Tennessee center James Stone is a candidate for the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center, and one of the top-rated centers for the 2014 NFL Draft. With scouts from the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams in attendance, how did Stone fare against Alabama's vaunted defense Saturday? College Football 24/7 had the following observations:
Run blocking: Stone's performance was solid but, at times, inconsistent in the running game, though the Alabama defense deserves credit for creating disruptions. His blocking assignments varied widely, from linebackers C.J. Mosley and Trey DePriest to defensive linemen Darren Lake, A'Shawn Robinson and Jeoffrey Pagan. Some of his best run blocks actually came on runs that Alabama stuffed by beating other blocks. And inversely, one of Stone's worst moments was a badly missed block on what turned out to be UT's longest run from scrimmage, a 44-yarder to open the second half by Rajion Neal. Stone made a nice seal block on Pagan for Rajion Neal's fourth-quarter touchdown run, and appeared to get more effective as the game progressed.
Best run block: On a 2nd-and-8 play in the second quarter from the UT 46-yard line, Stone made a nice block on All-American linebacker C.J. Mosley for what was just a gain of four by Rajion Neal. Mosley, one of the most athletic linebackers in the nation and a top senior NFL draft prospect, is very difficult for most interior linemen to reach and control. Stone reached and maintained a nice block on Mosley again later in the game.
Worst run block: With Tennessee opening a drive near its own goal line in the second quarter, Stone was beaten on a block by UA defensive tackle Darren Lake, who stuffed the play for no gain.
Pass protection: Stone was at his best in this area, doing a nice job of preventing the pocket from collapsing on most of Tennessee's pass attempts. There were exceptions, including a couple of bull rushes by sophomore Darren Lake and freshman A'Shawn Robinson that nearly put Stone in the quarterback's lap. But for the most part, Stone held his own in pass protection and, more importantly, appeared to do a nice job with protection checks at the line of scrimmage.
Best pass-protection moment: Late in the second quarter, Stone got a good piece of two Alabama pass rushers, first with a nice chip on Darren Lake to help right guard Anthony Steen. Stone then spotted freshman defensive end Jonathan Allen coming free to the right, and pancaked Allen to allow quarterback Justin Worley to make a throw.
Worst pass-protection moment: Stone whiffed on Alabama junior Jeoffrey Pagan on a 3rd-down pass early in the third quarter, allowing a quarterback hurry and an emphatic knockdown by Pagan of Vols quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Quote from the opposition on Stone: "He was definitely a great player. He was strong, and he was physical. I honestly didn't get to see him very much, but from what I was told, I think my nose guard Darren Lake did a pretty good job against him."
- Alabama defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan.
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