YMSWWC has this week's Big Orange Roundtable and asks one simple question: how did the Vols do against UAB?
At the top of the curve
Running backs. This unit had 264 net yards. 41 carries to 33 passes is a beautiful thing when we're getting 6.5 yards per carry. Arian Foster carried 12 times for 100 yards with a long of 31 and an average of 8.3. Lennon Creer carried eight times for 93 yards, two TDs, a long of 45, and an average of 11.6. (!) Montario Hardesty ran Mo Hard, and Tauren Poole average 4.8 yards on nine carries. I'm with Will at Southeastern Sports Blog. I know it was UAB, but what more can you ask for?
Offensive line. Um, see above. They made way for the 'backs to have such a fine day, and they gave up only one sack. I also don't really remember much pressure for Crompton, either. Good job to these guys.
Linebackers. These guys played really well. Ellix Wilson continues to surprise, racking up seven total tackles a shared one for a loss, an interception, a break up, and a hurry. Adam Myers-White had five tackles, including two for a loss, and Rico McCoy added four tackles.
Defensive backs. Eric Berry. Yeah. Seven tackles, a shared one for a loss, and an interception. Dennis Rogan, who played both safety and cornerback, had five tackles and did well in coverage. DeAngelo Willingham had four tackles, one for a loss, and an interception.
In the middle of the curve
Wide Receivers. Lucas Taylor had a fantastic day, catching nine passes for 132 yards, including a really nice 48 yard reception on which he made several moves after the catch to extend the play. Gerald Jones had two TDs, and Brandon Warren had two catches for 48 yards, including the 42-yarder from Nick Stephens. There seemed to be a lot of drops, though, including several -- three, I think -- from Luke Stocker. He apparently has very good hands, but he had a bad day. As a unit, though, 282 yards is pretty good. A couple more TDs would have been nice, though, huh?
Defensive line. Not a whole lot of action here. Chris Walker seemed to have his name called quite a bit, but the stats show him with only three tackles. He did also force a fumble, though. Dan Williams also had three tackles.Walter Fisher, Demonte' Bolden, and Ben Martin all had only tackle each. Robert Ayers' only contribution to the stat sheet is a QBH. These numbers probably should have been better considering the competition. Still, Joe Webb is a great quarterback, and keeping him contained was probably priority No. 1. They accomplished that.
Special teams. Chad Cunningham averaged 38 yards on two punts and put one inside the 20. We could not get the ball into the end zone on kickoffs, but most of them went to the two- or three-yard line. We attempted no field goals, which was probably excruciating for Daniel Lincoln. Punt return and kick return yardage was practically non-existent. Gerald Jones returned one punt for six yards, and Denarius Moore returned one kickoff for 27 yards.
Coaching. The coaching staff seemed fired up. It was good to see them focus on the rushing game in the second half. Still, 14 points in the first half against the nation's second-worst defense was disappointing. Perhaps it was necessary to get Crompton some reps, I don't know. The defense holding UAB to three total points is a very good performance, though, because as bad as UAB's defense was, their offense wasn't.
At the bottom of the curve
Quarterbacks. Not the best day for these guys, but several dropped passes from their receivers didn't help matters much. Crompton fielded the team well when we went to the running game, but we went to the running game after the passing game faltered a bit. Crompton missed an open Brandon Warren at least a couple of times, once to throw to Lucas Taylor in double coverage. Still, Crompton finished 19 of 31 for 240 yards and had two great-looking TDs to Gerald Jones. One of the interceptions was more like a punt, and probably didn't matter much, but the other wasn't good. Nick Stephens looked decent when he got into the game. Finding Brandon Warren for a 42-yard seam route reception will do that for you.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Roundtablers' responses:Loser With Socks
- Southeastern Sports Blog
- 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
- Curveballs for Jesus
- Fulmer’s Belly
- Gate 21
- Moondog Sports