KNOXVILLE—The Vols fell 31-3 to Missouri over the weekend. I took a few looks at the film and graded the performance of each unit. Agree or disagree with my grades? Leave a comment below!

Quarterbacks

As you would expect from a true freshman making his start, Dobbs both made some costly mistakes and multiple plays which showed off his considerable skills. The good: He accounted for 285 yards of offense, the most from a Vol QB since Tyler Bray put up over 400 yards against Missouri last season. Dobbs’ 45 yards on the ground were the most from a Vol QB since Tee Martin led the UT offense against Vanderbilt in 1999 and his 33-yard run in the second quarter was the longest from a UT QB since Martin scampered for 38 yards against Notre Dame in 1999. Through the air, Dobbs set the Tennessee record for both completions (26) and attempts (42) by a true freshman QB in his first start. He also completed 62% of his passes (which bested his HS completion percentage), accounted for 85% of Tennessee’s offense, and was UT’s leading rusher. The bad: he threw two interceptions and fumbled the football. His three turnovers where the most by a Vol QB since Justin Worley threw three interceptions against South Alabama.

It’s clear Dobbs has a ton of potential. He made plays with both his arms and his legs that we haven’t seen from a Tennessee quarterback in some time and showed a good grasp of the playbook. One interception was due to a badly missed block by a Vol tight end, but the other two turnovers were due to Dobbs’ carelessness with the football. He’ll have to clean that part of his game up for his team to be competitive this weekend and for Tennessee to get bowl-eligible. All things considered, he showed a ton of composure and promise while frankly not getting much help from his supporting cast. Grade: B-

Running backs

The final numbers from the runnings back were ugly: 17 carries for 49 yards (2.9 yards per carry). Rajion Neal, the SEC’s 6th-leading rusher, had 10 touches for 12 yards. Have we reached the point in the season where Neal is worn down from the SEC grind? Or was Saturday an aberration? Either way, it’ll be a massive struggle for this team to get bowl-eligible without more production from Neal. Marlin Lane was a bright spot with six carries for 37 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and he should see more carries moving forward. It certainly wasn’t a good or even average effort from Tennessee’s ground game, but their final grade is tempered with the reality that the Vol offensive line didn’t do them any favors. Grade: D+

Receivers/Tight ends

Marquez North and Pig Howard combined to haul in 18 passes for 157 yards. Howard’s 11 catches were the most from a Vol receiver since Kelley Washington (aka “The Future”) recorded 11 receptions against LSU way back in 2001. Both North and Howard have emerged as consistent threats in the passing game. Johnson and Croom combined for five catches for 70 yards. Josh Smith dropped what would have been a sure touchdown catch. This unit is young, talented, and improving, but needs to be more consistent to close out the season. Their chemistry with Dobbs should improve after another week of practice. The Vols are getting nothing from the tight end position. That unit has been non-existent in the passing game of late and has struggled mightily pass and run-blocking. Grade: C-

Offensive line

This unit just hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype and has frankly regressed. Josh Dobbs was pressured all game (sacked twice and hurried for much of the contest). If not for his mobility, the sack numbers would have been worse. There was no consistent push in the ground game and they were dominated by Missouri’s defensive front. Tiny Richardson guaranteed a victory but didn’t bring the game to back up his guarantee. Ja’Wuan James was solid and has been all season, but the rest of the line really struggled. Jones focused on the OL during Tuesday’s practice, “We’ve got a new nickname for the offensive line. Everyone wanted to crown them as the best, we’re club 90 because that’s how many rushing yards we had last week. Welcome to the club.” They have to be more aggressive up front moving forward for Tennessee to get to 6-6. Grade: F

Defensive line

Like with its offensive counterpart, the defensive line turned in a forgettable performance. They didn’t sack Missouri QB Maty Mauk and have now gone without a sack since injuring Connor Shaw late in the 4th quarter of the South Carolina game. The Vol defensive front didn’t contain Mauk, either, as he rushed for 114 yards on just 13 carries (8.8 yards per carry). Tennessee’s d-line has to be disruptive for this team to succeed and they did little to slow Missouri’s balanced attack. Without improvement from this group the Vols won’t go bowling. Grade: F

Linebackers

It wasn’t a good day for this group, but they probably played better than any other defensive unit. At times, A.J. Johnson was the only Vol who could bring down a Tiger without whiffing. He led Tennessee with 11 tackles while linebacker Dontavis Sapp was right behind him with nine stops. The Vol linebackers still need to make more impact plays: they totaled just half a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and one pass breakup between them. Grade: C-

Defensive backs

For the second consecutive week, the Vol defensive backs turned in a Sunseri-like performance composed of multiple missed assignments, improper angles, and more than a dozen missed tackles. Cam Sutton bounced back from a rough game against the Tide and was the lone Vol defensive back who didn’t get regularly exposed. This group will be tested again Saturday by an Auburn offense which likes to run right at opposing DBs. Grade: F

Special teams

Michael Palardy has been Tennessee’s most consistent player this season and continued to shine Saturday. Despite struggling with back spasms all week, he nailed a 51-yard field goal, pinned Missouri inside the twenty four times, and averaged 42.7 yards per punt. Kick coverage was solid and Devrin Young provided a bit of a spark in the return game. Special teams is a third of the game and the Vols didn’t get dominated in this third. Grade: B

Coaching

For the second straight week the Vols laid an absolute egg on the road and I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t expect them to flop in Columbia. With the exception of a handful of players, the team wasn’t ready to play and didn’t display the consistent effort Butch Jones preaches. Jones and Co. have to rebound and get the team ready for another top 10 foe this week as No. 7 Auburn comes to town. In order for the Vols to reach Jones’ goal of bowl-eligibilty, they have to win two out of their remaining three games. Unless they knock off Auburn, they’ll have to beat a feisty Vandy team then pick up their first SEC road win since 2010 to reach the postseason. Grade: D