TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar committed critical errors as the 11th-ranked Vols lost 37-20 to No. 6 Alabama on Oct. 18.
Aguilar was at least partially responsible for a safety. And he tossed an interception that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half.
Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) had plenty of other miscues apart from Aguilar. But it couldn’t overcome them in a disappointing showing against Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) in Third Saturday in October rivalry game.
Here’s a quick rundown of Aguilar’s performance against Alabama.
Joey Aguilar’s stats
Aguilar was 28-of-44 passing for 268 yards, one TD and one interception.
The only silver lining was that Aguilar continued his passing yardage streak. He has passed for at least 200 yards in all 31 starts of his Division I career, including seven at UT and 24 at Appalachian State. That’s the longest active streak in FBS.
Aguilar’s best: Pass that set up touchdown
When UT needed its first points, Aguilar stood in the pocket and delivered a strike. On third-and-8 from the Alabama 32-yard line, he tossed a dart to a streaking Braylon Staley for a 30-yard pass to the 2-yard line.
It was the big play that UT needed. Three plays later, Aguilar hit Staley for a 2-yard TD pass.
But the celebration was short-lived. Aguilar’s errors soon followed.
Aguilar’s worst: Pick-6 and safety
Two Aguilar passes gave Alabama nine points.
In the second quarter, Aguilar was called for an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Maybe the offensive line should’ve held its ground longer. But it appeared Aguilar also held the ball too long, hoping for a receiver to break open on the second-and-19 play. Instead, Aguilar tripped over right tackle Jesse Perry and tossed a desperation pass into the ground as he fell.
And on the final play of the first half, Aguilar tossed an interception at the goal line, which Zabien Brown returned 99 yards for a TD.
Grade: D
It’s hard to grade higher than a D, considering Aguilar’s mistakes directly accounted for nine points for Alabama. And his pick-six was a 14-point swing.
But this isn’t an F because Aguilar sparked the offense in a few instances and his two big mistakes were solely his fault.
Pass protection broke down on the safety. The interception was a bad play call.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joey Aguilar stats, Tennessee football QB grade vs Alabama
