UT’s Jaron Toney carries the ball.KNOXVILLE — Whether it was the more relaxed atmosphere because of a smaller crowd or the step down in competition provided by the opponent, Justin Worley’s nerves were gone.
Now Tennessee’s four-game losing streak is gone, too.
In his second start at quarterback, the freshman Worley completed 23 of his 32 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown, and the Volunteers’ defense pitched their first shutout since last season’s opener in a 24-0 nonconference win against Middle Tennessee State at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Worley was errant on some throws early and threw two costly second-half interceptions in his debut last week, a 14-3 home loss to South Carolina that kept the Vols (4-5) winless in the Southeastern Conference.
“Last week I came in and was trying to rush some things, rush some throws, rush some reads,” Worley said. “This week I tried to come in and stay calm through my reads and in the pocket. We came out and executed pretty well. Last week I came out with a bad feeling because I didn’t meet my expectations, we didn’t meet the team’s goals or anything.”