Tennessee-UCLA report card

By News Sentinel staff

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Quarterbacks F

All three of Jonathan Crompton's interceptions were troubling, mostly since none of them were tipped at the line. The senior stared down receivers, overthrew open targets and then forced UT into a play-calling shell as it missed an opportunity to pick apart a young UCLA secondary.

Running Backs B-

Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown showed flashes, but neither could consistently move the chains with so many defenders near the line of scrimmage. Hardesty in particular was solid picking up the blitz, but everything was overshadowed by UT coming up short when it needed 2 yards to win the game.

Wide receivers C

After a flawless start to the season, UT finally dropped some passes - including a pair of big ones that slowed down the attack. The receivers also missed a couple of critical blocks and only three of them had more than one catch.

Offensive line C-

Center Cody Sullins and Crompton had a mishandled exchange and the Vols allowed three sacks in a forgettable effort up front. UCLA won the battle in the trenches, holding UT to 2.6 yards per carry and harassing Crompton into some bad decisions.

Defensive Line B+

Tackle Willie Bohannon forced a fumble on a sack, which end Gerald Williams recovered. Yet Williams failed to drop into coverage and gave up a touchdown. End Chris Walker also forced a fumble but couldn't quite recover what could have saved the game. Williams had eight tackles.

Linebackers B+

Nick Reveiz had nine tackles. Rico McCoy had seven. Both made a play behind the line of scrimmage. LaMarcus Thompson was average at best, with three tackles.

Defensive Backs B

Eric Berry isn't turning in Berry-like plays but is still playing well. Fellow safety Janzen Jackson missed a tackle that allowed a first down and another that allowed a long run. And they faced a redshirt freshman quarterback.

Special teams C

Chad Cunningham set the tone by booting the opening kickoff out of bounds to set UCLA up with good field position, and UT never did much in any phase to make up ground. Nu'Keese Richardson was again unsteady as the punt returner, and the Vols haven't been able to generate much on kickoff returns.

Coaching C

Lane Kiffin had to protect a shell-shocked quarterback. Should a change have been made? Monte Kiffin's defense kept the Vols in the game, but Berry could make more plays if he wasn't always lined up in the box. UT's receiver rotation was questionable.

overall D

The Vols can't overcome the kind of quarterback play they got on Saturday no matter how long their coaches coached in the NFL.

- News Sentinel staff