KNOXVILLE - In its current setup Tennessee's offense never will be mistaken for Texas Tech's.
In the past eight seasons the Red Raiders didn't finish lower than seventh nationally in passing offense, but the Volunteers will continue to butter their bread with a run-first approach.
For a hit-or-miss passing game, the ability to hit on some downfield shots for long touchdowns like the two Josh Malone hauled in against Appalachian State and Virginia Tech is a promising sign of progress.
"Trust is built in the preseason and the offseason and the time leading up to the season," quarterback Josh Dobbs said Tuesday. "Me and Malone have a great chemistry and great connection. He's been able to go up and make plays, and I've been able to put the ball where the defender can't get it and only he can make the play on it.
"It's something that we need to continue to do. Other guys will have opportunities to go up and make plays. We saw Jauan (Jennings) make a great catch in the (end zone) on a goal-line fade, so it's something we'll continue and something that will continue to be successful for us."
Malone enters Saturday's visit from Ohio with just four receptions in two games, but two of them were game-tying touchdown catches covering 67 yards against Appalachian State and 38 yards against Virginia Tech.
The junior's 31.8-yard average per catch leads the Southeastern Conference at this embryonic stage of the season.
Both receptions were simple go routes in one-on-one coverage against a cornerback.
"It's a 50-50 ball. Somebody's got to make a play," Malone said Monday. "I'd rather go up and make the play, just because it makes it easier for the quarterback and it gives the offense an extra spark of momentum. That's an explosive play in a game, and that creates a lot of energy on the sideline.
"The defense gets hype off of that, and it just makes the game go by better."
In 2015 the Vols had just five completions of 40 or more yards, and in the SEC only Georgia, Missouri and Vanderbilt had fewer. One of those five chunk plays was the Jennings-to-Dobbs trick-play touchdown against Florida. Another was backup quarterback Quinten Dormady's pass to Preston Williams against Western Carolina.
The struggles then were due to Dobbs' erratic downfield accuracy and the absence of a wide receiver capable of taking the top off a defense or going up to make a play.
Perhaps Malone is providing the missing link.
"I feel like I've made a lot of progression on the deep ball throughout my years," Malone said, "just being able to be strong with my catch and run the route the right way and perfect the technique of running a deep route. There's a lot that goes into that - a lot of adjusting, a lot of fighting off the defenders."
Though Tennessee would have liked to use its perimeter playmakers more in the first two games, protection issues with a leaky offensive line prevented more downfield shots.
The Vols are strong enough defensively and on the ground on offense with Dobbs and running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara to win some games when they accumulate only 91 passing yards, as was the case against Virginia Tech, but with the meat of the SEC schedule around the corner the passing game will need to be ready to come through on a run-first offense.
"I wouldn't say it's tough," Malone said. "You've got to stay within the flow of the game and stay locked in and just be patient within the game. Eventually we're going to have to throw the ball, so we've just got to be ready for that moment when the ball comes your way."
Aside from stretches last Saturday night Tennessee's offense has yet to hit its stride, but the Vols hope the big pass plays continue.
"It's great to win. That's the goal at the end of the day," Dobbs said, "and we understand that no one in the history of football has ever played a perfect game at any position. We understand that, but we want to push ourselves to be better than we were yesterday when we step on the field today.
"But it's always great when you win, to be 2-0 and continue to grow and get better. To know that you're 2-0 and you still haven't played your best football yet is pretty exciting. We've got to continue to improve and continue to keep grinding moving forward."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.