Abernathy’s performance no surprise
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 bigtime 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.
Abernathy often was in the right spot, and he made multiple tackles in the open field.
“That did build my confidence, last week’s game,” he said. “But I know it’s a new week and I have to prove myself again each and every day in practice and every week in the game. I’m trying not to forget about it, but move on to the next week.”
Last season Abernathy, a consensus four-star recruit who played cornerback and running back in high school, was a defensive reserve, the lead man for Evan Berry on kickoff returns and a fixture on special teams. In 12 appearances he finished with nine tackles and broke up two passes. He primarily was the backup to Malik Foreman at nickel cornerback.
“Coming into the game, I wouldn’t say I was nervous,” Abernathy said. “I was more anxious to get out on the field and play with my brothers. I knew that I was a good player and I know the coaches trusted me as (well) as my teammates. I knew I had to go out there and prove that.”
This offseason Abernathy moved to safety and quickly became a favorite of new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who loved his combination of athletic ability, toughness and intelligence.
The word Shoop always used to describe Abernathy was “consistent.”
“He embodies,” Vols coach Butch Jones said Monday, “what we’re looking for just with his daily approach.”
Abernathy said the quality was instilled in him by his parents. His father, former Georgia senator Ralph David Abernathy III, died in March, and Micah missed a few spring practices to attend the funeral. Micah’s grandfather was a leader of the civil rights movement and a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr.
“(He’s) a guy that comes to work every day, trying to do the best for his team and his teammates,” linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said. “I’m really just proud of him, that he was able to put his foot forward in the first game. It’s going to carry on for the rest of the season.”
Abernathy didn’t take all of the credit for making key plays in key spots, instead complimenting the defensive line’s play and linebackers Kirkland and Cortez McDowell for the roles they played in his success.
His tackle for loss was a one-on-one play in space when he was the lone defender waiting on Appalachian State’s Deltron Hopkins on an option pitch. That led to a three-and-out on the visitors’ second series, and he made a first-down stop for no gain on the their next possession.
Abernathy’s biggest play, of course, was batting down the fourth-down pass in overtime to preserve the win.
“I got text messages from my family members telling me they were proud of me and things like that,” he said, “but the most praise that I got was from my teammates. They were proud of me. They weren’t surprised, like they told me.”
The Vols are ready for more expected performances from Abernathy.
“What he did, I expected it from him,” linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said Monday, “just from his maturity and the way he works. Since he stepped on campus he’s been working to put himself in that position to make a lot of plays. I always say about Darrin that no one knows how good he’s going to be yet, but Micah’s kind of the same way.
“I don’t think people really know how good he is, and I’m looking forward to watching him this year, and I think a lot of people will be surprised by what he brings to the field.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.