KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's win against Ohio on Saturday afternoon came at a cost.
The Volunteers lost cornerback Cameron Sutton and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to injuries in the first half of an eventual 28-19 win against the Bobcats at Neyland Stadium.
Head coach Butch Jones said after the game Sutton will miss an "extended period of time," a crippling blow for a defense likely to be without linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. for multiple games as well.
"I feel for him, I feel for his family," Jones said. "This is an individual who is the role model for everyone of what a student-athlete is and what it takes to prepare week in and week out. You give me 11 Cam Suttons and we'll win a lot of football games. It's very, very unfortunate.
"Football's a humbling game, but as a football family we'll be there for him."
Jones was hopeful Reeves-Maybin would return for next week's game against Florida after hurting his shoulder in the second quarter.
"I'll know a little bit more on his status probably tomorrow," Jones said.
Without Reeves-Maybin and Kirkland Tennessee relied on the duo of Colton Jumper and Cortez McDowell at linebacker, while the loss of Sutton further magnified what already was a shorthanded secondary.
Justin Martin was held out with an ankle injury, though after watching warmups in street clothes he ran inside and put his uniform and pads on in case he was needed in an emergency situation.
Malik Foreman was suspended for violating team rules.
The Vols relied on Emmanuel Moseley and freshman Baylen Buchanan at cornerback for nearly the entire game as Ohio totaled 230 yards, hit three passing plays of 29-plus yards and benefited from multiple pass interference penalties.
"When those two went down, we all got together as a defense and we had to determine that we were going to win this game for them two," McDowell said.
"We had a couple young guys step in today and make some big plays for us. That goes through the week of training, so we're proud of those guys who came in and stepped up today."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.