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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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Tennessee

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

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What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?


The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.

Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft. 

Tennessee Titans

Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S

The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.

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With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.

There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons. 

Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off. 



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Joshua Jefferson injury update, Iowa State star questionable vs Tennessee basketball

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Joshua Jefferson injury update, Iowa State star questionable vs Tennessee basketball


CHICAGO − Iowa State’s star forward Joshua Jefferson is questionable against Tennessee basketball according to the NCAA player availability report released at 6:32 p.m.

The No. 6 Vols (24-11) and No. 2 Cyclones (29-7) play in the Men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at the United Center on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).

Jefferson sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round game against Tennessee State. He sat for the remainder of the game and missed the Cyclones’ win over Kentucky on March 22. Iowa State didn’t need the All-Big 12 forward as it generated 20 Wildcat turnovers in its 19-point victory.

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Senior Nate Heise started in place of the 6-foot-9 Jefferson. He had 12 points against Kentucky, but senior Tamin Lipsey stepped up with a season-high 26 points and 10 assists.

Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals and shot 47.1% from the field.

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe

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What channel is Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on today? Time, TV schedule to watch game

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What channel is Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on today? Time, TV schedule to watch game


Vanderbilt baseball is back home in SEC play against Tennessee, beginning on March 27 at Hawkins Field.

The Commodores (14-12, 2-4 SEC) were swept at Mississippi State last weekend to fall below .500 early in league play.

Tennessee (18-7, 3-3) lost the Friday opener to Missouri last weekend, then rebounded with two wins to take the series.

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Here’s how you can watch Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee:

Vanderbilt baseball vs Tennessee on March 27 will be televised on SEC Network.

  • Game 1 start time: 7 p.m on March 27, ESPNU
  • Game 2 start time: 1 p.m. on March 28, SEC Network
  • Game 3 start time: 11 a.m on March 29, ESPN2
  • Feb. 13: vs. TCU in Arlington, Texas, L 5-4
  • Feb. 14: vs. Texas Tech in Arlington, Texas, W 13-3 (8 innings)
  • Feb. 15: vs. Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, L 11-1 (8 innings)
  • Feb. 17: Eastern Michigan, W 13-2 (7 innings)
  • Feb. 18: Eastern Michigan, W 16-2 (8 innings)
  • Feb. 20: Marist, W 16-5 (8 innings)
  • Feb. 21: Marist, W 12-1 (7 innings)
  • Feb. 22: Marist, W 8-1
  • Feb. 24: Evansville, W 15-3 (7 innings)
  • Feb. 27: vs. UC Irvine in Las Vegas, L 9-4
  • Feb. 28: vs. Arizona State in Las Vegas, L 5-1
  • March 1: vs. Oregon in Las Vegas, L 6-4
  • March 3: Central Arkansas, L 5-4
  • March 4: Troy, W 4-1
  • March 6: North Dakota State, W 14-2 (7 innings)
  • March 7: North Dakota State, W 10-0 (8 innings)
  • March 8: North Dakota State, L 5-2
  • March 10: Indiana State, W 14-6
  • March 13: LSU, W 13-12
  • March 14: LSU, W 11-3
  • March 15: LSU, L 16-9
  • March 17: Indiana, L 5-1
  • March 20: at Mississippi State, L 4-2
  • March 21: at Mississippi State, L 7-2
  • March 22: at Mississippi State, L 17-7 (7)
  • March 24: Tennessee Tech, W 15-5 (8)
  • March 27: Tennessee, 7 p.m on ESPNU
  • March 28: Tennessee, 1 p.m on SEC Network
  • March 29: Tennessee, 11 a.m on ESPN2
  • March 31: Belmont
  • April 2-4: at Texas A&M
  • April 7: EKU
  • April 9-11: Oklahoma
  • April 14: Lipscomb
  • April 17-19: Kentucky
  • April 21: Xavier
  • April 24-26: Texas
  • April 28: MTSU
  • April 30-May 2: at Alabama
  • May 5: Louisville
  • May 8-10: at Missouri
  • May 14-16: South Carolina



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