All for Tennessee
Fansided

4 Tennessee players who exceeded expectations in the thrashing of Syracuse

Talk about performances to remember for these playmakers.
ByBraulio Perez|
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) puts on the Old Leather Hat after the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) puts on the Old Leather Hat after the Aflac Kickoff Game between the Volunteers and Syracuse held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on August 30, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
3 of 4

2. RB DeSean Bishop and RB Star Thomas

We're cheating a little bit and splitting things here between running backs DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas. To start things off, man, Bishop was fun to watch with the ball in his hands. Bishop turned plenty of heads when he was seen without gloves, but that wasn't the only reason he had people talking over the weekend.

Against Syracuse, Bishop carried the ball 11 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. His 7.5 yards per carry was pretty spectacular to see. Vols fans were worried how the ground game would look with Dylan Sampson no longer in orange and now in the NFL playing with the Cleveland Browns. Bishop showcased that a big 2025 could be on the way for him.

The same could be said for Thomas, who was a force with the ball in his hands. The Duke transfer led the team with his 12 carries and 92 yards. He didn't have a TD on the ground, but he did catch one from Aguilar to make his day complete. Hey, we're not going to forget about Peyton Lewis either, who had 38 rushing yards and a TD. All in all, the rushing attack was brilliant.

Coming up next: From Notre Dame to Tennessee

Home/Vols Football