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Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols on their 2021 season

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) gets his hands on the ball but it falls incomplete in the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) gets his hands on the ball but it falls incomplete in the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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Tennessee offensive lineman Cade Mays (68) points to fans while celebrating after an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 45-42.Tennvskentucky1106 2877
Tennessee offensive lineman Cade Mays (68) points to fans while celebrating after an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 45-42.Tennvskentucky1106 2877 /

Offensive grades part II

Wide receivers: A

A huge reason for the elite quarterback play was this unit right here. Cedric Tillman had a breakout year with over 1,000 yards receiving. Velus Jones Jr. had over 800 yards receiving. JaVonta Payton scored a touchdown for every three passes he caught. Those three were elite all year, and they pushed Tennessee football’s grade to an A.

Tight ends: C

Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren had moments, combining to catch 34 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns, but they weren’t dominant. Also, there were too many mistakes at times in pass protection, which pushes this grade down to a C.

Offensive line: B-

UT ran the ball well outside of one issue: they led the league in sacks allowed. This was a huge weakness of theirs all year, and while it was partially on Hooker for not getting rid of the ball quickly enough, we can’t ignore the culpability of the offensive line here. Still, they averaged over 217 yards on the ground a game, so we can’t be too hard on them.

Overall offensive grade: B+

The scoring and yards are all way up there, but that’s part of Heupel’s system. What really counts is efficiency, and the Vols were fourth in the SEC in yards per play. That’s enough to warrant an above average grade, and it pushes an excellent rating, but it wasn’t quite there.

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