Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols in 17-13 Kentucky win

Special teams

Place-kicking: A+

All of Paxton Brooks kickoffs went for touchbacks except for one, which was returned to the 20-yard line. Brent Cimaglia did not miss an extra point again, and he was automatic with a 26-yard field goal. So the place-kicking was perfect for the Vols, even if it didn’t have that much of an impact on this game. Well, maybe it did when you consider their crucial blocked extra point.

Punting: C+

Brooks had a punt blocked that set up the Kentucky Wildcats’ second touchdown. Tennessee football’s punt game would’ve gotten an F there. However, his next three punts all went inside the 20, and two of them went for over 50 yards. As a result, this thing nearly got to above average after that. So it earned a C+ grade and would’ve been an A+ were it not for the block.

Return game: D

The impact here was very minimal since we considered the blocked extra point as part of place-kicking. Marquez Callaway attempted to return one punt, and it was for no gain. Eric Gray attempted to return one kickoff, and it was only for five yards. So this grade gets a D, even if it doesn’t mean much.

Overall special teams grade: B-

A blocked punt was devastating, but blocking an extra point made up for it on the other end. That ended up being crucial, and the place-kicking was a much bigger deal than the return game. As a result, this unit gets a slightly above average grade, even if it wasn’t as good as it has been over the past few weeks.