Tennessee football: Top five Vols performers in 30-17 loss at Auburn Tigers

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Tennessee defensive back Bryce Thompson (0) holds back and takes a touchback after intercepting the ball in the end zone at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Auburn and Tennessee are tied 10-10 at halftime. /

Junior. Bryce Thompson. player. 839. Pick Analysis. 4. Scouting Report. Defensive back

1 interception; 6 tackles (5 solo); 1 pass deflection

Finally, as he clearly is beginning to get more healthy, Bryce Thompson made a few big plays. He joined Matthew Butler in tying the team as the leader in overall tackles and solo tackles, but what obviously stands out is the interception he had in the game, his first of the year.

At the time, Tennessee football was up 7-0, and the Auburn Tigers were driving. They had made it to the UT 20-yard line and were threatening to tie it. Thompson came through, intercepting a pass thrown by Bo Nix into the end zone. The Vols were able to capitalize off of that interception with a field goal to take a 10-0 lead, which should have helped them win.

Although that didn’t work, Thompson still largely played his heart out. He was matched up with Seth Williams throughout the day, and while Williams did have five catches for 52 yards, that’s a lot worse than he has been doing. After all, this is a guy who is averaging over 80 yards receiving a game, and only the Georgia Bulldogs held him to fewer yards than Thompson did.

Considering the limited help Thompson has everywhere else in the secondary, that’s a pretty impressive performance. Combine it with the interception, and it’s obvious to see why he belongs on this list.

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