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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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Sep 25, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers place kicker Chase McGrath (40) misses the field goal against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers place kicker Chase McGrath (40) misses the field goal against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Special teams grades

Place kicking: C-

A difference in the game is that Chase McGrath missed a 47-yard field goal badly as time expired in the first half while Jace Christmann hit his for Florida. That’s why UF led 17-14 at halftime. However, all but one of Toby Wilson’s kickoffs pinned Florida at or inside the 25-yard line, there were no missed extra points, and 47 yards is forgivable. That’s enough to keep this average.

Punting: D+

Paxton Brooks punted six times for an average of 43.2 yards with a touchback and one punt inside the 20. In the second half, he was much better, and he actually earned an above average grade by himself. However, a targeting and personal foul penalty on one pun that spotted UF 30 yards single-handedly brought the punt game overall down to below average.

Return game: D

Penalties on special teams were killers. In addition to that punting penalty, Velus Jones Jr. had a kickoff return that was brought back to the 14-yard line because of a penalty. He averaged 20.5 yards on four kickoff returns and never got past the 25-yard line. With no punt returns, that’s enough to give this grade a below average one.

Overall special teams grade: D+

A missed field goal was the biggest killer of everything on here, but Tennessee football’s special teams in general was bad. This had to be an advantage if the Vols were going to make this a game, and the opposite happened.

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