Game Balls: Georgia
The Vols had a tale of two halves against Georgia. Despite having a 21-17 lead at the half and a spectacular goal line stand to end the half, they couldn't do anything in the second half. The Tennessee offensive line struggled to create push all day long, and against a ferocious Georgia pass rush and repeated third and longs in the second half, they struggled to protect Jarrett Guarantano as well. Those struggles and a second half meltdown by Guarantano with three turnovers and another fumble that could have been a turnover, resulted in a 44-21 Georgia win in Athens. Despite their disappointing second half, the Vols still had some players make good efforts in the loss.
Offense: Josh Palmer
The biggest plays that the Vols had on offense came with big catches by Josh Palmer. When the Vols had a fourth down stop in the first half, they immediately capitalized by taking a shot to the endzone. Palmer made a brilliant catch on an excellent throw by Jarrett Guarantano. Not only did Palmer go up and make the catch, he shifted away from the corner he out jumped and got himself into the endzone. Later, Palmer gave the Vols the lead on another long touchdown. It was perhaps an even better throw by Guarantano, but Palmer did an incredible job getting his left foot down to secure the touchdown after review. Palmer was the most explosive and productive player that the Vols had against the Bulldogs, capitalizing on every opportunity that he was given. Palmer was by far the most effective weapon the Vols had, and his play helped give the Vols a halftime lead. His touches were limited in the second half, but through three games it is clear the Vols have to get the ball to Palmer. Guarantano made some excellent throws in the first half, but Palmer is the one getting the game ball because he avoided the critical mistakes made by Guarantano in the second half.
Defense: Kivon Bennett
Tennessee started the game with a wild play, and like last week, turnovers come at a premium. Not only did Bennett come up with a fumble, he came up with an eventual touchdown. In a game where defense was the story for most of the game, points are precious. To come up with a defensive touchdown is huge, and it put Tennessee in the game early. Bennett gave the Vols life, made Georgia pay for a mistake, and gave the Vols an early lead against Georgia. Throughout the rest of the game, Bennett continued to play well, pressuring Stetson Bennett a couple times. He was also at the bottom of the pile for one of the big fourth down stops Tennessee had, and he blew up another play at the goal line during Tennessee's goal line stand at the end of the first of. The game didn't go the way Tennessee wanted, but Bennett played a very good game. Henry To'oto’o was a strong contender here with a career high 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and several big plays. As well as he played, Bennett gets the nod for creating points.
Special Teams: Paxton Brooks
In a game where field position was incredibly important, especially for the first three quarters, Brooks pinned the Bulldogs inside the twenty a few times. Special teams early in the season have been an issue at times for Tennessee, and in wet conditions, Brooks secured the snaps on punts, made good kicks, and did his job for his teammates. He forced the Bulldogs to deal with long fields, and that is all that you can ask for from your punter.
