Having sixth-year seniors Dominic Bailey and Bryson Eason was always going to be beneficial for Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner because of their experience and leadership qualities.
Through the first third of this football season for the No. 15 Volunteers, the durability of that veteran tandem has been its biggest asset.
“I’ve been pleased and proud of the way Eason and Bailey have stepped up and the things that they’ve done in the absence of some guys,” Garner said this week in a news conference. “It’s a little bit different from what we’ve been able to do in the past when we had more numbers.”
Tennessee, which is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Southeastern Conference play, continued preparations Thursday for Saturday’s first league road test at Mississippi State, which is 4-0 but has yet to play a conference game. Saturday’s showdown has a scheduled 4:15 p.m. Eastern kickoff on the SEC Network.
The Vols entered preseason camp with a respectable number of quality bodies on the defensive front, but Daevin Hobbs suffered a foot injury during August workouts and Jaxson Moi sustained an elbow injury three plays into the 45-26 opening win over Syracuse in Atlanta. Tyree Weathersby and Tyre West have each missed one game due to injury, which has all contributed to increased snaps for Bailey and Eason.
“I’m just trying to go out there and be productive for the squad,” Eason said this week. “I try to sacrifice a lot of things — taking on double teams and things like that — but it’s been fun, especially going through this with someone like Dom. We’re just pushing each other and helping each other through this process.”
A deep rotation on the defensive front can often lead to multiple players having snap counts in the 30s or 40s per game. Bailey had 66 snaps and Eason 61 in the opener, and in the 44-41 overtime loss to Georgia on Sept. 13, Eason was in for 66 snaps and Bailey 65.
So even “fun” has its limits.
“I do prefer having the rotation of guys and everybody staying fresh,” Eason said. “You want to go out and produce and have a lot of juice. I like a rotation a little more.”
Despite the injuries up front defensively, the Vols will head to Starkville having allowed just 93.25 rushing yards per game and 2.55 yards per carry. They also have been busy in opposing backfields, racking up 15 sacks for an average of 3.75 a contest.
“I think we’ve played well,” said Bailey, who was moved from defensive end to defensive tackle once Moi went down. “I think we’ve played fast and physical. Everybody is doing their assignments, so I think it’s going well.”
An argument can be made that Tennessee’s success against the run and its ability to rack up sacks is at least partially due to playing East Tennessee State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham within the first four games. Yet the fact the Vols led those two blowouts by a combined 90-14 at halftime has lessened the burden on Bailey and Eason.
After being so busy against Georgia, Bailey and Eason each had 20 snaps against UAB, with freshmen Isaiah Campbell (29) and Mariyon Dye (29) and redshirt freshman Carson Gentle (23) getting more of the workload and needed experience. West missed last week’s game but was not listed on Wednesday night’s SEC student-athlete availability report, while Moi was listed as probable.
“Moving Dom inside when Jaxson went down was a decision we made that we felt was the best for this team,” Garner said. “That was our best lineup on the field. It gave Weathersby and West more reps, and it also gave us an opportunity to get Dye more reps. I think (Nathan) Robinson is coming along, and I’ve been pleased overall with how we’ve played thus far.
“Campbell took that next step this past week, and we just need for guys to continue to improve so we can take some wear and tear.”
It’s all orange
Tennessee announced Thursday that the Vols will wear orange jerseys and orange pants for a second consecutive weekend.
This will mark the first time Tennessee has ever worn all orange away from Neyland Stadium, with the opportunity coming about due to Mississippi State’s “White Out” commemoration of its Independence Bowl win over Texas A&M after the 2000 season. The Bulldogs wore white helmets, white jerseys and white pants in the snow during their 43-41 overtime victory over the Aggies and will replicate that look against the Vols.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.