IF YOU GO
› WHAT: Orange and White Game, Tennessee’s annual spring scrimmage› WHEN: 4 p.m. today› WHERE: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville› INFO: Parking and admission are free. The Tennessee offense and defense will face off in live situations with a modified scoring system. The weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with a chance of rain and temperatures in the 70s.
KNOXVILLE - More than four months remain until the Tennessee football team takes the national stage with a season-opening Monday night game against Georgia Tech at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Today offers a chance for the Volunteers to set the tone for the 135 days remaining on the countdown.
Tennessee wraps up its spring practice session at Neyland Stadium with the 4 p.m. Orange and White Game in front of a SEC Network television audience and an expected crowd of tens of thousands of fans. They may have to brave rainy weather to get a glimpse of coach Butch Jones' fifth squad in Knoxville.
"It's a great evaluation tool for us to really see how our players perform," Jones said. "A lot of individuals, they haven't performed much. So it'll be a great opportunity for them, and obviously a great opportunity for our fans. We're looking forward to that."
A cautious Tennessee staff has elected to hold several nicked-up players out of spring practice, but the competition to replace departed quarterback Joshua Dobbs, and other key position battles, will take center stage during the event.
Jones will turn his healthy players loose for some 11-on-11 live football, although the quarterbacks are expected to be off limits to tackling. He will also guide the team through fan-friendly drills designed to showcase individual talent.
Key players such as John Kelly, the Vols' likely starting running back against Georgia Tech, and defensive end Jonathan Kongbo who have missed spring practices figure to see little, if any, action.
Others like defensive end Darrell Taylor, who has generated plenty of buzz, will get a chance to produce even more hype.
"I'm very excited about (the Orange and White Game), because this is my first time really playing," said Taylor, a redshirt sophomore who is expected to help replace the production of departed defensive ends Derek Barnett and Corey Vereen. "I'm really excited about that."
Thursday's final practice before the spring game had a laid-back feel. Jones brought in food trucks for the players after practice. Several players and some assistant coaches put off eating to test their arms by throwing at the targets that will be incorporated into today's quarterback challenge.
The laughter created by their quarterbacking attempts wafted across the practice field as other assistants spoke to reporters and reflected on the conclusion of spring practice.
The team has scrimmaged in Neyland Stadium on Saturdays throughout the spring workouts, but the Orange and White Game will provide a different setting. The playbook will be dialed down, but the atmosphere will be ratcheted up.
"We won't show a lot of things," first-year quarterbacks coach Mike Canales said. "We don't want to show our hand on what we're doing in the fall. But we're going to be smart with what we do and give our kids a chance to be successful at the same time.
"I'm excited to see them go out there and perform in front of a large crowd. I'm looking forward to that."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.