At long last, Tennessee returned to the field Thursday night. The Vols dominated Ball State, 59-10, jumping out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and coasting to the season opening victory.
Josh Heupel and his staff played an abundance of back ups early in the win as the Vols showed their improved depth. A portion of those players were freshmen or transfers who took the field for the first time in the orange-and-white. In total, Tennessee played 25 newcomers in the season opener.
Here’s how the Vols’ newcomers performed against Ball State.
Offense
Transfer Offensive Tackle Gerald Mincey
- 47 plays
- 70.1 PFF Grade
Transfer Receiver Bru McCoy
- 46 plays
- 5 targets, 3 catches for 42 yards
- 68.1 PFF Grade
Freshman Receiver Squirrel White
- 15 plays
- 3 targets, 3 catches for 25 yards
- 66.7 PFF Grade
Freshman Offensive Lineman Addison Nichols
- 4 plays
- 67.1 PFF Grade
Freshman Running Back Dylan Sampson
- 23 plays
- 10 carries, 32 yards and a touchdown
- 1 catch for 19 yards
- 61.8 PFF Grade
Freshman Offensive Lineman Mo Clipper
- 7 plays
- 60.8 PFF Grade
Freshman Receiver Kaleb Webb
- 4 plays
- 0 targets
- 59.0 PFF Grade
Transfer Running Back Patrick Wilk
- 6 plays
- 4 carries for 14 yards
- 58.6 PFF Grade
Freshman Offensive Lineman Masai Reddick
- 3 plays
- 55.1 PFF Grade
Transfer tight end Charlie Browder
- 9 plays
- 0 targets
- 54.4 PFF Grade
Freshman Quarterback Tayven Jackson
- 4 plays
- 0-0 passing
- 1 carry for 0 yards
- 51.2 PFF Grade
Freshman Running Back Justin Williams-Thomas
- 4 plays
- 3 carries for six yards
- 1 fumble
- 35.5 PFF Grade
Transfer Quarterback Navy Shuler
- 2 plays
- 0-0 passing
- 1 carry for -18 yards (snap got past him)
- 33.5 PFF Grade
More From RTI: Four Takeaways From Tennessee’s Season Opening Win
Defense
Freshman Defensive End Josh Josephs
- 14 plays
- 2 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one pass break up
- 72.2 PFF Grade
Freshman Safety Christian Harrison
- 17 plays
- 3 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss
- 70.4 PFF Grade
Freshman Defensive Lineman Jayson Jenkins
- 3 plays
- 2 tackles
- 70.1 PFF Grade
Freshman Defensive Back Jourdan Thomas
- 12 plays
- 1 tackle
- No PFF Grade listed
Transfer Linebacker Noah Young
- 3 plays
- No PFF Grade listed
Freshman Defensive End James Pearce Jr.
- 8 plays
- 0 tackles
- 68.7 PFF Grade
Transfer Defensive Back Andre Turrentine
- 17 plays
- 4 tackles
- 64.7 PFF Grade
Transfer Defensive Back Wesley Walker
- 38 plays
- 4 tackles
- 63.8 PFF Grade
Freshman Defensive Tackle Tyre West
- 14 plays
- 1 tackle, 1 QB hurry
- 60.1 PFF Grade
Freshman Linebacker Elijah Herring
- 20 plays
- 1 tackle, 1 QB hurry
- 58.9 PFF Grade
Freshman Defensive Lineman Jordan Phillips
- 1o plays
- 0 tackles
- 55.1 PFF Grade
Freshman Linebacker Kalib Perry
- 11 plays
- 2 QB hurries
- 40.9 PFF Grade
