, these individuals could be a huge reason the Vols make it to a bowl game, if they do. UT will certainly have to rely on them to get to that point. For them to do what they did against Will Muschamp, who has tortured Rocky Top for far too long, makes it even sweeter for everybody involved.

But who are these players? How critical were they on Saturday? Let’s go ahead and start giving them a shoutout. These are the top five Vols performers in Tennessee football’s 41-21 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Home/Vols Football