KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee football team arrived in Jacksonville, Florida, late Saturday to resume preparation for Thursday's game against Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Prior to Sunday's practice, coach Jeremy Pruitt noted that every player on the team made the trip. But for a half on Thursday, the Volunteers (7-5) won't have every player available, as receiver Jauan Jennings has been suspended for the first half due to "actions against an opposing player" in the 28-10 win over Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale.
Jennings has 57 catches, 942 yards and eight touchdowns this year, all team highs.
So for the first half, who steps up?
"The guys have been getting a lot more reps because Jauan is out," quarterback Jarrett Guarantano told reporters Sunday evening after practice. "We're going to rely on those guys in the first half, and when Jauan comes back, we're going to expect a lot of good things from him."
The Times Free Press looks at who steps up in production with the first-half loss of Jennings:
AP photo by Wade Payne / Tennessee wide receiver Tyler Byrd races for a touchdown as he is hit by Mississippi State cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. late in the Vols' 20-10 SEC win Saturday in Knoxville.Tyler Byrd: It's possible, if not likely, that Byrd takes the place in the rotation for Jennings. After all, he is technically the backup. Byrd caught only four passes, but three of those came in the Vols' 20-10 win over Mississippi State on Oct. 5. On the last of those three, he pulled in a short throw, spun toward the sideline and sprinted untouched for a 39-yard score that put the Bulldogs away in the Vols' best win of the season, which served as a springboard for the 6-1 finish to the schedule. Pruitt mentioned Byrd along with redshirt freshman Cedric Tillman and freshman Ramel Keyton when asked who steps in for Jennings, but this will be a great opportunity for Byrd in his final college game.
Marquez Callaway/Josh Palmer: This is easy. Tennessee's second- and third-leading receivers have been really good with the ball in their hands this season, combining for 57 catches and seven touchdowns. Callaway is still the team's best deep threat and has four 100-yard receiving games, same as Jennings. Palmer may be the Vols' most talented receiver and hauled in some seemingly impossible catches. Guarantano could lean on those two in the first half, although it helps that the Vols have a nice security blanket to replace Jennings in the short term.
Tennessee tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson catches a touchdown pass in front of Vanderbilt safety Tae Daley in the first half of a football game in Knoxville. / AP photo by Wade PayneDominick Wood-Anderson: The tight end started off slowly this season but came on strong in the final four games, catching 10 passes for 109 yards and his lone touchdown of the year. Wood-Anderson can be used as a downfield target and could have some opportunities for mismatches all game long, even once Jennings comes back. But he could see some additional passes scripted for him prior to that.
Offensive line update
The potential loss of Kennedy hurts, especially when coupled with the fact that Ryan Johnson has gone to Georgia Tech as a graduate transfer. Johnson had some experience at center, leaving Jerome Carvin as the likely replacement. The Vols also lost Marcus Tatum, who started three games, after he decided to graduate and transfer to Central Florida.
Tennessee since has moved Kingston Harris from the defensive line to the offensive line to add some depth. Harris has played in only four games on the defensive line during his Vols career.
"It was good for us to give him an opportunity and look there," Pruitt said Sunday of the move. "We did it a fall ago. He's actually looked really good there. It's something we might continue to look at. It's something we've talked about; when this game is over with, we'll go back and reassess with him and see what he thinks."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.