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Starting a true freshman quarterback for the first time on the road against the No. 9 team in the country isn’t a recipe for success, and Saturday night was no different as Missouri blasted the Vols 31-3.
In his first career start at Tennessee, Josh Dobbs finished 26-42 for 240 yards, but turned the ball over three times. The freshman also had a team-high 45 yards rushing, including a 33-yard scamper, which is the longest run by a Tennessee quarterback since Tee Martin in 1999.
With his 26 completions, Dobbs broke Tyler Bray’s record (18) for the most by a true freshman in his first career start. His 42 attempts were also a record for a freshman debut, topping Erik Ainge’s mark of 35 against Auburn in 2004.
“I thought Joshua did some great things; I think he’s going to do nothing but get better and better,” Butch Jones said. “I was extremely encouraged by what I saw. He was very even keel, very consistent. I thought he made some great throws, particularly against one of the top defenses in our league.”
The Vols amassed 334 yards of total offense, but were just 2-13 on third down conversions and 0-2 on fourth down.
Missouri racked up 502 yards of total offense—332 coming in the first half, including 339 yards rushing. Tiger quarterback Maty Mauk ran for a career-high 114 yards.
Pig Howard led all Tennessee receivers with a career-best 11 receptions for 89 yards. Jonathon Johnson made his first career start at wide receiver, finishing with three catches for 33 yards.
A.J. Johnson led Tennessee’s defense, which had no answer for Missouri’s offense most of the night, with 11 tackles.
The Vols return home next Saturday for a noon kickoff (ESPN) against the 8th-ranked Auburn Tigers at Neyland Stadium.
TENNESSEE vs MISSOURI GAME HIGHLIGHTS
BUTCH JONES POSTGAME
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