UT Vols 'have who we have' on offensive line

photo Just after the handoff from Justin Worley, left, Tennessee's Martin Lane (15) turns upfield while Florida's Jonathan Bullard (90) slows his pace.

KNOXVILLE - The first question Butch Jones faced in his post game news conference following Tennessee's 10-9 loss to Florida on Saturday afternoon addressed the disparity in rushing yards and the six sacks the Volunteers allowed.

Tennessee's second-year coach threw his right arm up and back down on the table, making a slight thud.

"We've just got to keep getting better," he said. "We are who we are. We have who we have."

After allowing six sacks to the Gators on Saturday, Tennessee has allowed 18 for the season and 14 in the last three games against Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida. The Vols are 121st nationally in sacks per game, and among power conference teams, only UCLA and Wake Forest allow more per game than the Vols. Tennessee is 112th nationally in rushing offense.

Four of the sacks Tennessee allowed on Saturday came on third-and-6 or longer, as the Vols managed just 80 yards on 26 first-down plays and thus faced nine third downs of 9 yards or more to go.

On all of the sacks on Saturday, Tennessee had a numerical advantage in protection, meaning the Vols had more blockers than the Gators had rushing quarterback Justin Worley.

Florida's defensive ends, particularly Dante Fowler and Bryan Cox, gave Tennessee's tackles trouble. Worley missed a blitzer on one sack, there appeared to be miscommunication in protection between freshman guard Jashon Robertson and freshman tailback Jalen Hurd on another and good coverage paired with a four- or five-man rush aided two others.

Tennessee's youth and inexperience up front have been well-documented, and Jones is facing a different challenge than two of his second-year coaching counterparts in the SEC -- Arkansas's Bret Bielema and Kentucky's Mark Stoops.

In its overtime loss to Texas A&M last week, Arkansas started a pair of sophomores, including a one-time Vols commit in Dan Skipper at left tackle, along with two juniors and a seniors.

Kentucky, which ran for 239 yards in a 45-38 win against South Carolina on Saturday night, started one senior, two juniors, a third-year sophomore and a redshirt freshman against the Gamecocks.

So how did the Vols end up with two first-year full-time starters and two freshmen starting for them this season?

In 2010, Tennessee signed Zach Fulton, Ja'Wuan James, James Stone and Marques Pair.

James was a four-year starter, Fulton was a full-time starter from the middle of his freshman season on and Stone started as a freshman and every game as a junior and senior.

The 19th pick of the Miami Dolphins in May, James is starting in the NFL as a rookie, as is Fulton, Kansas City's sixth-round pick. Stone went undrafted but signed with Atlanta, made the roster and debuted for the Falcons on Sunday.

Pair committed to Lane Kiffin in June 2009, but he's appeared in just seven career games, including mop-up duty against Utah State season, in his five-year career.

In 2011, the Vols signed Antonio Richardson, Marcus Jackson, Mack Crowder, Kyler Kerbyson and Alan Posey and added Alex Bullard, a transfer from Notre Dame.

Richardson was Tennessee's starting left tackle the past two seasons before leaving after his junior season. An undrafted free agent, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but he's currently on injured reserve.

Bullard started 25 games in his three-year career.

Posey redshirted and played in three games before transferring to Mercer last year.

Crowder, Kerbyson and Jackson, who started five games as a freshman, played in every game in 2012 and redshirted last season, are starting for Tennessee this season.

The Vols didn't sign an offensive lineman in 2012 class, but Jones and his staff inherited Brett Kendrick and Austin Sanders from the previous staff and added former Cincinnati commit Dylan Wiesman in 2013.

Kendrick started at left tackle against Arkansas State after Jacob Gilliam's ACL injury. Sanders, the former Bradley Central High School standout, is a second-team guard after redshirting. Wiesman is a backup at center or guard.

Touted junior college transfer Dontavius Blair was the headliner among offensive linemen in Tennessee's 2014 class, but the 6-foot-8, 300-pound former four-star recruit hasn't played this season and could be redshirting.

Freshman center Ray Raulerson is a likely redshirt, and Charles Mosley is recovering from the broken leg he suffered in a July car accident.

Freshmen Robertson, who began preseason practice at defensive tackle, and Coleman Thomas, a high school center, make up the right side of Tennessee's offensive line.

"It is what it is," said Jones, "and they're going to be fine."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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