KNOXVILLE—The Vols struggled with consistency earlier this week and but didn’t let the highs and lows of practice affect them today. “There were ups and downs, emotional peaks and valleys. We didn’t let momentum shift one way or the other. We stayed consistent. When momentum seemed to be going the other way, we bounced back and made some plays,” offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said after practice.

Tuesday, the QBs routinely under threw receivers and struggled with reads. This morning Worley opened the day with a poorly thrown ball that got intercepted by Justin Coleman. Other than that, the quarterbacks were accurate and demonstrably confident in their decisions. Both Peterman and Worley had more zip on their passes and looked refreshed after a poor outing Tuesday.

Croom made several big plays Thursday.
Photo by Reed Carringer

Tennessee’s receivers were open most of the day, but with the exception of Jason Croom, remain woefully inconsistent. Pig Howard and Devrin Young struggled with drops, routes, and handoffs all morning. “Depth across the board is always an issue,” Bajakian said. That was no more apparent than at receiver when a hamstring injury to Jason Croom left the Vols with just four available scholarship receivers—one which played running back before the spring (Devrin Young) and another (Cody Blanc) that played safety in high school. Fortunately, none of their injuries are major and the receiving corps should be at full strength in a few weeks.

The Vols have two highly-touted receivers enrolling this summer in Marquez North and Ryan Jenkins. Receivers coach Zach Azzanni was asked about the potential for freshmen to play early in the year in such a challenging system. “It’s real tough. God love them, they’re all the same. They all think they’re going to come in right now and hit the ground running. Then they hit a wall day two,” he said. “We just keep educating them on what they need to do before they get here and hopefully they can pick it up quick.”

“It’s a learning adjustment, but I’ve had freshmen play. A lot of them. Antonio Brown came in at Central (Michigan) and had 103 catches and never played the position. In two weeks he was one of the best receivers in the country.”

Time will tell if North or Jenkins can make that jump. They’ll certainly get the chance to prove themselves when they step on campus.

Tennessee running back Marlin Lane did not practice today for undisclosed reasons, and “is just not practicing right now” according to running backs coach Robert Gillespie. A return date for Lane is not known and Gillespie said he didn’t know if he would attend the scrimmage Saturday. You can hear what Gillespie had to say on the topic here.

In Lane’s absence, Alden Hill got more reps and received some high praise from Gillespie after practice.

“From a reps standpoint he’s done a good job of staying healthy. To be honest with you he’s probably the one who’s shown the most growth this spring. He’s probably getting more reps than he’s ever gotten, and he’s taking advantage of it. I tell him all the time at times he’s like a bull in a china shop—a little bit out of control but at least it’s full speed out of control. He probably spends the most time in here on his own working on his footwork and it’s definitely showing up.”

One area where the offense has dramatically improved is the ability of the running backs to protect the passer. The staff has challenged them to be more physical and aggressive blockers, and they’ve answered the call.

“I like what our running backs are doing in pass protection,” Bajakian said. “I’m satisfied with the guys’ willingness to stick their face in the fan and get a body on a body.”

Jancek instructs the secondary.
Photo by Reed Carringer

On defense, with the exception of Justin Coleman, every member of the secondary routinely received some intense personal instruction from defensive back coach Willie Martinez. JUCO DB Riyahd Jones has been battling a hamstring injury and it’s clearly affecting him. He’s playing timid and trying to cut corners…two things that will get you placed directly on the bench.

When healthy, Jones is one of the best and most consistent performers on the defense. Despite his struggles today, he should challenge for a starting spot this fall once he returns to form.

With the struggles in the defensive backfield, the play of the defensive line becomes even more key. Tennessee has to be able to pressure the quarterback to take some of the heat off their inconsistent defensive backs, and the line is slowly marching toward being one of the best units on the team.

“We’re stressing energy and focus right now. We got a slow start but we finished strong. The kids are really into it, their attitudes are outstanding. We just got to learn to do it all the time,” defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. “With six seniors, we should be one of the strongest positions on the field…on a day like today when you’re coming in and it’s a little bit of a grind, we should be the group that’s motivating the other groups, that’s showing energy and leading the way.”

The team continues to “take two steps forwards, then a step back” as Zach Azzanni said. They’ll be looking to do the former when they hit Neyland this Saturday for their last scrimmage before the Orange and White Game.

Offensive Standout: Jason Croom made several big plays and continues to look more fluid running routes. He has really solid hands and has shown the consistent ability to go up and get the ball, even with defensive backs draped all over him.

Defensive Standout: Justin Coleman was the most consistent performer in the secondary and grabbed an interception early. He showed good technique and discipline even when going up against the bigger Croom.