Stocks to buy
Inside linebackers
A lot of Tennessee football’s issues defending the pass against Ken Seals on Saturday were actually due to the wrong players on the field in the secondary. The inside linebackers have begun to show improvement in recent weeks, and no player has made that more evident than Henry To’o To’o, who had a second straight standout week.
To’o To’o led the team with 10 tackles, seven of which were solo, and he assisted on a tackle for a loss. The inside linebackers have been the reason that both the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores couldn’t establish the run, so they’re getting better.
Quarterback play
In each of the past two games, the best statistical quarterback did most of the work in garbage time. J.T. Shrout gets credit for back to back touchdown drives of 94 and 96 yards against Florida after the Gators were already up 31-7 and had called off the dogs. Harrison Bailey gets credit for going 14-of-18 for 207 yards and two touchdowns at Vandy, largely with UT up big.
Because of that, neither player is getting a lot of hype just yet. However, Shrout, even while completing under 50 percent of his passes, showed a great arm Saturday. Bailey is getting more comfortable. Both of these guys are giving Vol fans some encouragement for the future.