KNOXVILLE - If all goes according to plan, Quinten Dormady will be among the Tennessee freshmen making their debuts in Saturday's season opener.
The Volunteers have toyed with the notion of handing their freshman backup quarterback an early series to allow him game experience in case anything happens to starter Josh Dobbs, and head coach Butch Jones didn't dispel that possibility Wednesday as Tennessee prepared for its game against Bowling Green at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
"I expect that could happen," Jones said of Dormady playing Saturday. "The nuances of a game is different, and a lot of times they go according to plan, and a lot of times they don't go according to plan. Quinten's had a very, very good week of preparation."
The ideal situation for the Vols would be to build a big enough lead to easily afford to give Dormady the reins to the offense.
Tennessee clearly has confidence in Dormady, though, and the Vols would like to play him at some point Saturday.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 4/25/15. The University of Tennessee's Todd Kelly Jr. and other defensive players perform sprint drills during the Dish Orange & White Game in Knoxville on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Final score was Orange 54, White 44."He understands the game plan," Jones said. "Obviously he has a little bit of a different game plan that will play to his strengths, but I've been very proud of his approach. He's been very, very consistent, and he's continued to get better and better and better. I do anticipate him playing, and I anticipate him playing throughout the course of the year."
Daniel will punt
Walk-on Trevor Daniel will be Tennessee's starting punter, though freshman Tommy Townsend and Maryland transfer Nate Renfro will both travel to Nashville this week.
Daniel, a redshirt sophomore from Dickson County High School, demonstrated the strongest leg and best consistency of the trio during preseason training camp. He was the only one of that group to go through spring practice, so the Vols have a better idea of what he can do.
"This will be an ongoing competition, just like it is at every single position for us," Jones said. "It's all performance-based. All three individuals have done a very good job. We just thought at this point in time Trevor's been a little more consistent in terms of his hang time, his ball placement, the length of his punts (and) just overall consistency."
Safety squeeze
Jones was non-committal on whether Evan Berry or Todd Kelly Jr. would start at safety in place of the injured LaDarrell McNeil. With Kelly missing some practice time this week, it's likely Berry will get most of the work Saturday, though Jones mentioned walk-on Max Arnold as another player who would be on the field.
"We started off with that position being a strength in terms of depth," Jones said. "That depth can be diminished at any moment in time. We hope T.K. can pick up some of the reps. Evan Berry can pick up some of the reps as well. There's some individuals that are going to need to step up."
Freshman outside linebacker Quart'e Sapp, who should help Tennessee on special teams, worked with the safeties during Tuesday's practice.
"(It's) just from a depth standpoint," Jones explained. "We'll continue to move him around, and that's a tribute to his athleticism and his ability to learn. He's doing a very good job at linebacker, but also, we have to be prepared for anything. As we always know, you're one snap away. It's adding to the preparation at that position."
Martin progresses
Cornerback Justin Martin, a junior college transfer, continues to work his way back into form after missing a chunk of the preseason with a knee injury, and his return could give Tennessee's secondary added depth and flexibility.
"Any time you miss the inordinate amount of practice or the practice repetitions that Justin has missed, it sets you back," Jones said. "It sets you back from a conditioning standpoint. It sets you back, obviously, from a knowledge and technique standpoint. Justin is a very hard worker.
"It's very, very important to him, and the strides he's made the last two days, you can really see them."
Checker Neyland
Tennessee will checkerboard Neyland Stadium for next week's home opener against 19th-ranked Oklahoma. The Vols first did it for the Florida game last season. Fans attending the game can go to CheckerNeyland.com to see if they should wear orange or white based on the section in which their seats are located.
Tech on tap
Tennessee Tech announced Wednesday it would play at Tennessee on Nov. 5, 2016. The in-state programs have played five times, all in Knoxville. The Vols and Golden Eagles haven't met since 1951, when Tennessee won 68-0.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.