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Tennessee football report card in Music City Bowl loss to Purdue

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) runs the ball during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 10
Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) runs the ball during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 10 /
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Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands thee ball off to Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 12
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) hands thee ball off to Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 12 /

As we have already detailed, there are clear people to blame as to why Tennessee football lost the Music City Bowl to the Purdue Boilermakers 48-45 in overtime. Officials stand out, but plenty of players and units are also at fault for that game. However, there is plenty of credit to dish around on Rocky Top too for making that an intriguing matchup.

Bowl game shootouts that go to overtime are always fun to watch, and Josh Heupel’s team put on a show last week. Not everybody was elite in their play, but plenty of players and groups were elite enough to make this a game. Our final report card of the year will break down who was.

Just like we have done all year, we’ll have two slides for the offensive grades and one for the defensive, special teams and coaching grades each. Let’s go ahead and dive in for the final time of the year, as UT closes out 2021 with a 7-6 record. This is our report card for Tennessee football following their loss to Purdue.

Offensive grades part I

Quarterback: A

You couldn’t ask for much more from Hendon Hooker. He’s the only person who played quarterback all day and threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Add in 59 rushing yards, and he almost did it all. Although his one turnover, a fumble, wasn’t his fault, it keeps him from getting an A+, as does him failing to convert a 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter.

Running backs: A-

Jaylen Wright actually did convert a 4th and goal from the one-yard line but was ruled down early. He and Jabari Small struggled on short-yardage plays at times. However, with Small carrying the ball 26 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns, Tennessee football’s two running backs together had 43 carries for 234 yards, averaging 5.44 yards a carry. That’s A-worthy.

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