QUARTERBACKS (B-)

Erik Ainge still didn’t appear on top of his game accuracy-wise. But Ainge managed the game well and didn’t turn the ball over. Jonathan Crompton engineered two scoring drives, one that included a 49-yard TD pass.

RUNNING BACKS (B+)

Arian Foster pounded out 100 yards and scored two TDs on 20 carries and protected the football. Lennon Creer was electric with 109 yards on seven carries, including a 30-yard TD run for the highlight reels. Gerald Jones lined up at QB, but showed running back skills with two carries for 20 yards and a TD.

RECEIVERS (C+)

Kenny O’Neal had the longest reception of the day on a 49-yard TD, but O’Neal also had a drop. Lucas Taylor had the second-longest catch, for 20 yards and a TD. Taylor’s turf toe appears to affect his blocking, as he didn’t attack defenders as often and was called for a hold.

OFFENSIVE LINE (A-)

Opened some massive holes for the backs throughout the game and wore down ULL with physical play. The short-yardage blocking still isn’t quite up to snuff, but the pass protection is virtually air-tight. No penalties from this well-disciplined unit.

DEFENSIVE LINE (C-)

Perhaps the Vols missed Demonte Bolden. Whatever the case, the Ragin’ Cajuns had too much running room and finished with 234 yards on the ground. The plus is for defensive end Antonio Reynolds, who showed alertness by picking a deflected pass out of the air and athleticism by returning it 70 yards for a TD.

LINEBACKERS (B-)

Ryan Karl and Rico McCoy led the way with eight tackles apiece, and Jerod Mayo added seven. Karl had two stops behind the line, but also ended up on the wrong end of some collisions with the ULL tailback. Ellix Wilson showed well in relief.

SECONDARY (A-)

The minus is for a couple of open-field missed tackles by Jonathan Hefney, but other than those plays, this unit was excellent. ULL was just 16-of-29 passing for 130 yards with two interceptions. Freshman Dennis Rogan had six tackles and a pass break-up at cornerback and Jarod Parrish recorded an interception.

SPECIAL TEAMS (A-)

Nevin McKenzie blocked a punt and Antonio Wardlow returned it 20 yards for a TD. Daniel Lincoln made his only field goal attempt from 24 yards and Britton Colquitt had one punt for 46 yards. Another good open-field tackle by LaMarcus Thompson in punt coverage

COACHING (A-)

Hard to complain about much, as ULL was unable to slow the Vols’ run attack, sack the QB or force any turnovers. Defensively, UT changed up some coverages and caught ULL off guard.

OVERALL (B+)

The Vols played hard despite the sub-100,000 crowd, and gave the fans who turned out for homecoming a glimpse into the future by giving young players some meaningful snaps. Relatively healthy, UT has much-needed momentum heading into the Arkansas game.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.