It was the easiest game Tennessee football would have all year, and the Vols made sure to take advantage. Josh Heupel was able to get lots of different players onto the field as the Vols beat the Akron Zips 63-6 Saturday night, avoiding any hangover from the win at the Pittsburgh Panthers and not looking ahead to the Florida Gators.
With such a blowout win, tons of players for the Vols stood out and had impressive stat lines. However, as we get set to look at the best players in the game, we’re going to have to focus on those who had the biggest impact when it actually was somewhat of a game.
That’s not to say other players won’t warrant mentions. Indeed, there were actually a few breakout stars in this one given the way things played out. However, we only give out five helmet stickers a game, so let’s go ahead and break down those players. Here are Tennessee football’s top five performers against Akron.
These were the best Tennessee football Volunteers players against the Zips.
2 solo tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
Although the intermediate pass defense was still a problem, the Vols never really got burned over the top, and they have their secondary to thank for that. The whole group played solid, as Jaylen McCollough had a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hurry, Tamarion McDonald had a tackle for a loss and a pass deflection, and Trevon Flowers helped force a fumble.
However, Kamal Hadden was the best player out there in the unit. Hadden often shut down his side of the field. His numbers speak for themselves, but they should have been greater, as his pass breakup was actually an interception with one foot in bounds if you go back and look at it.
Now, Hadden did get a bit of a break. Even with Warren Burrell out, he didn’t have to guard Shocky Jacques-Louis for most of the game, and Jacques-Louis did have over 100 yards receiving. However, Hadden still did the job he was supposed to do and once again showed his versatile skill set for Tennessee football.