Joey Aguilar and Chris Brazzell II stole the show, but another Vols standout should have just cemented a prominent role for himself after his performance against Georgia
Tennessee’s offense wasn’t the problem on Saturday.
Tennessee fans looking for silver linings in the Vols’ gut-wrenching 44-41 overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs don’t have to look far to find them.
Obviously, Tennessee got a stellar performance from Joey Aguilar and his primary target in Chris Brazzell II. Aguilar delivered a performance that should have been good enough to win, going 24/36 passing for 371 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Brazzell had the best performance by a Vols wide receiver since Jalin Hyatt’s five touchdown performance against Alabama in 2022, going off for 6 catches for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns.
However, another player had a more muted stat line, but his handling of his role should leave the coaching staff little choice but to give him more playing time.
Tennessee’s Star Thomas should have an expanded role moving forward after solid performance against Georgia
Thomas totaled 60 rushing yards on 9 carries. That’s nothing that leaps off the page as far as stats are concerned. But it was the most efficient of any Vols running back who logged carries in the game. DeSean Bishop had 15 carries for 54 yards. Peyton Lewis had 5 carries for 19 yards.
Thomas has looked like the best combination of power, vision, and slipperiness among the rotational trio. He’s hit the hole quickly and moved tacklers in the right direction when going down. He had another impressive spin move against Georgia – something he’s used several times early in this season to get free and add additional yards – and had the longest rush of the game at 27 yards.
A transfer from Duke back in January, it wasn’t clear how Thomas, who leads the Vols in carries (24), rushing yards (161) and rushing touchdowns (3), would slot into the running back rotation for 2025. But through three games, it’s becoming pretty clear that he’s operating at a very high level.
Heupel will obviously continue to rotate his backs. Absent a Dylan Sampson on the roster, it’s been his way. But we’ll see if his strong start has earned Thomas an even more expanded role moving forward.
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