All for Tennessee
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Byron Young (6) reacts after allowing a touchdown late in the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2021 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Byron Young (6) reacts after allowing a touchdown late in the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers in the 2021 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive grades

Defensive line: B

This was the one unit that played well for Tennessee football, specifically the pass rush. The pass rush forced one interception, and Byron Young came down with another on his own. Only registering two sacks was a problem, but Purdue had just 33 carries for 98 yards, so their poor run game remained an issue in this game. Give UT credit for that.

Linebackers: C-

Jeremy Banks was the best defensive player on the field, finishing the game with two and a half tackles for a loss, two pass deflections, a sack and 20 tackles, 10 of which were solo. However, Aaron Beasley struggled, and while Banks stopped the run, this unit was just as useless in stopping the pass. That’s enough to make it barely average.

Secondary: D-

What can we say? They had six pass interference calls and gave up 534 yards through the air. The only reason this isn’t a failing grade is because of a nice interception by Kamal Hadden in the first half and Trevon Flowers taking advantage of the pass rush to come away with one in the second.

Overall defensive grade: D

The poor play of the secondary and the pass defense of the linebackers outweigh everything given the fact that Purdue threw it 48 times. They were without their two leading receivers and still torched UT, so of course this gets a bad grade.

Home/Vols Football