Mahoney: Challenges should help Vols' O-line future

photo Tennessee's Jashon Robertson lines up against Alabama.

THANKSGIVING TIME IN TENNESSEESo how did Butch Jones and Tennessee's football team spend its Thanksgiving on Thursday? The Vols enjoyed a team dinner after Wednesday night's practice and held a light practice Thursday morning before breaking for the day. Players spent the rest of the day at the homes of the Vols' assistant coaches or with families of the Knoxville-based teammates."The way I look at it," Jones said, "it is one big football family coming together."

KNOXVILLE - There have been six different starting lineups and a handful of other combinations needed in a pinch.

The only true constant has been the true freshman who began the preseason playing on defense.

One player has started games at three different positions.

It's all been a new challenge for Tennessee offensive line coach Don Mahoney, as the Volunteers have dealt with injuries and a lack of depth in continually shuffling players around up front heading into the season's final game at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

"It's been as crazy a year as it could be," Mahoney said. "I've never had that many different things and scenarios happening. I think it's important, though, that as you go through coaching, as Coach (Butch Jones) will prepare us in a way that, 'Hey, what are going to do if this were to happen? What about this?' You've always got to have a plan in place in your mind.

"As soon as Mack (Crowder, the center) got hurt against Kentucky, that evening I was already thinking of that game moving forward about what we were going to do as far as guys getting work there. Your mind's got to keep working that way. Your kids have got to think that way and approach that way. I try to find a positive. It's been trying, but I think we'll all grow from this."

That's certainly the hope for a group that has had its struggles this season.

The hurt knee for starting left tackle Jacob Gilliam in the third quarter of the season opener started the rash of injuries. Freshman Coleman Thomas started at right tackle for five games before hurting his ankle. Left guard Marcus Jackson missed a game with an injury.

Two weeks ago against Kentucky, Crowder suffered knee and ankle sprains when he was rolled up on, and Dylan Wiesman started in his place against Missouri last week.

The Vols started six different offensive-line combinations in their first 11 games of the season, with Kyler Kerbyson starting games at right tackle, left tackle and left guard. He played all three of those spots in the Missouri game alone.

Freshman Jashon Robertson, after beginning training camp at defensive tackle, is the only offensive lineman to have started all 11 games at the same position.

Tennessee's hope is all the ups and downs of a maligned group that benefited from the insertion of the mobile Josh Dobbs at quarterback pays off heading into the offseason and then into 2015.

"I think there's obviously the importance of experience," Mahoney said. "To play in the arenas that we play in and the atmospheres and the crowds and the hostile environments, particularly in the conference, is valuable to get that many reps.

"For Coleman Thomas to play at an Ole Miss in that kind of an environment on a Saturday night -- you can't have that in spring practice.

"I think having that experience is one, mentally, but also always having the ability to become smarter as a player."

While the whole unit should benefit from experience and players such as Thomas and Robertson should benefit from a year to add strength, Tennessee's troublesome situation at tackle -- the Vols have had to rely on Gilliam playing through a torn ACL and Kerbyson, a more natural guard -- has been exposed against the SEC's speed rushers.

It's perhaps the biggest question mark moving forward, but the Vols are encouraged by touted junior college transfer Dontavius Blair's development, particularly how much stronger he's become, while he redshirted this season.

Charles Mosley, a 6-foot-5, 350-pound freshman who's recovering well from the broken leg he suffered in a July car accident, essentially gives Tennessee another incoming player.

Mahoney stressed to his linemen as they watched the tape of the struggles against Missouri earlier this week to use the disappointment as motivation in the offseason.

"Let's not forget this when we go to lift in the offseason," he said. "Let's not forget this when we stress to you about playing for six seconds with three great efforts. Let's remember that there's a reason to that and there's a team, all due respect to them and how they play, but that's got to be the level we play.

"That's the level we've got to train at and live at to get where we need to go. I think there's going to be a lot to benefit from some of the growing pains and things we've gone through, and I expect us to have strides made heading into next year. I expect to see strides made by us."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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