Appalachian State Mountaineers

Tennessee Football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols Who Performed vs Appalachian State Mountaineers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones celebrates with the team after winning in overtime against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee football got an ugly 20-13 overtime win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Here are the top five Volunteers performers from the game.

We’re back with our Tennessee Football Smokey Points. And after Thursday night, it’s hard to find out who to award them to.

The Vols needed quite a bit of luck to eek out a hideous win over Appalachian State after trailing 13-3 going into halftime.

But they pulled it out in the end.

Still, when you need a fumble recovery in the end zone in overtime along with a missed extra point and missed field goal from the opposition just to beat a Sun Belt team, not too many people can get credit.

Tennessee football fans everywhere are breathing a major sigh of relief after that win. Despite all the concerns and frustrations from the game, there are still some Vols who deserve credit for their play.

They are few and far between, but there were a few playmakers.

As we get set to bring you our first round of Smokey Points from the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game, the helmet stickers are limited to guys who made a few memorable plays.

There weren’t that many, so ironically, it’s actually easier than usual to narrow this down to five players. After all, we won’t have any trouble cutting anybody.

It’s easier to find one extra person to award a helmet sticker to than it is to cut five people who deserve them.

Here are the top five Tennessee football performers in the Vols’ 20-13 overtime victory over the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Cameron Sutton (23) motions to the crowd during the second half against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won in overtime 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron Sutton

Cornerback, Senior

If you break down the plays Cam Sutton made throughout the night, he probably has a case to make for being higher on this list.

After all, he had an amazing interception, shut down his side of the field in the passing game, and was amazing in coverage all night. At the same time, he only made one mistake.

However, that mistake was disastrous and completely changed the flow of the game.

Sutton fumbled the ball on his first punt return, setting up Appalachian State’s first touchdown. That is the one thing that gave them momentum throughout the rest of the game and allowed them to control the clock.

As a result, he is No. 5 on this list and not No. 1.

However, Sutton was a big reason for shutting down the Appalachian State passing game, which isn’t terrible with Taylor Lamb at quarterback. Not only did he have an interception, but he also had four tackles, including one for a loss.

And when Jalen Reeves-Maybin went out of the game, Sutton had to take on the unexpected play-calling role for the defense. Being thrust into that role by Bob Shoop put a lot of pressure on him. He did that all night and redeemed his fumble by carrying the Vols to victory on defense.

So we put Sutton on this list, although it was just barely.

Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fans during the game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Abernathy

Safety, Sophomore

Butch Jones and Bob Shoop may nearly shocked the world by naming Micah Abernathy as the starting safety alongside Todd Kelly Jr. for the Vols. He beat out Evan Berry and freshman phenom Nigel Warrior.

But Thursday night, Abernathy validated their decision.

At safety, Abernathy came away with eight tackles and one tackle for a loss. Those numbers on their own may not mean much, but when you break down the way Abernathy was all over the field, his results are much more impressive.

As Scott Satterfield continued to confuse the Vols and even Bob Shoop with all of his misdirection plays, Abernathy was often the guy who ran Marcus Cox or Taylor Lamb down.

He may not have made the tackle, but he forced the situation. And many times, when he cheated up, he was the guy to cause tackles for a loss. Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen both had easier times making key plays down the stretch as a result.

Abernathy proved himself to be as valuable as the Tennessee football defensive line, and he did a great job helping to make up for the loss of Reeves-Maybin.

His physical play and smart positioning saved this team, so he gets to be on this list as a result. Not bad for his first game as a starter for Tennessee football.

Nov 28, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers place kicker Aaron Medley (25) kicks the ball off against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 53-28. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Medley

Kicker, Junior

Aaron Medley picked up right where he left off from the last two years…the good parts of his game, that is.

Medley’s greatest asset has been reliability on field goals under 40 yards. In this game, he nailed two key field goals, one of which was a 39-yarder to cut the Vols’ 13-3 deficit to one score in the second half. That was huge and clutch.

Oh, and he was to of two on extra points. His kicking vs the kicking for Appalachian State ended up making a huge difference.

It wasn’t just his consistency at place-kicking, however. Medley was great on kickoffs. He had one kickoff go for a touchback.

On the other three, he kicked them high and just into the end zone, and Appalachian State took the bait and returned them all three times.

The result was three returns inside the 20 yard line. And the Mountaineers scored zero points on any drive they fielded off a kickoff. So Medley’s place-kicking and his kickoffs were enough to put him on this list. He was perfect throughout the game.

As the year goes on, however, he will need to demonstrate just how much he has improved on field goals beyond 40 yards. At least he still seems to be automatic under 40 yards.

And he’s clutch. That’s a huge deal.

Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) before the game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurd

Running Back, Junior

We should take the playmaker title away from Michael Irvin and give it to Jalen Hurd. In schoolyard football, he can make plays better than anybody.

Such was the case for him on Thursday night. Hurd, just as he did down the stretch last year, was maybe the biggest reason for the Vols’ win.

Let’s start with the regular stuff. Hurd once again had 100 yards, going for 110 despite facing an elite Appalachian State rush defense, terrible playcalling from Mike DeBord, and terrible blocking from his offensive line.

Then came overtime.

Hurd helped the Vols get into position for the winning touchdown, and he made the heads-up play of the night and maybe the year at the end by recovering Joshua Dobbs’s fumble into the end zone. That could have been a disastrous play, but Hurd saved Dobbs, the Vols, and the season by falling on top of the football.

So with a touchdown recovery and 110 yards on the ground, Hurd did more than enough to get on this list. He once again showed the heart and toughness of a loyal Vol.

But why wasn’t he No. 1? Well, he did have a key fumble that Dylan Wiesman recovered, saving him in regulation. And he struggled in pass protection all night. Therefore, the No. 1 helmet sticker has to go to another playmaker.

Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) during the second half against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won in overtime 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Malone

Wide Receiver, Junior

All night long, fans were begging Mike DeBord and Butch Jones to throw the ball deep to Josh Malone. While part of the problem was on Joshua Dobbs for missing him too often, another part was on the ridiculous play-calling.

But finally, with the Vols down a touchdown and desperate in the fourth quarter, Dobbs finally found Malone.

And Malone showed once again how he can be the game-changer. It started with a regular pass. Facing third and long, Dobbs found Malone on a nice slant for 14 yards to keep a drive alive.

Then going up against a freshman cornerback, DeBord finally made the painfully obvious decision to take a shot downfield.

And Dobbs chucked it to Malone, who made a play on the under-thrown ball with a defender all over him before shedding a tackle and heading into the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown.

Malone had two plays all night, and they were back to back, but they were just enough to put him at the top of this list as the top contributor for the Vols in this victory.

Unlike Josh Smith and Preston Williams, he also didn’t have a drop, although he wasn’t targeted as much either.

That’s a huge indictment against the coaching staff and Dobbs. Malone showed last night that he should get 10 to 15 targets a game. The 6’3″ stud is just too good.

And in the two opportunities he got Thursday, he changed the game and saved the Vols’ season.

In an ugly victory, that was enough to put him at No. 1 on our list of Smokey Points earners.