QUARTERBACK (C+)

Only one interception for Erik Ainge in his 18-of-27, 258-yard 1 TD passing performance. Ainge is very accurate when given time to throw, but when pressured, his accuracy is questionable. Ainge is not standing tall under pressure, and he's missing open receivers. Jonathan Crompton handed off well.

RUNNING BACKS (B)

An A+ for LaMarcus Coker, who obviously is making a bid for the starting job. Coker was electrifying on his 89-yard TD run and turned it up hard on his other carries. Montario Hardesty broke three tackles on his 20-yard TD run but appears to lack vision. Fullbacks Cory Anderson and David Holbert missed blocks, and Holbert's motion penalty wiped out a first down.

RECEIVERS (B)

Solid, but not spectacular in this department. Jayson Swain made a nice catch on his 47-yard TD grab, and came through with a sensational catch off Bret Smith's tipped ball. Chris Brown had a pair of catches for 19 yards. Robert Meachem made some nice moves, but his longest play was 29 yards. Smith was a reliable target.

OFFENSIVE LINE (D+)

Very little push through the first three quarters, and Marshall's movement and pressure appeared to fluster them. Ainge was sacked twice, and outside of a couple of long runs, the rushing attack was toothless.

DEFENSIVE LINE (B-)

Some big plays, but also, some disappointing plays. Xavier Mitchell and Matt McGlothlin combined on a safety. Mitchell harassed Marshall's starting right tackle into a hold and a false start. Turk McBride's roughing-the-passer penalty set up Marshall at the UT 11. McBride was offsides on another play. Robert Ayers had a nice sack.

LINEBACKERS (C)

Not terrible, but certainly more missed tackles than one usually sees from John Chavis' unit. Marshall's QB wasn't as intimidated to keep the ball on the option as most opposing QBs. Jerod Mayo had 12 stops but missed some tackles, and Ryan Karl had trouble filling gaps. Rico McCoy also missed in the open field. Marvin Mitchell was solid with 12 tackles.

SECONDARY (C+)

Most of the unit was strong, but Demetrice Morley struggled, getting beat on a 49-yard pass and missing a tackle on a 22-yard run. Jonathan Hefney had an interception and was aggressive - too aggressive once, drawing a flag for a hit out of bounds. Antwan Stewart was good in coverage but dropped an interception.

SPECIAL TEAMS (B)

Britton Colquitt averaged 56 yards on three punts and pinned Marshall inside the 20 on all three kicks. James Wilhoit connected on 49-yard field goal but missed from 42 yards. Kick return unit is still struggling, as Vols had 36 yards on three returns. Ben Greene had a fine kickoff tackle at the Marshall 12.

COACHING (D+)

There didn't appear to be many successful adjustments at the half, as it took UT until the fourth quarter to pull away. Questionable not to give Jonathan Crompton passing opportunities; he needs experience in the event of an injury. Defensively, the option still presented a few problems, and Marshall was surprisingly effective running at times.

OVERALL (C-)

This grade doesn't average out with the units, but neither did the 33-7 final score match the closeness of the game. UT didn't respond as well to the Florida loss as many hoped. Marshall was just as physical most of the time, and if not for the talent disparity could have won. The Vols need to find a run game, and quick. The next two games, on the road, will set the tone for the rest of the season.