Not much has gone to script this football season for Kelsey Pope, but he isn't complaining.
Tennessee's first-year receivers coach was facing multiple unknowns during preseason camp. Would Bru McCoy be eligible to play after transferring from Southern California? Would Jalin Hyatt rebound from a disappointing sophomore year? Would senior Ramel Keyton finally make a splash after a quiet three seasons?
All were legitimate concerns for the youngest assistant on Josh Heupel's staff, but at least Pope had the comfort of returning 1,000-yard receiver Cedric Tillman.
That is until Tillman sustained a high-ankle sprain midway through the second quarter of the third game against Akron.
"My first thought was, 'This is where we earn it,'" Pope said Tuesday during a news conference. "Ced is a great player, but when he went down, this was when we had to earn it. Somebody had to step up, and we had to turn it up a notch."
Tillman amassed 15 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown through Tennessee's opening triumphs over Ball State and Pittsburgh, but Hyatt, Keyton and McCoy have come to the rescue and then some as the Volunteers have conquered Florida, LSU and Alabama in attaining a 7-0 start and a No. 3 ranking.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, McCoy is the most similar in size to Tillman and immediately played the part of Tennessee's most physical receiver. He collected 102 yards against Florida and 140 at LSU, and his 27-yard reception to Alabama's 23-yard line with two seconds remaining set up Chase McGrath's winning 40-yard field goal.
Hyatt, of course, has erupted more than any receiver on the roster -- or in the country for that matter. In his last five games that coincided with Tillman's injury, the 6-foot, 180-pound junior from Irmo, South Carolina, has racked up 27 catches for 668 yards and 11 touchdowns.
His 12 touchdowns overall lead the nation, and should a 13th occur Saturday night against No. 19 Kentucky inside Neyland Stadium, he would tie Marcus Nash's single-season school mark set in 1997.
"I remember this spring that there was a drive where Jalin was tapping his chest because he wanted to come out," Pope said. "I'm telling him, 'No. You're going to stay in.' In that drive, he caught three or four balls while he was tired, and at that point, I was like, 'This kid kind of has it.'
"He was turning the corner."
Pope was the only staff change from last season, serving as an offensive analyst a year ago and getting promoted to the full-time staff to replace Kodi Burns, who became the receivers coach of the New Orleans Saints in February. He compared Hyatt's maturation process to that of Velus Jones before Jones' success last season that resulted in a third-round selection by the Chicago Bears.
"The younger guys see that it's not all about immediate success or an immediate result," Pope said. "You've got to go through the process, and eventually it will be worth it."
An argument can be made that Keyton has stepped up as much or more than Hyatt and McCoy. The 6-3, 195-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Marietta has 20 receptions for 357 yards with three scores in the past five games, and McCoy's 27-yard catch against Alabama wouldn't have mattered had Keyton not made an 18-yard reception to midfield on the previous play.
Keyton's first three seasons in Knoxville produced 20 catches for 252 yards and no scores.
"When Ced went down, Ramel took accountability on himself," Pope said. "He's preparing now at a whole different level. He feels like he can't let his teammates down."
Hyatt is averaging 19.2 yards per reception this season, while Keyton and McCoy are thriving with 17.9 and 16.5-yard clips, respectively. Tillman's return to the field has not come as soon as expected, and this might not be the week, either.
Pope would love to have Tillman back, but he feels a lot better about his predicament than he did during the second quarter against Akron.
"Up to this point, these guys have prepared the right way," Pope said. "I've been pleased with the way they've come on and jelled together, but we have to have that same mentality the rest of the year."
NCAA EXTENSION
The NCAA has granted Tennessee a 30-day extension to respond to its notice of allegations that were first revealed in July and contained 18 Level I violations that occurred under former coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported Tuesday that those named in the NCAA report will now have until late November to respond, and the NCAA would then have 60 days to reply, thus resulting in the potential of a late January revealing of sanctions.
WINNING UP FRONT
Tennessee is the only SEC team this season to have three offensive linemen of the week, with right guard Javontez Spraggins earning the honor after the Florida game, right tackle Darnell Wright following the Alabama thriller and left guard Jerome Carvin after last Saturday's 65-24 rout of UT Martin.
"I would say that Jerome is probably the most consistent player that we have," junior center Cooper Mays said Tuesday.
When told that position coach Glen Elarbee recently described the offensive line room as a "Saturday Night Live" skit, Mays smiled and said, "That's pretty accurate. It starts with Darnell."
UNPLEASANT MEMORY
The Vols finished 101st nationally in third-down defense last season but are a respectable 29th through seven games, allowing a 33% success rate. In last year's 45-42 escape of Kentucky in Lexington, the Wildcats converted 12-of-17 third-down opportunities.
"We've got to get off the field on third and fourth down," Vols senior safety Trevon Flowers said. "We've got to do our assignments and tackle well. Tackling is going to be huge in this game."
MORE TO COME
Two years ago, Byron Young was sitting out the season at Georgia Military College due to the COVID-related cancellation of junior-college football.
Today, he is the most prominent edge rusher on the country's third-ranked team.
"Honestly, I just want to stay humble and keep working," Young said. "This isn't the end goal. The end goal is to make it to the SEC championship and eventually win it."
ODDS AND ENDS
Tennessee will wear black helmets, black jerseys and black pants Saturday night. ... The Vols average 2.88 plays per minute to rank fifth nationally, while the Wildcats average 1.87 to rank last among the 131 FBS teams.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.