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Pro Football Focus grades, snap counts in Tennessee's 42-17 loss at Ohio State

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey12/23/24GrantRamey
Will Brooks, Tennessee Football | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Will Brooks (35) intercepts a pass intended for Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) in the first half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.

Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts from Tennessee’s 42-17 season-ending loss to Ohio State Saturday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Ohio Stadium:

Tennessee Offense

PlayerOverall PFF GradeSnap Count
Peyton Lewis77.127
DeSean Bishop68.128
Cooper Mays65.071
Bru McCoy64.051
Squirrel White63.216
Nico Iamaleava61.571
Dylan Sampson60.416
Dont’e Thornton60.125
Andrej Karic58.471
Ethan Davis57.27
Javontez Spraggins57.165
Miles Kitselman56.046
Mike Matthews53.328
Braylon Staley52.951
Holden Staes52.922
Dayne Davis49.046
Lance Heard46.971
Chris Brazzell II44.138
John Campbell Jr42.425
Jackson Lampley40.16
Tennessee’s PFF Grades on Offense

Nico Iamaleava completed 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards and ran 20 times for 47 yards and two touchdowns. Iamaleava didn’t complete his first pass until the 9:35 mark of the second quarter, after Ohio State had jumped out to a 21-0 lead.

Freshman Peyton Lewis ran 10 times for a team-high 77 yards while Dylan Sampson was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Sampson started but carried just two times for six yards before exiting, playing just 16 snaps. DeSean Bishop ran seven times for 22 yards.

Bru McCoy led the Vols in receiving with four catches for 40 yards, with a long of 21. Lewis caught three passes for seven yards and freshman Braylon Staley caught two passes for 11 yards. 

Squirrel White caught one pass for 17 yards and Dont’e Thornton caught one pass for 14 yards before both exited with lower-body injuries. Chris Brazzell caught one pass for eight yards, Miles Kitselman caught one pass for five yards and Sampson caught one pass for two yards. 

Iamaleava was sacked for times for 35 yards and Ohio State’s defense finished with seven tackles for loss for 41 yards. Tennessee went 6-for-16 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth down.

Tennessee Defense

PlayerOverall PFF GradeSnap Count
Ben Bolton77.73
Omari Thomas77.423
James Pearce76.637
Tyree Weathersby73.06
Jordan Ross70.23
Nathan Robinson69.43
Tyre West68.613
Edwin Spillman68.425
Christian Harrison67.422
Elijah Simmons66.212
Christian Charles65.318
Will Brooks64.954
Jeremiah Telander62.649
Rickey Gibson III62.552
Dominic Bailey62.330
Boo Carter61.637
Kaleb Beasley61.66
Jayson Jenkins60.428
Jaxson Moi58.823
Daevin Hobbs57.521
Bryson Eason57.130
Jermod McCoy57.056
Andre Turrentine56.747
Omarr Norman-Lott55.113
Arion Carter51.648
Jalen McMurray49.316
Caleb Herring48.59
Jakobe Thomas47.813
Joshua Josephs45.723
Kalib Perry34.617
Tennessee’s PFF Grades on Defense

Ohio State scored three touchdowns on its first three possessions, totaling 191 total yards before the game as 12 minutes old. The Buckeyes scored on drives of 75, 68, 58, 65, 91 and 39 yards in the win. 

Ohio State threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 156 times and scored four times on the ground. The Buckeyes went 4-for-9 on third down, had 24 first downs to Tennessee’s 17 and averaged 7.4 yards per play, 12.7 yards per completion and 4.7 yards per rush. 

Jeremiah Telander led Tennessee’s defense with 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Jermod McCoy and Will Brooks had five tackles each and Brooks had an interception in the end zone in the first half. James Pearce had a team high two tackles for loss.

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