Prospect Preview: Tennessee v. Appalachian State

[DraftBoy]

http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2016/09/prospect-preview-tennessee-v-appalachian-state.html


The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the most hyped teams this offseason by pundits from coast to coast. They are the trendy pick to win the SEC East and some have even wondered about their ability to challenge whoever comes out of the West in the title game. However, first they must get past a very tricky Sun Belt opponent in Appalachian State.

[DraftBoy]

Great game, just wish Appy had held on but it wasn't meant to be. Here are some quick thoughts on the prospects I highlighted.

Tennessee
2017 Prospects-
QB Joshua Dobbs - Horrid game, bad decisions, bad throws, and bad everything. His two good plays were the redzone run to get the first down and the bomb to Malone which was a better catch by Malone then it was a throw from Dobbs.
OG Dylan Wiesman (#46 OG) - Probably Tennessee's best OL of the night and he still got his ass kicked regularly.
OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (#5 OLB) - Dumb stupid penalty on the targeting call that really hurt his team. You can't tuck your head on that hit.
CB Cameron Sutton (#4 CB) - Absolute stud all night long, the fumble on the punt was costly but he redeemed himself with that INT.

2018 Prospects-
RB Jalen Hurd (#8 RB) - Hard downhill runner, but I didn't see a lot of wiggle.
RB Alvin Kamara (#32 RB) - Wish he got more touches, has electric speed and wiggle but Tenn stuggled to get him involved.
WR Josh Malone (#19 WR) - Great play on the TD catch to go get the ball and out jump the CB. That one on one was there all night, but I have no idea why Dobbs wasn't going for it.
TE Ethan Wolf (#8 TE) - Really impressed me as an underneath receiving option on crossing routes or sitting down in soft zone.
OC Coleman Thomas (#7 OC) - Horrid night, got put on his ass multiple times.
DE Derek Bernett (#4 DE) - Had some nice pass rushes to force Lamb up into the pocket but his run D was undisciplined and all over the place.
OLB Cortez McDowell (#23 OLB) - Filled in nicely for Reeves-Maybin once he was ejected.
SS Evan Berry (#3 SS) - Touched the ball one time and made Appy pay for kicking it to him.

Appalachian State
2017 Prospects –
RB Marcus Cox - Probably the best performance of any prospect the whole night. Cox showed speed, power, and wiggle. That wheel route catch for a TD was special.
WR Jacquill Capel - Huge PR that gave Appy a chance to win the game in regulation, but silent in the passing game.
TE Barett Burns - Similar to Wolfe but maybe a little more H-Back. Solid game from him, showed soft hands.
DT Tyson Fernandez (#63 DT) - Really had a good game being the crap out of the interior of Tenneessee's OL.
ILB John Law (#26 ILB) - Cramps hurt him in the second half but he was all over the field making plays.
P Bentlee Critcher (#25 P) - Some great punts to flip the field and to pin Tennessee deep in their own territory.

2018 Prospects –
QB Taylor Lamb - A very unimpressive game from Lamb who was off target and looked hesitant to throw the ball more than 5-7 yards
ILB Eric Boggs (#22 ILB) - Was a really nice plugger for Appy against Hurd.