Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) runs for big yardage at Neyland Stadium in SEC action on Oct. 25, 2014.KNOXVILLE - The numbers suggested it was the best.
Whether it was or not might be immaterial for Tennessee's offensive line.
The Volunteers' most maligned unit benefited from a couple of personnel changes and the introduction of a mobile quarterback in Josh Dobbs against Alabama's stingy defense, as Tennessee piled up 181 rushing yards while allowing just two sacks in the loss to the Crimson Tide.
Just a week earlier, Tennessee netted zero rushing yards and surrendered seven sacks at Ole Miss.
"It was huge," offensive line coach Don Mahoney said after Wednesday's practice. "It's been such a tough go week in and week out with the things that have been happening and the results that have been taking place. Coming to work every day, it's kind of a beatdown.
"Coming to practice every day, in not so much the approach, but the just feeling of, 'Are we ever going (to get there)?' We said (if) we keep digging, we keep digging, and we keep scratching and clawing, some positive results are going to happen for us. For that reason, I was happy.
"I've been saying all along how hard they've been working as a group and would they ever get a chance to see some of that work pay off, and it did. That was good to have happen for them. Still, the loss is something that, without a doubt, is not acceptable, so by no means are we saying it's OK, but from a unit standpoint, there were things to draw from."
Tennessee hopes it will build on the performance at South Carolina on Saturday night.
The Gamecocks are last in the SEC in run defense and have the fewest sacks in the league.
Tennessee has allowed 32 sacks in eight games, but two the Vols surrendered against Alabama tied a season-low they also gave up against Utah State and Arkansas State in the first two games of the season.
The 181 rushing yards were the second-most in a game for Tennessee this season, falling just short of the 185-yard game against Arkansas State.
"We've been getting better every week, and we've just got to continue," center Mack Crowder. "There's still things on film that we can do better, and nobody's perfect, so we're going to go back and continue to work on it and continue to get better. Hopefully those numbers will grow.
"It does get hard sometimes when you just come in every day and work your butt off and don't get the results you want, but after a while, seeing some results, it definitely helps, mentally more than anything."
Against Alabama, Jacob Gilliam replaced injured freshman Coleman Thomas at right tackle and played every snap with a torn ACL, while Kyler Kerbyson slid from left tackle to left guard in the place of the injured Marcus Jackson and Brett Kendrick stepped in for his second start at left tacke.
The Vols expect Jackson to return this week, while Thomas likely won't be ready with an ankle injury.
Jackson likely will slide back into the starting lineup with Kerbyson, a more natural guard who's started games at both tackle spots and left guard this season, going back out to tackle.
"Coach Mo plays the best five," Gilliam said, "and however we're matching up that week together in the scheme of things, whoever the best five, they're going to play and that's who we're going to roll with."
The Vols likely will roll with Dobbs at quarterback with Justin Worley still not healthy enough to play, and the sophomore's running ability on both designed runs and scrambles should take some pressure off Tennessee's offensive line.
Mahoney said Dobbs's mobility helped "make us right when we were wrong."
"We really don't care who's back there," Gilliam said. "We'll block for anybody. Knowing that he can run kind of opened up our offense a little bit with a dynamic quarterback like that, we knew some of the play calls were going to be different as opposed to having (Nathan) Peterman or Worley in there."
On Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, Tennessee coach Butch Jones hesitated to call the Alabama game the offensive line's best performance of the season, but he was encouraged by the "marked improvement" he saw, particularly down two starters.
"Coach Mo's done a great job of motivating those guys -- not that they needed it -- because they're a hungry group to begin with," offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said after practice.
"They're proud. They've obviously come under some criticism in the recent past and have taken it upon themselves to do what's necessary to improve."
Said Mahoney: "It's definitely one for us to build on."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.