#VolReport: The Next Guy In Line

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With the injury to Von Pearson, additional opportunities will be available to Zach Azzanni’s deep crop of talented wide receivers. Pearson won’t travel with the Vols to Oklahoma after suffering a high ankle sprain in the win over Arkansas State.

Before his injury in the second quarter of last Saturday’s game, Pearson was playing at a consistent level. He earned a starting spot at a competitive wide receiver position. Pearson has caught seven passes for 98 yards and one touchdown. So, how do you replace him? Who is the next guy in line?

“We have some depth at [wide receiver],” Azzanni said. “Josh Smith has stepped right in and done a great job. Those guys split reps anyways. It is really now just having Johnathon Johnson back and healthy, which really helps because he can go in there and split with Josh. It has worked out well for us.”

Smith was named his replacement on the official depth chart that released Tuasday. Smith has also been consistent in his play with five receptions for 77 yards.

Pearson’s injury provides an opportunity for other young receivers to step in and gain some in-game reps and experience.

“It is a setback, offensively, for us, but the way I look at it is it’s another individual’s opportunity to step up,” Butch Jones said. “It’s more reps for Josh Malone. It’s more reps for Josh Smith. It’s more reps for Jason Croom, Alton Howard. All these individuals, their reps are going to increase because of it and maybe even Vic Wharton if we get him back healthy. So again it’s an opportunity when you have competition across the board when one individual goes down. It also serves as an opportunity for the next person to come in.”

FUNDAMENTALS CRUCIAL FOR O-LINE

Offensive line coach Don Mahoney has not let the size of Oklahoma’s defense deter him entering Week 3. In preparing his offensive linemen for their upcoming battle in Norman, Mahoney has gone back to the basic fundamentals on the line and emphasized that above all else, there are key principles which cannot break down.

“It’s a pride factor of what we do and it’s a must for us,” Mahoney said. “Everything is so important for us from our footwork, to our stance, to weight transfer, to path sets and combination blocks and to all of those things. It continues to be harped upon with fundamentals.”

Youth and inexperience have also been put on the back burner this week, as freshmen linemen Coleman Thomas, Jashon Robertson and junior college transfer Dontavius Blair have continued to show steady progress this season. For Mahoney, their early opportunities to play have provided valuable reps for each individual.

“Coleman is making strides,” Mahoney said. “Coleman has proven himself over the course of the practices and has proven to us the confidence level that I have been seeing from him. Again, I feel like Jashon is ahead of the curve from a freshman standpoint. The big thing is that it’s natural for any freshman going into a place like [Oklahoma] to have to have a snap-and-clear mentality. You’ve got to be able to snap and clear and go on to that next play.”

Along with fundamentals comes another key to a cohesive offensive unit, which is communication up front. While the team has pumped in blaring noises of everything from Oklahoma’s fight song to screaming babies and whistles at practice, Mahoney still stresses the importance for each lineman to communicate through the distractions in order to make every play work.

“I don’t want to feel like it’s a concern because we’re working hard to make sure they’re prepared for that,” added Mahoney. “The thing that you want to have happen is the chemistry of the group, which we try to keep the most continuity and be right-on with our calls. I have confidence in them and we’ll have to get in the elements, play it and see where we’re at but I sure like the approach that these guys have taken.”

SEEKING KICKING CONSISTENCY

Consistency. That’s exactly what special teams coach Mark Elder is looking for from his group. With competition in every practice, Elder is continuously looking for the best performers to be on the field.

“Competition is always ongoing here at Tennessee,” Elder said. “That’s with placekicking, that’s with kick returns, that’s with punt returns, kickoffs, punts, so with everything that we’re doing, it’s always going to be a competition.

“The guy performing the best is going to be the one that’s out there.”

Showing improvement in his consistency is punter Matt Darr.

“He’s doing a good job,” Elder said about his fifth-year senior. “All through fall camp and currently, he’s been performing at a much more consistent rate. When someone goes out there and performs consistently in practice, you’re expecting to see it happen on game day. He’s certainly improved in that regard.”

Placekickers Aaron Medley and George Bullock have both shown progress, but again Elder emphasizes the need for special teams to improve its dependability on the field during games.

“You’d love to see him be 100 percent (in kicks) at this point, but he’s progressing,” Elder said of Medley who has made three-of-five field goal attempts.

Bullock made his debut in the Arkansas State game and kicked off seven times for the Vols with two touchbacks and a 61.3 average on the boots.

“He had one outstanding kick,” Elder said. “He had two other where we would like to be a little bit better, but he did a decent job. We just have to be consistent.”

With a young group of kickers, the group will be put to the test in their first road showdown of the season at Oklahoma. ​

SOUND BITES

Here are sound bites from the assistant coaches after Wednesday’s practice

WIDE RECEIVERS COACH ZACH AZZANNI

»(On upperclassmen who have stood out in leadership)

“We have the player staff. We haveCurt Maggitt and A.J. Johnson. For the wide receivers, it is Marquez North and Josh Smith. They are young, but they are old. They have been on a road trip. They have been helping the young guys.”

»(On communication during an away game)

“The good thing about it is that even in Neyland Stadium, when the crowd is trying to be quiet, it is still loud. We work on that kind of stuff everyday. It’s always a concern, but we work on it. Hopefully, it will pay off.”

OFFENSIVE LINE COACH DON MAHONEY

»(On Coleman Thomas)

“His attitude has been fantastic. I think there was a lot of pressure being put on him by himself with all of the first team reps in spring. We had a long talk. I have gotten to know him through the recruiting process, and it is important to know your players. I think he was a little bit relieved because he realized that he wasn’t quite there yet. I saw a lot different player in his approach. He wasn’t pressuring himself everyday. He was understanding where his limitations and faults were, and he was working to correct them. That is why I am excited about his future. He wasn’t hanging his head; he was attacking and working to get better.”

»(On playing Thomas this weekend)

“It’s not a concern. As of late, the competition between Brett Kendrick, Coleman Thomas and Dontavius Blair has been exciting. Coleman is making strides. He is proving to us over the course of the practice my confidence in him. It is natural to have a freshman that is going into a place like Oklahoma to have a snap-and-clear mentality. Whether a play goes good or bad, you have to snap your mind clear and not let it be a snowball effect.”

LINEBACKERS COACH TOMMY THIPGEN

»(On AJ Johnson bring his “A” game)

“I thought that his first game was solid. I think the second game was a perimeter game so he didn’t get challenged as much as needed. This game with the run game inside and outside that you will have. I think the first two games were okay. The first game was better and the second game could have been a whole lot better. He knows it. This game I am looking forward for him to step up his game from what he did in the first game.”

»(On the speed of Oklahoma’s offense)

“”The talent level is just a lot bigger. They probably mimic an Alabama team. They can run it downhill at you. A lot of spread teams you can hide it with the offensive line. These guys have two or three first round draft choices on their front line. They have big time running backs and wide receivers. Their quarterback is probably going to be as good as any quarterback we are going to face. They will present some challenges for us offensively on that line and also in field positions.”

DEFENSIVE LINE COACH STEVE STRIPLING

»(On Oklahoma’s offensive line)

“I think it’s a test for us, it really is. Our philosophy is to be athletic and mobile and make plays. Obviously, it won’t be any different that what we see in the SEC, so this will be our first challenge like that.”

»(On Trevor Knight)

“I think everybody knows he’s a really good quarterback, but what I think people don’t understand is that he’s deadly when he moves around and throws on the run. That’s when he really scares you, when he gets on the perimeter running, he’s a very accurate passer when he’s on the move.”