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PFF Grades: Tennessee vs. Mississippi State | Rocky Top Insider

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PFF Grades: Tennessee vs. Mississippi State | Rocky Top Insider


Photo via Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee football took care of business with a 33-14 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, overcoming a number of offensive injuries to remain at one loss on the season.

If you need a reminder on how Pro Football Focus works, read the opening of the Chattanooga grades.

Let’s see how the Vols graded out.

Elite grade = 90-100, All-Conference = 85-89, Starter = 70-84, Backup = 60-69, Replaceable = 60 >

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Offensive Grades (minimum 16 plays — 20% of offensive plays)

WR Dont’e Thornton — 84.1 (35 plays)

QB Nico Iamaleava — 81.4 (41 plays)

WR Squirrel White — 78.9 (26 plays)

RB Dylan Sampson — 75.4 (55 plays)

LT Lance Heard — 63.4 (84 plays)

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WR Chris Brazzell — 61.7 (55 plays)

RB Peyton Lewis — 60.3 (20 plays)

RG Javontez Spraggins — 59.8 (72 plays)

LG Jackson Lampley — 59.7 (66 plays)

TE Miles Kitselman — 58.6 (64 plays)

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C Cooper Mays — 57.6 (84 plays)

WR Mike Matthews — 56.5 (16 plays)

LG Andrej Karic — 55.5 (21 plays)

WR Bru McCoy — 54.8 (59 plays)

TE Ethan Davis — 54.5 (19 plays)

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QB Gaston Moore — 52.9 (43 plays)

TE Holden Staes — 52.8 (62 plays)

RT Dayne Davis — 51.9 (56 plays)

RT John Campbell Jr — 49.5 (28 plays)

It feels like a really fitting representation of this game that three of Tennessee’s four highest graded offensive players exited the game with injuries at some point. The fourth player has been banged up over the last month.

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Peyton Lewis has fully passed Cam Seldon and is Tennessee’s third running back behind Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop. Lewis had a nice night against Mississippi State and keeps getting better.

Moore was fine in the second half and his numbers indicate that. He wasn’t great but he ran the offense at a solid rate against a bad Mississippi State defense.

More From RTI: Buckle Up, The Tennessee-Georgia Game Just Got Even Bigger on Saturday

Defensive Grades (13 plays — 20% of defensive plays)

DE Jayson Jenkins — 91.1 (26 plays)

STAR Boo Carter — 79.9 (35 plays)

LEO James Pearce — 79.7 (45 plays)

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CB Jalen McMurray — 76.9 (22 plays)

S Jakobe Thomas — 76.8 (18 plays)

LB Arion Carter — 75.2 (51 plays)

CB Rickey Gibson III — 75.1 (50 plays)

DT Jaxson Moi — 74.9 (17 plays)

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LB Jeremiah Telander — 72.7 (41 plays)

DE Dominic Bailey — 71.5 (42 plays)

S Andre Turrentine — 71.1 (49 plays)

S Christian Charles — 70.7 (24 plays)

LEO Josh Josephs — 68.9 (29 plays)

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DT Omari Thomas — 66.6 (25 plays)

S Will Brooks — 64.2 (43 plays)

STAR Christian Harrison — 63.7 (36 plays)

DT Daevin Hobbs — 63.2 (19 plays)

CB Jermod McCoy — 61.7 (55 plays)

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DT Bryson Eason — 58.5 (30 plays)

DT Omarr Norman-Lott — 56.4 (21 plays)

LB Jalen Smith — 46.8 (28 plays)

Shoutout to both Jayson Jenkins and Jalen McMurray. Two under the radar players on Tennessee’s defense who were fantastic against the Bulldogs. Jenkins strip sack early in the second half was one of the biggest plays in the entire game.

Strangely, Tennessee’s top defensive back Jermod McCoy and Will Brooks both turned in poor performances in the Vols win. It’s particularly odd given what little success Mississippi State had throwing the football in this game.

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But others stepped up including freshman Boo Carter who bad the best performance of his young career against Mississippi State.



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Former Titans Coach Named Top Candidate for Jets

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Former Titans Coach Named Top Candidate for Jets


Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel remains a hot name, and he may have another head-coaching job as soon as next season.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently named a bunch of potential candidates for the New York Jets job in 2025, and Vrabel was at the top of his list.

“Mike Vrabel makes the most sense to me, mostly because he won’t stand down to an owner, and that’s exactly what the New York Jets need,” Breer wrote.

The problem with that is Jets owner Woody Johnson is known to be a meddler, so he a Vrabel-Johnson partnership may never actually come to fruition.

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Still, Vrabel could end up being a perfect fit for the Jets from a stylistic perspective given that New York is built upon a strong defense.

It’s not the first time that Vrabel has been linked to Gang Green, either.

