A Look at Tennessee's Freshmen, Transfers Against Pitt
Tennessee stumbled at home on Saturday in a 41-34 loss to ACC foe Pitt. The second game of the Josh Heupel era saw the Panthers erase an early 10-0 deficit en route to a hard-fought road victory in Neyland Stadium. Once again, we take a look at how Tennessee's newcomers (freshmen and incoming transfers for the 2021 season) fared in the matchup.
Newcomers Earning Participation- RB Jaylen Wright, WR Walker Merrill, WR JaVonta Payton, QB Joe Milton III, QB Hendon Hooker, PK Chase McGrath, DL Caleb Tremblay, DL Da'Jon Terry, LB William Mohan, LB Juwan Mitchell, DB Christian Charles, and DB De'Shawn Rucker.
Newcomers That Did Not Participate- LB Aaron Willis, LB Byron Young, OL Jeremiah Crawford, DB Brandon Turnage, RB Tiyon Evans, DL Amari McNeill, TE Trinity Bell, TE Miles Campbell, WR Kaemen Marley, OL William Parker, WR Andison Coby and DB Kamal Hadden.
Noticeable Absences
Josh Heupel did not tip his hand leading into the game, but Tennessee was without prized running back Tiyon Evans as expected, leaving the Vols to only play two running backs. Elsewhere Byron Young did not receive word from the NCAA on his eligibility status, so the Vols were without him for the second straight week.
Transfer DB Kamal Hadden did not see any action for the second straight week, as he has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury. Heupel has yet to make a public comment on Hadden, but he seems to be progressing towards a return to the field soon.
Elsewhere, Bell and Marley have continued to be limited participants this fall, while it came as a bit of a surprise that Miles Campbell did not see any action on Friday given his strong camp.
QB Play
Michigan Transfer Joe Milton III got the start at quarterback for the Vols, but he was underwhelming, to say the least. Milton connected on 7-12 throws, but all of them were underneath passes, as he once again struggled to hit the deep ball. Milton left the game with an apparent lower leg injury, which opened the door for Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker.
Hooker pieced together a decent game and kept the Vols in the contest, but he struggled with sacks and turnovers down the stretch. Hooker finished the day with 69 yards rushing and 188 yards and two touchdowns threw the air. He lost a fumble and threw an interception in the closing minutes to seal the fate of the game.
RB Play
Freshman Jaylen Wright was the only running back to record a carry in the second half after Jabari Small did not return following an injury sustained at the end of the first half. Wright tallied 11 carries for 22 yards and a touchdown. He added five catches for 20 yards.
Wide Receivers
Walker Merrill, and JaVonta Payton both received snaps and a target a piece, but neither played recorded any stats. With Jalin Hyatt battling an injury suffered in the game, Merrill could be in for more playing time. One source has indicated that Hyatt should be ready for this week's contest, but we will see how much Tennessee opts to use him against Tennessee Tech. Andison Coby received snaps last week, but his role was decreased this week with the return of Ramel Keyton.
Offensive Line
No newcomers or freshmen saw action on the offensive line.
Defensive Line
Once again, two Vols newcomers on the defensive line saw extensive action in Caleb Tremblay and Da'Jon Terry. Both players recorded a tackle and were a frequent part of the rotation.
Linebackers
It was a bounceback week for Juwan Mitchell, despite not getting the start at middle linebacker. After not recording a stat against Bowling Green, Mitchell record 7 total tackles against Pitt on Saturday. Michigan transfer William Mohan was another heavy contributor on special teams. Mohan recorded one tackle.
Defensive Back
After receiving action in week one, Alabama transfer Brandon Turnage did not participate in Saturday's game. Freshmen De'Shawn Rucker and Christian Charles both made key plays on special teams. Christian Charles blocked the first punt of the game, which set up a touchdown for the Vols on the next play. Rucker made a big hit on a kickoff return that pinned Pitt inside their own 15 yard line.
Chase McGrath handled field goal duties, and he was 2-2 on the day, and he connected on four extra points.s
