KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A trio of Vols were named to the PFF College SEC Team of the Week on Monday after leading Tennessee to its first SEC win of the season last Saturday.

Offensive lineman Trey Smith, safety Nigel Warrior and outside linebacker Darrell Taylor were all recognized for their efforts in UT’s 20-10 victory over Mississippi State.

Smith led an offensive line that allowed just one sack and paved the way for 190 rushing yards. With the Vols clinging to a three-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, Smith and the offensive line were dominant in Tennessee’s final possession of the game, a nine-play, 91-yard scoring drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock and effectively iced the game.

Warrior helped lead a dominant effort by the Vols’ defense, limiting Mississippi State to season lows in points (10) and total yards (267). The senior from College Park, Ga., was one of the Vols’ top players on defense, finishing with four tackles, two pass breakups and one of UT’s three interceptions. This is Warrior’s second appearance on the PFF College SEC Team of the Week this season.

Joining Warrior on the defensive team of the week was Taylor, who was a second-team selection after spearheading a dominant performance by the front seven. The redshirt senior linebacker recorded the fourth multi-sack game of his career, registering two sacks along with a forced fumble, and played a major role in limiting the SEC’s leading rusher, Kylin Hill, to just 13 yards on 11 carries.

Now with 14 sacks during his Tennessee career, Taylor is second in the SEC among active players in career sacks, trailing only Florida’s Jabari Zuniga (18.5). Taylor’s six career forced fumbles are also tied for the most among active SEC players. Tennessee’s defense totaled seven sacks in the win, its most in a conference game since Nov. 22, 2008 at Vanderbilt.

The entire PFF College SEC Team of the Week can be found HERE.

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Tennessee senior Jordan Bowden is one of 20 players on the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.

On Monday, fellow Vols senior Lamonte Turner was named to the Hall’s watch list for its Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

Named after Hall of Famer and former West Virginia guard Jerry West, the annual honor now in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel selected the 20-man watch list.

Bowden is one of seven SEC shooting guards on this season’s watch list (complete list below), and Tennessee will face seven candidates this year.

Entering his senior season, Bowden has started 68 of the 101 games in which he has appeared. He has improved his scoring average every year of his career and needs just 59 points to join Tennessee’s prestigious 1,000-Point Club.

An explosive and versatile scorer, the Knoxville native averaged 10.6 points per game last season but increased his scoring output to 12.1 ppg during SEC play. Bowden also committed only 35 turnovers in 1,002 total minutes played last year (27.8 mpg). He has made more than 50 3-pointers in each of the last two seasons.

An All-SEC candidate, Bowden is on track to receive his degree in Africana Studies in May.

New to the award this season is fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds. Fans are able to vote starting on Friday, Oct. 18.

By mid-February, the 20-player watch list will be narrowed to 10. In March, the names of five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Jerry West Award will be announced at ESPN’s college basketball awards show after the Final Four on April 10.

Previous winners of the award include R.J. Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).

For more information on the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.

2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
Isaiah Joe, Arkansas
Kamar Baldwin, Butler
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton
Kellan Grady, Davidson
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Joe Wieskamp, Iowa
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Skylar Mays, LSU
Joshua Langford, Michigan State
Temple ‘T.J.’ Gibbs, Notre Dame
Breein Tyree, Ole Miss
Myles Powell, Seton Hall
A.J. Lawson, South Carolina
Mustapha Heron, St. John’s
Desmond Bane, TCU
Jordan Bowden, Tennessee
Sam Merrill, Utah State

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season

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