Vrabel actually did a very solid job during his time with the Titans, going 54-45 while making three playoff appearances—including a pair of AFC South titles—across five seasons.

Things went south over Vrabel’s final two years in Tennessee, with the Titans going just 13-21 during that span. However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the problem was not with Vrabel.

Vrabel is currently serving as an assistant for the Cleveland Browns, but it seems like only a matter of time before he lands a better job elsewhere.

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The 49-year-old also had a 14-year NFL playing career from 1997 through 2010, spending time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and also made a Pro Bowl with the squad in 2007.

The Jets have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season, as they are just 3-8 in spite of having one of the most star-studded rosters in the sport.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Tennessee man convicted for Jan. 6 riot found guilty of plotting to kill FBI agents who investigated him

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Tennessee man convicted for Jan. 6 riot found guilty of plotting to kill FBI agents who investigated him


A Jan. 6 rioter who breached the U.S. Capitol was convicted of trying to have law enforcement personnel, including the FBI agents and employees who were investigating him, murdered, the Justice Department said Wednesday. 

Edward Kelley, 35, of Maryville, Tennessee, who was convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers and other crimes during the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, was found guilty on Wednesday of conspiracy to murder employees of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, and influencing or retaliating against federal officials by threat.

The jury agreed on a verdict after an hour of deliberation following the three-day trial, WBIR-TV reported.

NIKKI HALEY PENS SUPPORTIVE OP-ED IN FAVOR OF TRUMP AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY: ‘EASY CALL’ 

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Jan. 6 rioter Edward Kelley seen at the U.S. Capitol. Kelley was convicted this week of plotting to kill the FBI agents who investigated him.  (Justice Department)

Federal prosecutors at his trial in Knoxville, Tennessee, said Kelly developed a “kill list” of FBI agents and others who participated in the investigation into his conduct on Jan. 6 while awaiting trial for his involvement in the Capitol riot. 

He distributed the list, as well as videos containing images of FBI employees identified on the list, to a co-conspirator as part of his “mission,” authorities said.

SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT PARTICIPANT WHO CHALLENGED OBSTRUCTION CONVICTION

Capitol riot

A scene from the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Kelley’s co-defendant Austin Carter, who pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to kill FBI agents and is awaiting sentencing, testified that Kelly said he needed to “take out” the FBI. He said that he and Kelley planned attacks on the Knoxville FBI Field Office using car bombs and incendiary devices appended to drones. 

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He also testified that the conspirators strategized about assassinating FBI employees in their homes and in public places such as movie theaters.

Edward Kelley inside the Capitol

Edward Kelley inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  (Justice Department)

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Recording introduced by prosecutors showed Kelley directing the plan, and giving instructions to “start it,” “attack,” and “take out their office” in the event of his arrest. He was also recorded stating: “Every hit has to hurt. Every hit has to hurt,” authorities said. 

Kelley is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2025. He faces up to life in prison. 



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How Tennessee Makes The College Football Playoff

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How Tennessee Makes The College Football Playoff


The Tennessee Volunteers are currently ranked 11th on the latest College Football Playoff rankings. However, because of automatic bids, if the College Football Playoff rankings were finalized today, Tennessee is the first team out, overlooked by the Big 12 champ and Boise State. Now, good news for the (10-2) Tennessee Volunteers, there’s still a way for them to make the CFP. Though, there are going to need some help.

Note: ESPN’s CFP Prediction Machine gives Tennessee an 88% chance to make the CFP if they simply win out.

Any regular season loss by a (2) loss SEC Team
Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia all share a two-loss record at this point in the season, and though Tennessee has a head-to-head win over Alabama, their pair of losses (Arkansas and Georgia) is deemed worse by the committee at this point in the rankings. Any loss by any of those three team would likely free Tennessee up for a entrance to the playoff.

Indiana Is Destroyed by Ohio State
Indiana is a threat to Tennessee at this point, and would be even at an (11-1) record with a presumed loss this weekend to Ohio State. However, if Indiana is blown out in the contest, they will more than likely drop behind Tennessee who has just UTEP and Vanderbilt left on the schedule. Indiana has one top-25 opponent all season, this weekend at Ohio State, if they are walked off the field, it will open Tennessee’s door.

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Notre Dame Loses to Army or USC
It’s a long shot, Notre Dame is a heavy favorite in both football games… as they were against Northern Illinois — the 8th ranked team in the MAC. If Notre Dame were to drop another football game over the next two weeks, there’s a likelihood that Tennessee gets in the playoff.

Texas A&M Loses to Texas
If Texas A&M wins out, and has a top-3 win over the Texas Longhorns to end the regular season and goes onto the SEC Championship game, the committee has shown they have tremendous amounts of recency bias. A win-out situation for Texas A&M is something that the Vols should hope to avoid.

Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.



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