UT’s Micah Abernathy tackles Appalachian State’s Jayaln Barbour Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 in Neyland Stadium.KNOXVILLE – Micah Abernathy played plenty as a Tennessee freshman, but his role never was bigger than it was when the sophomore started the 2016 season opener against Appalachian State.
The safety might have been the best player on the field for Tennessee last Thursday night, but his standout performance surprised none of his coaches or teammates.
It’s what they’d seen from Abernathy for weeks or more.
“It was impressive to see Micah on film,” defensive end LaTroy Lewis said Tuesday, “but for me it wasn’t a surprise, because it was the same things Micah did all spring, all fall camp. Those are things we come to expect from him now. He’s playing some big-time football for us.”
In his first career start, the 6-foot, 195-pounder out of Atlanta totaled eight tackles, and other than a missed tackle on the Mountaineers’ first touchdown, he was largely spotless in terms of mistakes or missed assignments.