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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
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1. Center Sam Pendleton

Up front, the Syracuse defensive line must be having nightmares over how strong Sam Pendleton looked. Leading up to kickoff, it was up in the air where he was going to start, as he was an option at both center and right guard. With David Sanders Jr. getting injured, there was some shuffling and Pendleton ended up manning things in the middle.

His performance truly was better than expected. The Notre Dame transfer was a force in the trenches and he dominated the guys in front of him. Pendleton didn't allow a sack, barely allowed any pressure on Aguilar and he also had a pancake block that's going viral on social media. Once again, take a look at the clip below:

Pendleton opened up a hole there for Thomas that would have been big enough for a truck. The offensive line as a whole was spectacular, but Pendleton sure stood out a little bit. In some even more good news for Heupel, Sanders is expected to be back on the field this weekend against East Tennessee State too.

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