All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football report card: Grading the Vols in their 59-10 win vs. Ball State

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (24) is stopped by Ball State defenders on a run during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (24) is stopped by Ball State defenders on a run during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Kns Utvbs0901 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Sep 1, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jimmy Holiday (6) runs for a touchdown against the Ball State Cardinals during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jimmy Holiday (6) runs for a touchdown against the Ball State Cardinals during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Special teams grades

Place kicking: A-

Chase McGrath made his only field goal, one from 34 yards, and he made every extra point. That’s enough to give Tennessee football’s kicking game a solid grade. Paxton Brooks returned to handling kickoff duties, and eight of his 10 kickoffs pinned Ball State inside the 25-yard line, which is the goal. Those other two keep this from being an A or A+, but the unit was still fine.

Punting: B

He only punted twice, but Brooks still averaged 46.5 yards a punt. On the other hand, neither pinned Ball State inside the 20, so he could have driven them further. The average is above average, but it’s nothing extra special, so it’s fully worthy of the B-grade it’s getting.

Return game: D

One of Jimmy Holiday’s returns saw the Vols get the ball at their own six-yard line due to an illegal block. On the other, there was an offside where he had a 16-yard return. The Vols never returned a punt. There was nothing horrific about this aspect of the game, but it certainly was below average, so we have to give it a D.

Overall special teams grade: B-

Nothing was too consequential on special teams, and that means all things being equal, place kicking would be the most important factor. Tennessee football was perfect when it came to place kicking, so that’s enough for us to give the Vols an above average grade here.

Home/Vols Football