College football is all about making a statement on the defensive side of the ball. A linebacker for the Tennessee Volunteers probably took things a bit too far on Saturday, though.
The Volunteers hosted the Pitt Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Tennessee made an early statement after blocking a Pitt punt and returning it for a touchdown. It then added on a field goal later in the first quarter. Pitt started making plays in the second quarter after Kenny Pickett completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Melquise Stovall. Tennessee responded with a field goal to make it a 13-7 game before the Panthers went on another scoring drive just moments later.
The Pitt offense found itself Tennessee territory facing a pivotal third-and-four early in the second quarter. The Panthers converted on a short strike in the middle of the field. That’s when a Tennessee linebacker used an infamous WWE move to tackle the receiver.
It definitely wasn’t legal. Take a look.
The move didn’t work out well for the Tennessee linebacker. He was flagged on the play and the Pitt Panthers capitalized.
Pitt responded with another touchdown strike to take a 14-13 lead. The Panthers then chipped on a field goal later in the second quarter. Tennessee is in trouble.
You can catch the rest of Tennessee’s showdown with the Pitt Panthers right now on ESPN. Pitt currently leads the Volunteers 17-13.