Tennessee football 2019 recap: Top 10 Vols players of the season

Want to question Daniel Bituli’s value? Tennessee football went 8-3 this year with him, their only losses coming to teams that finished in the top 10, and they went 0-2 without him, both losses coming at home to Group of Five schools.

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For his senior campaign, Bituli brought unquestionable value to the program. After the Vols’ first bye week, he was ready to go, and his health was one of the biggest catalyst for UT’s turnaround. The breakout game was against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

In that matchup, Bituli had 15 tackles, a pass deflection and a blocked punt that he picked up and returned for a touchdown. That play sealed the fate of the game, as the Vols won 41-21. For the year, Bituli had 88 tackles, five tackles for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

The standout game of the year, though, came at the Kentucky Wildcats. In that one, Bituli had an incredible 19 tackles. Then, with Kentucky on the one-yard line and having two chances to score the game-winning touchdown, Bituli came away with back to back tackles to get the stop.

Simply put, Bituli was key all year for Rocky Top, and he also made the plays when he was most needed. As the anchor for the Vols’ defense, he was incredibly valuable, and he will be missed heading into next year. But he helped set the standard for the future under Jeremy Pruitt.