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Tennessee football: Top five Vols performers in 42-17 win at Vanderbilt

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 12, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) catches a touchdown as he is defended by Vanderbilt Commodores cornerback Allan George (28) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) catches a touchdown as he is defended by Vanderbilt Commodores cornerback Allan George (28) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o (11) races up the field with a catch on a fake punt during the second quarter at Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw55859
Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o (11) races up the field with a catch on a fake punt during the second quarter at Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw55859 /

These were the best Tennessee football Volunteers players against the Vandy Commodores.

Well, it had to come against arguably the worst team in SEC history, one that barely had enough scholarship players for a two-deep depth chart, but Tennessee football was able to end its six-game losing streak, dominating the Vanderbilt Commodores 42-17. The Vols managed to secure their second straight win in the series as well.

In the process, Jeremy Pruitt was able to play a lot of players throughout the day. Six different Vols had their hands in a touchdown on the day, and lots of guys contributed to the over 540 yards of total offense this team enjoyed. Again, there’s not much to read into given Vandy’s situation, but at least lots of Vols were able to make a difference.

Who were the biggest difference-makers in this game, though? How much of an impact did they make? Let’s go ahead and separate the top ones here. These were the five best performers that helped Tennessee football move to 3-6 in its win over now 0-9 Vandy.

Sophomore. Henry To'o To'o. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Linebacker. 5. player. 839

10 tackles (7 solo); 0.5 TFLs; 2 PDs; 1 catch for 31 yards

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve finally seen the re-emergence of the Henry To’o To’o we have expected to see all year. To’o To’o still has issues defending the pass over the middle, but he’s by far the best inside linebacker at handling that, and he came away with two pass deflections in the game for a reason.

Thanks to To’o To’o being in on every play, Vanderbilt had a horrendous rushing attack. They only had 53 yards on 31 carries. If you take away the sacks on Ken Seals, they still only had 29 carries for 66 yards, averaging just barely over two yards a carry. He also had a 31-yard reception on a fake punt in the second quarter.

Simply put, To’o To’o did his part for Tennessee football. Obviously, Vandy was going to be limited with interim head coach Todd Fitch after recently firing Derek Mason, but Fitch was the offensive coordinator, so with that perspective, he could have made this team dangerous with balance. To’o To’o didn’t let that happen.

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