Auburn took its worst loss of the young season against Tennessee on Saturday afternoon.
The Volunteers' PFF grades against the Tigers during the 24-14 win on Rocky Top prove that point pretty clearly.
Here's specifically what we learned from PFF's grades from the game, which come courtesy of Rocky Top Insider:
George MacIntyre's 81.8 PFF grade proves Josh Heupel right
No coaching decision all day was more significant than Josh Heupel swapping out true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon for George MacIntyre.
DJ Durkin's defense was containing Brandon's athleticism before his benching, but couldn't keep up with MacIntyre's crisp execution of Heupel's veer-and-shoot offense.
MacIntyre didn't take any needless risks, completing eight-of-10 pass attempts and setting up a 42-yard Mike Matthews reception and gain on a dig route.
Durkin wasn't preparing for MacIntyre. It showed as MacIntyre game-managed a gem, allowing running back DeSean Bishop to score three touchdowns and amass 220 yards on 34 carries.
Donovan Haslam's 71.5 PFF grade shows Auburn's run defense is lacking
With Wendell Moe Jr. out for the season, the Volunteers' offensive line pushed Bishop towards the A- and right B-gap more often.
Right guard Donovan Haslam and right tackle Jesse Perry played all 68 snaps together, but Haslam outplayed his edge counterpart with a strong interior push. Haslam had the highest grade on the offensive line.
Auburn's tackling at the second and third levels is lacking. The Tigers are not gap-plugging like they need to keep this program afloat in the trenches against elite SEC competition.
Florida running back Jadan Baugh also went off on this group, amassing 162 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground against this run defense just two weeks ago. This trend is beyond troubling, with Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss up next.
Mark Matthews' 70.1 PFF grade carried by one big play vs. the secondary
Unfortunately, cornerback Champ Anthony is a bit of a fall guy when it comes to Mark Matthews' game-high in Tennessee's receiving corps.
Anthony gave up a 44-yard reception to Matthews. Other than that catch, Matthews had just 13 receiving yards.
The positive is that no other receiver had more than 12 yards. Truth be told, not the worst day for Auburn's secondary.
David Sanders Jr.'s 64.2 overall PFF grade tells two different stories
Volunteers left tackle David Sanders Jr. looked the part of a future NFL left tackle. Well, at least from a pass-protection perspective.
Sanders graded out as a 87.5 in pass-protection. His 61.7 run grade dragged down his overall mark.
The Tigers' pass rush does its best work through the A- and B-gaps. Sanders was tough to get past for Auburn on the left edge.
Dejuan Lane's 83.4 PFF grade is yet another indictment of AU's OL
There are many different ways to prove the Tigers' offensive line is a complete and utter liability this season.
We're just going to focus here on how safety Dejaun Lane was able to nab a sack as a blitzer, in addition to another sack as a quarterback spy.
Lane had one of four sacks. Byrum Brown was hit twice by a safety. That's unacceptable for the pass protection.
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