Tennessee football: Top five Vols performers in 31-19 loss to Florida
These were the best Tennessee football Volunteers players against the Gators.
Most of the best performances on Saturday as Tennessee football lost its sixth straight game to the Florida Gators came in garbage time. Don’t forget that Florida had a 31-7 lead until the final quarter, and after Dan Mullen called off the dogs, the Vols had two touchdown drives of 94 and 96 yards respectively. They had three 90-plus yard drives on the day.
However, before that happened, there were players on Rocky Top doing everything they could to keep this game intriguing. As we get set to dish out our helmet stickers for this game, it’s important to note that the players who did what they could when the game actually mattered will take precedence over the ones who made irrelevant plays.
Don’t forget that the Vols did have a 7-3 lead over Florida in the first half, and they kept it close for a while. Who was responsible for that? Let’s break it down here. These were Tennessee football’s top five performers in their loss to the Gators.
Velus Jones. 5. Scouting Report. Jr.. Redshirt senior. 839. Pick Analysis. player
4 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 4 yards
Okay, our first guy on the list did make his main play in garbage time. Velus Jones Jr. caught a 22-yard pass from J.T. Shrout for a touchdown on 4th and 10 to cut Florida’s lead to 31-19 late in the game, making it look a lot more respectable for the Vols. Jones actually had three catches for 51 yards on the Vols’ final two offensive drives.
However, somebody had to get some credit for the way Tennessee football moved the ball and scored points late, even if they didn’t matter, and Jones is the guy to get the shoutout for that. The senior proved he could be a true wideout and showed that he had not been used enough all year.
This season is a loss, but there’s a chance Jones could come back, and given what he showed on Saturday, that would be an encouraging sign. Jim Chaney had a deadly, speedy weapon who could line up on the outside or in the slot, and he never used him all year that way until the end of a game in which his team was down 31-7. That’s a major indictment.