Tennessee football’s top five performers in 34-27 OT win at Pitt
Wide receiver. r-Senior. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 839. Cedric Tillman. 1
9 catches for 162 yards, 1 TD
Related Story. Five takeaways from Vols' 34-27 OT win at Pitt. light
Would anybody question this one? There’s a reason Hendon Hooker and Cedric Tillman are the dynamic duo. Both came through for Tennessee football in a huge way, and that happened despite miscues that they both made at times in the game. We mentioned Hooker missing two touchdowns. In both cases, he overshot Tillman.
However, Tillman uncharacteristically had two drops in the first quarter. One was on a fourth down that gave Pitt the ball back when they led 10-0, so it was a crucial one. However, Tillman eventually found his groove. He helped Hooker carve up the defense when needed, as he had two catches on each of the Vols’ first two touchdown drives.
Then Tillman still made the big plays, as he caught a 61-yard pass to set up their third touchdown, a one-yard run by Jabari Small. By the way, another shoutout, Small had two one-yard touchdown runs and a one-yard key 3rd and 1 conversion. Anyway, Tillman was always there when needed.
Next. Vols' 25 best single-game performances. dark
Of course, the overtime play is the critical one. Hooker’s touchdown pass after his touchdown run was called back went to none other than Tillman. That gave Tennessee football a touchdown lead, and it’s the reason they won this game. Tillman was clutch, a huge playmaker and, after the first quarter, his usual, dominant self. He’s the player of the game.