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Tennessee football report card in 44-21 loss at Georgia

By Caleb Calhoun

ATHENS, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 10: Jaylen McCollough #22 of the Tennessee Volunteers strips the ball from Jermaine Burton #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium on October 10, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 10: Jaylen McCollough #22 of the Tennessee Volunteers strips the ball from Jermaine Burton #7 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium on October 10, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Oct 10, 2020; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Kearis Jackson (10) catches a long pass behind Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Theo Jackson (26) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2020; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Kearis Jackson (10) catches a long pass behind Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Theo Jackson (26) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive grades

Defensive line: A-

If one unit stood out for its play on Saturday, it was the defensive line. Tennessee football did not allow the Georgia Bulldogs to average five yards on the ground. The Vols had a 4th and 1 stop and then back to back stops on 3rd and goal and 4th and goal from the one-yard line at the end of the first half, which is why they had a 21-17 lead going into halftime.

Beyond just that success, though, you have to give the unit credit for its one defensive touchdown on the bad snap.  Kivon Bennett is technically an outside linebacker, but he was on the line, and multiple linemen were down there when the play happened. This group helped get two stops after the offense’s first two second-half turnovers. It played well throughout the day.

Linebackers: B

While the defensive line did a great job getting the push up front, the linebackers filled the gaps numerous times. Henry To’o To’o was in on every one of those tackles, and he had his best game with 11 tackles, six of which were solo and two tackles for a loss. Then there was the Kivon Bennett touchdown.

However, there were too many missed tackles at times, and Jeremy Banks struggled severely in coverage. To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch weren’t great on that front either. Deandre Johnson kept UGA’s first touchdown driver alive with a bad targeting penalty. Those issues moved a great game to just above average.

Secondary: C-

Bryce Thompson back at cornerback and Shawn Shamburger back at nickel certainly showed improvement in the secondary. However, it still had far too many busted plays, and defending the slot and check-down players was a major issue.

The Vols allowed Kearis Jackson to gain 91 yards and score a touchdown on a busted coverage on third down, which is how the Dawgs took a two-score lead to begin with. Jaylen McCollough had a pass interference penalty on 3rd and 13 to keep another touchdown drive alive. Although linebackers struggled in coverage too, this unit struggled a lot.

Overall grade: B-

Despite technically allowing 44 points, Tennessee football’s defense scored a touchdown, and only 31 of those points were scored by the Georgia Bulldogs’ offense. It also scored seven points of its own. As a result, this unit had a solid day, and it wasn’t the reason for the loss.

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