All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football 2019 season recap: Vols report card for year

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with Brandon Kennedy #55 and Jerrod Means #14 after rushing for a fifteen yard touchdown during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with Brandon Kennedy #55 and Jerrod Means #14 after rushing for a fifteen yard touchdown during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images
Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images /

Offense

Quarterbacks: C-

Jarrett Guarantano struggled early despite a 400-yard game later on. He had 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Add in the struggles of Brian Maurer, who had two touchdowns to five picks, and Guarantano’s late-season heroics saved this. Tennessee football had the sixth most passing yards, eighth most passing TDs and second most interceptions thrown in the SEC.

Running backs: D+

Ty Chandler was supposed to be the best offensive weapon for the Vols this year. He wasn’t. UT was ninth in the SEC in rush yards a game and next to last in rush yards per attempt. Now, Chandler is still solid, and Eric Gray came on strong late. But there just wasn’t enough production throughout the year with Chandler and Tim Jordan averaging under five yards a carry.

Wide receivers/Tight ends: B+

Dominick Wood-Anderson and the tight ends weren’t a huge part of the offense. But they came through. The slot guys were not great either, despite Josh Palmer having moments. However, Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings make this list. They both had 100-plus yard games three times, and they combined for over 1,600 yards to both finish in the top 15 in the SEC.

Offensive line: B-

It was a rough start for this unit. But once Jim Chaney found his rotation with Trey Smith and Brandon Kennedy in the middle and Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris on the outside, this unit became superb. They weren’t great in run blocking. Their pass-blocking, though, made up for it, allowing the sixth fewest sacks in the SEC. It’s strong finish warranted a B-.

Overall offensive grade: C-

There were issues throughout the year with Tennessee football’s offense, even as it came on strong late. Those early struggles, including scoring only three points against the Florida Gators, are why it gets a C-.

Home/Vols Football