Vols' James Pearce, Jr. and Dee Williams earn SEC player of the week honors
Tennessee earned a hard-fought 20-13 win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Had it not been for two standouts, the result might not have been the same. DE James Pearce, Jr. and PR Dee Williams both earned SEC player of the week honors on Monday for their respective positions. Pearce was […]
Tennessee earned a hard-fought 20-13 win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Had it not been for two standouts, the result might not have been the same.
DE James Pearce, Jr. and PR Dee Williams both earned SEC player of the week honors on Monday for their respective positions.
Pearce was a force off the edge against the Aggies. He had two tackles for loss and a sack, but most importantly logged five quarterback hits on A&M QB Max Johnson, who was trying to dodge pressure from Tennessee defenders for the majority of the game. Pearce now has an impressive team-leading 6 sacks to go with 9 tackles for loss out of 13 total tackles.
The award is the second of the season for the sophomore, having taken home the honors with a stellar performance against South Carolina in which he racked up two sacks of Spencer Rattler.
Williams had the play of the day for the Vols, returning a punt 39 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. It looked like Williams might get caught from behind at first when he started running, but he turned on the jets and managed to stay just ahead of the Texas A&M defender to reach the end zone.
According to the school, Williams became the fourth player in Tennessee history to return multiple punts for a touchdown, joining Marquez Callaway, Cameron Sutton, and Antonio Wardlow. Williams' first touchdown was a 73-yard return last year against Vanderbilt.
The Vols will need repeat performances from both of these young stars this week against an Alabama team that appears to be finding its footing in recent weeks.
There’s a chance Georgia could be without their best player when they face Tennessee in November
Georgia could be without their best player next month when they visit Knoxville
