Tennessee football report card in 30-17 loss at Auburn

Special teams grades:

Place kicking: D

Brent Cimaglia’s place-kicking lost this game for Tennessee football as much as anybody. He did make a 47-yarder, but he missed a 50-yarder and a 37-yarder. The 37-yard miss is inexcusable, but the 50-yard miss proved costly since Anders Carlson of the Auburn Tigers nailed a 50-yarder and was a perfect three-for-three.

If Cimaglia had just matched Carson’s performance, which he should be able to do as an All-SEC caliber kicker, UT would have had the ball down by only one score late. That was crucial. We can also add Paxton Brooks failed to have one kickoff go for a touchback and had a poorly executed onside kick.

Punting: C-

Speaking of Paxton Brooks, he only punted twice on the day. One was a shank that only went 27 yards, and that killed field position for UT, as when they got the ball back late in the first half, they were pinned back too deep. So yes, it was costly. However, the other one went 47 yards, which is why this gets just barely an average grade.

Return game: D+

Velues Jones Jr. had a 32-yard return, which could have made this above average. However, he also had a horrendous eight-yard return out of the end zone, pinning UT inside the 10-yard line, and that ran off a lot of clock on their next drive. That alone makes this below average.

Overall special teams grade: D+

The most important aspect of special teams is place kicking, and the Vols failed there on multiple fronts. A weak return game and mediocre punting game kept this grade below average anyway, and that’s the grade we gave it.