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Tennessee football report card in 38-14 loss at Florida

By Caleb Calhoun

A view of the game during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football
A view of the game during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football /
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Florida Gators safety Trey Dean III (0) upends Tennessee Volunteers running back Tiyon Evans (8) with a big hit during the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 25, 2021.Flgai 092521 Ufvs Tennesseefb 42
Florida Gators safety Trey Dean III (0) upends Tennessee Volunteers running back Tiyon Evans (8) with a big hit during the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 25, 2021.Flgai 092521 Ufvs Tennesseefb 42 /

It’s much easier to grade Tennessee football when they’re facing a team like the Florida Gators instead of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. This was a solid measuring stick to test the Vols’ development under Josh Heupel, even if they suffered a 38-14 blowout loss to the program they once considered a bitter rival.

As we get set to hand out our report card for this game, we’ll take into account the quality of the Vols’ opponent. However, because a few key plays are what turned this into a blowout after UT had a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, we’re also going to put a lot of weight on those key plays.

That may be unfair, as Florida had plenty of miscues on its own, but the Vols had to play a perfect game to make this close given how outmatched they are, and they didn’t do that. Here’s a look at the impact that had. This is our Tennessee football report card for the Florida loss.

Offensive grades part I

Quarterback: B-

Hendon Hooker did miss Jacob Warren on what could have been a touchdown pass, which was a key miscue, and he botched a flea flicker that got him hurt. Joe Milton III also struggled at the end of the game. Those drug this grade down. However, Hooker made some nice throws, and together they accounted for 304 total yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. That’s above average.

Running backs: A

By far the best part of UT’s offense all night, the running backs were superb. Tiyon Evans was the workhorse, but he also had a big 47-yard touchdown reception on a screen. Both he and Jabari Small hit the 50-yard mark on the ground. Evans had a total of 121 yards from scrimmage, and Small had 81 yards, so Tennessee football’s two backs did get over 200 yards in total on the day.

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