Tennessee football Smokey points: Top five Vols in 23-22 Gator Bowl win

Another Tennessee football player who will be back next year, Shawn Shamburger solidified his spot as the nickel corner. He was elite for the Vols in the first half. While things were really sluggish for everybody, Shamburger was the guy to light a fire in the team, and for that, he is really high on this list.

On Indiana’s first offensive possession, Peyton Ramsey tried to throw a pass to the middle of the field while under pressure. It looked like it would hit the dirt, but Shamburger dove and made a beautiful interception at the UT 47. Sure, the Vols had a turnover on downs the following drive, but Shamburger killed one drive and flipped field position. That was huge.

Then, in the second quarter, Indiana was at the 35. Rocky Top would keep pressuring Ramsey but couldn’t bring him down. Well, Shamburger was sent on a blitz and got a key sack that knocked them to the 25, spotting the Vols better field position on the punt, which resulted in them getting a field goal to go up 6-0.

The interception and the sack were Shamburger’s only two stats of the game. However, they were huge deals and resulted in the Vols gaining an early advantage, one that made a difference in their second-half comeback. So he’s got to be high on this list. And when you pick up a sack and an interception in one game, you did a pretty good job.