Ready to run? Vols need dual-threat Dobbs in final two games

Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, right, gives the ball to Alvin Kamara in second half action Saturday in Knoxville.
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, right, gives the ball to Alvin Kamara in second half action Saturday in Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's running quarterback hasn't done much running recently.

That will have to change for the Volunteers to finish this season with a couple more wins.

After intentionally limiting designed runs for Josh Dobbs in the second half of the 27-24 win against South Carolina, Tennessee and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord did so again in the North Texas game last week, when Dobbs had just four runs for 3 yards in the 24-0 win.

The hope is the limited hits he's taken in the past two games will help him be closer to 100 percent for Saturday night's game at Missouri against the nation's No. 5 scoring defense.

"In that last game, as in every game, we always have those runs ready, and in the North Texas game, we had them ready if we were going to need them," DeBord said after Tuesday's practice. "We just felt like our running backs were able to run the ball and do a good job that way, and they did have 200 yards. We didn't have to do that."

Tennessee is much more potent on offense when the element of Dobbs running the ball is mixed in, and the Vols have been much less effective when they've not run him or opponents have been able to take his running away.

The four best games against FBS competition the Vols have had this season in total offense coincided with Dobbs' highest rushing totals. His 118-yard performance against Georgia helped Tennessee roll up 519 yards. He had 89 yards against Bowling Green and 51 at Kentucky, when the Vols had 604 and 482 yards.

Dating back to last season, Dobbs averaged 84.3 yards per game wth 11 rushing touchdowns in eight wins, not counting the Western Carolina and North Texas games when he totaled 9 yards on four carries in easy wins.

In five losses, he averaged just 37.4 rushing yards. That total includes his 136-game at Florida in September. In the other four defeats - Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama this season and Missouri last season - he combined for 51 yards.

Missouri held Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (14 carries for 47 yards) largely in check, though South Carolina freshman Lorenzo Nunez ran for 60 yards on the Tigers in October.

"Anybody that's watched us play sees the diversity that gives us," DeBord said. "It's hard for a defenese when they might be keying on the running back, then all of a sudden he pulls the ball and keeps it. You talk to our defensive guys, and those kinds of plays with the quarterback runs are tough, so it's hard on defenses."

There's some concern with how Tennessee's offense has played since its first two drives against South Carolina, particularly with how stingy Missouri is defensively.

The Vols had just 231 yards in the final three quarters against the Gamecocks, who are 12th in the SEC in total defense.

Against a worse defense, Tennessee scored just three points on three first-half drives that began in North Texas territory and punted on its opening possession of the second half. It was one of the midgame lulls that have plagued this offense all season.

"We just didn't finish the drives," Dobbs said. "There's always things we can improve on, so we'll go back and improve on those things. They also did a great job of limiting our drives. We had like nine drives (with the starters) throughout the game and just three in the second half.

"For the most part, we made the most of our opportunities. Obviously there's a couple points where we wish we would have done some things better, but we were able to come out with a victory. We're not complaining."

Dobbs had arguably his worst passing game of the season last Saturday, when he missed multiple open receivers and threw a bad interception at the end of the first half.

"He had a couple of throws he wish he had back, and you know what, I had a couple calls I wish I had back," DeBord said. "It's a human game. There's mistakes. There's a couple times, yes, he wishes he had a couple throws (back) there, and as I just said, I wish I had a couple calls back. That's the way it works. You learn from it, you move on."

A lessened workload the past two weeks should have helped Dobbs recuperate a little bit from the physical toll the the hits he's taken this season have had on him.

"I think like any ball carrier or any player that's got the ball in their hands - he's not a ball carrier, but when he's running the ball he is - I think that's helped him," DeBord said.

"He's healthy, and he's ready to go in these next two ballgames."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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