Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols in 60-14 win vs. South Alabama

Special teams grades

Place kicking: B

Chase McGrath didn’t attempt any field goals, but he made all of his extra points. This unit gets a B, though, because Toby Wilson allowed two kickoffs to spot Alabama the ball past the 25-yard line. Now, one spotted them the ball at the one-yard line, but that didn’t have as much to do with Wilson. With no field goals, that was the best way to judge this unit, so it gets just a B.

Punting: C

Paxton Brooks didn’t see the field until the end of the game. He had a 31-yard punt that pinned South Alabama at the nine-yard line. However, he then had a 33-yard punt that spotted them the ball at the 32-yard line. A solid punt with a short field combined with a horrendous punt is enough to give this grade a C.

Return game: A+

This was the best return game Tennessee football had all year. Velus Jones Jr. ran a kickoff back for a touchdown, he ran a punt back 33 yards to set up a touchdown, and the Vols’ punt return team was on the field for a bad snap that resulted in a safety. If Jones had finished the job on that punt return, it would’ve been the most complete return game a team ever had. The unit was perfect.

Overall special teams grade: A-

Place kicking and punting were just not important to this game, especially since UT didn’t punt until the fourth quarter. The return game alone allowed this unit to get an A grade, and it’s hard to ignore what they were able to pull off.