KNOXVILLE – In the immediate aftermath of Tennessee’s easy win against Tennessee Tech on Saturday, only one item on the short list of negatives stood out to Butch Jones.
The Volunteers coach said his only disappointment in the 55-0 rout was having to kick a short field goal at the end of the first half when Tennessee led by 35 points.
SEC Network cameras showed an animated Jones voicing his displeasure either at having to kick it, his coaches with whom he was communicating, the officials, the fans booing the field goal or some combination of the above.
“I didn’t want to kick a field goal at the end of the half, and I kind of challenged our coaches,” he explained. “There’s four seconds to go on the clock. Could we get another play off? We had a timeout left. Could we use it down there? I really didn’t want to kick a field goal.
“As we continue to get down the stretch in the last three games, in situations like that where you have the ball and you have two timeouts in your back pocket, for us to beat the teams that are going to be coming on our schedule, we’ve got to come away with seven points there.”
Handling an overmatched Football Championship Subdivision opponent didn’t reveal anything shocking about Tennessee, but the Vols learned some things.
Running back John Kelly continues to be a refreshing addition for Tennessee’s offense, and in his seven-carry, 104-yard performance with a 73-yard touchdown run he again showed he’s a quality player and a well-liked teammate. Kelly is averaging 7.8 yards on 40 carries this season and hasn’t had a lost-yardage run.
“My brothers know that I’m playing for them every single time I touch the ball,” he said. “I was waiting for everybody to get down there. I actually picked up Jashon (Robertson, a 305-pound guard) at the end of the run to let him know that he scored that touchdown with me.”
Tennessee expects running back Alvin Kamara (knee injury) to return to practice this week, and he could complement Kelly, but the Vols badly need Cameron Sutton (ankle injury) to return to help a struggling set of cornerbacks. The senior is out of his boot and has resumed on-field activity, but his return doesn’t seem as imminent as Kamara’s.
Tennessee Tech completed a first-possession pass over Emmanuel Moseley to continue the Vols’ woes defending downfield passes, and teams will continue to take those type of shots. The Vols still must face SEC foes Kentucky (on Saturday), Missouri (Nov. 19) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 26).
Kentucky’s Jeff Badet leads the Southeastern Conference by averaging 24.1 yards per catch, and Missouri quarterback Drew Lock is second in the league in passing.
“We have to shore some things up in the back end of our defense,” Jones said.
While the blowout allowed many starters to rest, lack of depth was apparent at some positions, particularly defensive tackle.
Walk-on Paul Bain was Tennessee’s fourth tackle behind Kendal Vickers, Kyle Phillips and Quay Picou. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound sophomore from the Atlanta area redshirted at Division II Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., in 2014 and joined the Vols last season. He made two tackles (one an assist for loss) and recorded a quarterback hurry Saturday.
Tennessee still must face physical rushing attacks against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
“We’re very, very banged up and very limited in a number of positions,” Jones said. “That’s why I’ve been so proud of this football team all year long, (about) the resolve and the resiliency with everyone in this football family.”
With one long return and another for a touchdown, freshman receiver Marquez Callaway showed he could be Tennessee’s punt returner. Veteran wideout Josh Smith was providing next to nothing in that department, and the Vols have been lacking there in the absence of Sutton and Kamara.
“Marquez is one of those guys, he lines up in the slot against me for one-on-one reps,” cornerback Rashaan Gaulden said. “He’s fully capable. He makes some nice catches (and has) striking speed and really good acceleration. I’m not really surprised by that, to be honest.
“The first one he had, he almost took it to the house as well. The second one he was really determined to get in the end zone. You could see that.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.