UT report card for UCLA : govolsxtra.com

C- Quarterbacks

Jonathan Crompton looked flustered at times and missed opportunities with errant passes.

Still, he showed his usual penchant for deep passes, hitting Josh Briscoe for a 41-yard gain and Austin Rogers in stride on a fly route, which was dropped.

C- Running Backs

Arian Foster’s fumbling issues cropped up again, and just when the Vols seemed poised to put the game away.

Montario Hardesty may be a better option if Foster can’t hang onto the ball. Hardesty and Foster averaged 5.5 and 7.4 yards per rush, respectively. But the fumble can’t be overlooked.

C Receivers

Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe dropped passes. The Vols will have to make more plays deep downfield or teams will continually play them on underneath routes, as UCLA did.

Gerald Jones looks poised for a breakout year. He had four receptions for 40 yards, ran the G-Gun well and was a factor on special teams.

C- Offensive Line

Pass protection was a problem for much of the night. That’s simply inexcusable for a mostly inexperienced quarterback.

Run blocking has improved. That could soon prove to be the crutch the Vols need to lean on.

B+ Defensive Line

Dan Williams and Demonte Bolden shut down UCLA on its own goal line with two consecutive tackles for a loss. Bolden’s move should have resulted in a safety.

The Vols had five tackles for a loss from their defensive line. Still, no sacks from the front four as UCLA kept quarterback Kevin Craft rolling away from pressure.

B Linebackers

Nevin McKenzie’s interception in the second quarter should have been the game-winner had UT kept UCLA's offense on the ropes. Ellix Wilson had 12 tackles, two for a loss and a sack. Adam Myers-White also had a tackle for a loss.

Rico McCoy has to make more plays, just four tackles and a pass break up.

A+/F Secondary

The Vols get two grades in their defensive backfield: an A+ for the first half and an F for the two drives in the fourth quarter when they made Kevin Craft look like Troy Aikman.

If UT’s secondary is truly great, it will have to make plays when the games on the line.

D Special Teams

Gerald Jones returned a kickoff for 43 yards and a punt for 33. Still, the blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown was the exact type of play UCLA needed to stay in the game.

Kicker Daniel Lincoln missed three field goals, including one in overtime, although he made a 27-yard field to send the game in OT.

D Coaching

The Vols didn’t make the necessary adjustments to stop UCLA when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter and seemed reluctant to blitz.

Allowing a player to come free on inexperienced punter Chad Cunningham was inexcusable.

C Overall

Most thought UT was a much better team than UCLA. It didn’t show on Monday.

Think Florida and Georgia were watching … and salivating?

The Vols looked as outdated as a mid-1980’s Los Angeles hair band.