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The Tennessee Volunteers held one of the most unique spring games in the nation Saturday to conclude their spring practice season, sprinkling 1-on-1 matchups into a scrimmage that pitted the offense against the defense in lieu of a split-squad format.
The Vols couldn’t go split-squad due to injuries throughout the roster, instead allowing the offense (White team) to compete against the defense (Orange team) under an amended scoring system. The results of the one-on-one competitions were also factored into the scoring.
The White team eventually defeated the Orange team 54-44, but it was the quarterbacks who impressed the most on the day. Joshua Dobbs, the team’s returning starter and one of the few SEC quarterbacks locked into a job entering the summer, impressed in completing 5 of 8 throws for 94 yards and a touchdown. He also moved well in the pocket and threw on the run with accuracy.
His backup, freshman early enrollee Quinten Dormady, was just as impressive, completing an identical 5 of 8 throws for 96 yards and one touchdown during his time on the field. Fellow freshman early enrollee Jauan Jennings led the team in rushing on the day with 58 yards (and teammates were allowed to hit him), but he completed only 1 of 5 throws for 5 yards.
While Jennings was permitted to be hit, other skill players wore the gray non-contact jerseys the quarterbacks wore to indicate they could not be hit on the day. This list of players includes tailback Jalen Hurd and wideout Pig Howard, and the non-contact jerseys were primarily a precautionary measure.
Despite the high score, Tennessee’s defense had its moments as well. The defensive line, which had only one player expected to start this fall in uniform (early enrollee Shy Tuttle), applied consistent pressure up front, although they were given the benefit of the doubt by head coach Butch Jones regarding a few “sacks” of quarterbacks in non-contact jerseys.
Butch better be careful giving away these sacks or folks are going to look at spring game stats and say the O-line isn't any better.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) April 25, 2015
All in all the Tennessee defense logged four sacks on the day.
The Vols also scored a defensive touchdown when star cornerback Cam Sutton, who spent much of the day playing nickel despite returning as the team’s top corner, broke up a double reverse, snagged a mishandled lateral out of the air and ran it back for a score.
Tennessee began its spring festivities with a Circle of Life drill, a drill that closely resembles sumo wrestling. Two linemen set up across from one another at midfield, and when the whistle blew the pushing match began, with the linemen aiming to overpower one another to earn a victory for their side. Each victory gave that player’s team a point toward the final score of the scrimmage.
The same scoring rules applied when the receivers and cornerbacks went one-on-one on fade routes during a second-quarter stoppage. However, the defense won on all seven fade routes in one of the most impressive showings of the day.
In the third quarter, the quarterbacks went through a competition that involved hitting a stationary target, two moving targets at varying distances and then the crossbar. The competition ended with each quarterback hoping to throw a fade route over a barrier and into a trashcan sitting in the corner of the end zone.
Dormady was the second-to-last competitor, and he was nearly perfect through his round, inspiring Jones (also the emcee on the day) to cry “Uh oh, Dobbs” into the loudspeakers inside Neyland Stadium as Dormady finished his round. Dobbs then came in and beat Dormady’s score to win the competition.
At halftime of the game, Jones emceed a ceremony honoring the Vols’ award winners at the end of the spring. Take a look at who was honored with what award:
Jashon Robertson and Rashaan Gaulden get most-improved awards for spring on offense and defense.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) April 25, 2015
Iron Vol weight room awards: Malik Foreman for speed, Robertson and Kendal Vickers for power.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) April 25, 2015
'63 effort' award goes to Johnathon Johnson, aka Russell Wilson's twin.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) April 25, 2015
Cam Sutton and Josh Dobbs take home leadership awards named after Al Wilson (defense) and Peyton Manning (offense).
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) April 25, 2015
Final Stats (per Tennessee’s athletics department):
PASSING
Quentin Dormady: 5-11, 96 yards, 1 touchdown
Joshua Dobbs: 5-8, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
Jauan Jennings: 1-5, 5 yards
RUSHING
J. Jennings: 9 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown
Jayson Sparks: 12 carries, 51 yards
Jalen Hurd: 3 carries, 40 yards
Alvin Kamara: 10 carries, 19 yards, 1 touchdown
Q. Dormady: 1 carry, 6 yards
J. Dobbs: 1 carry, -9 yards
RECEIVING
Pig Howard: 3 receptions, 49 yards
Josh Malone: 2 receptions, 80 yards, 1 touchdown
Johnathon Johnson: 2 receptions, 47 yards
Jaye Rochell: 2 receptions, 6 yards
Ethan Wolf: 1 reception, 15 yards, 1 touchdown
A.J. Branisel: 1 reception, -2 yards
DEFENSE
Evan Berry: 9 tackles, 1 TFL
Todd Kelly Jr.: 6 tackles
Jaylen Reeves-Maybin: 5 tackles, 2 sacks
Gavin Bryant: 4 tackles
Andrew Butcher: 4 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 sack
Stephen Griffin: 3 tackles
Emmanuel Moseley: 3 tackles, 1 pass breakup
Elliott Berry: 3 tackles
Colton Jumper: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 pass breakup
Shy Tuttle: 2 tackles
Brian Randolph: 2 tackles, 1 pass breakup
Dimarya Mixon: 2 tackles
Dillon Bates: 2 tackles, 1 TFL
Charles Mosley: 2 tackles
Owen Williams: 2 tackles
Chris Weathered: 1 tackle
Charles Folger: 1 tackle
Malik Foreman: 1 tackle, 1 pass breakup
Kendal Vickers: 1 tackle, 1 sack
Cortez McDowell: 1 tackle, 0.5 TFL
Cam Sutton: 0 tackles, 1 fumble return TD (20 yards)
TEAM: 1 sack
KICKING
Aaron Medley: 1-2, made from 55, missed from 33
PUNTING
Trevor Daniel: 5 punts, 43.8 yard average
Highlights:
Sutton’s touchdown return
Tennessee’s Circle of Life drill
One we missed… Dobbs connects with tight end Ethan Wolf for a first-half touchdown:
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
