Orange and White “event” successful for Vols
- Wyeth Wilson
- Apr 25, 2015
- 3 min read
In the weeks leading up to the annual Orange and White Game, Butch Jones had referred to the scrimmage as more of an “event” than an actual game, due to lack of depth.
In the end, the Orange (defense) defeated the White (offense) 54-44 with an altered scoring system in front of an announced crowd of 63,016 to conclude spring practice.
“There were a lot of things to teach on, a lot of things as we move forward into (summer workouts),” Jones said. “But, again, for the most part, I thought it was a very, very productive spring, especially when you add the 13 injured individuals who had to sit out the spring.”
Added starting quarterback Josh Dobbs: “I’m very excited moving forward. We took a lot of steps this spring. We’re playing with a lot more tempo on offense and defense.”
The day consisted of two running clock 15-minute quarters for the first half and two running clock 12-minute quarters in the second half.
The Circle of Life drill (one on one matchups pitting offensive and defensive players against each other) and defensive back versus wide receiver drills were also featured.
As spring games typically go, the starters did not play for a majority of the game, healthy or not.
Dobbs finished the scrimmage with five of eight passing for 94 yards and one touchdown, while also winning a quarterback competition drill just before halftime.
In the battle for the second string quarterback spot, Quinten Dormady seemed to take another major step towards winning the job, as he outdueled fellow freshman Jauan Jennings, finishing with 96 yards passing and a 65 yard touchdown throw to Josh Malone.
“Overall just getting in the playbook and knowing that is the biggest thing (I’ve improved on), but I think I’ve taken strides in my footwork, throwing on the run, that kind of thing,” Dormady said. “I’m happy with where I’m at right now.”
Jennings was only one of five passing (five yards), but was the leading rusher for the day with 58 yards and a touchdown. Jennings was the only quarterback that was “live”, or able to be tackled during the scrimmage.
“Where my sleepless nights are is, ‘Who’s going to be number 2, and who’s going to be number 3?’,” Jones said. “In the world of college football you need more than one quarterback on your roster.
“You need a number of them, because you’re one play away. And that’s kind of where one of my thought processes is as we move forward. Who’s going to develop into those positions?”
Other contributors offensively included Jalen Hurd with 40 yards rushing on just three carries and Malone with 80 yards receiving and a touchdown.
“As an offense, we had a very productive 15 practices.” Dobbs said. “Everyone’s fired up to get better and get ready for fall camp.”
The lone touchdown for the orange-clad defense came when cornerback Cameron Sutton intercepted a double-reverse pitch with 4:02 in the second quarter and returned it 20 yards for a score.
Other than the one mistake on that trick play, the offense was turnover free, an encouraging sign for the Vols.
“As a coach, you go into a spring game, and the thing you want to see is you want to see a clean game,” Jones said. “You want to see a clean scrimmage without a lot of penalties.
“I thought from a discipline standpoint, that was great to see. We didn’t really turn the ball over on offense, which was great to see.”
Other Notes:
As a part of the end of spring, the annual spring practice awards were handed out on Saturday. Here are the winners:
- Al Wilson Leadership Award (defense) – Cameron Sutton
- Peyton Manning Leadership Award (offense) – Josh Dobbs
- Harvey Robinson Offensive Player Award – Jashon Robertson
- Andy Spiva Defensive Player Award – Rashaan Gaulden
- John Stucky Award (Skill) – Malik Foreman
- John Stucky Award (Power) – Kendal Vickers
- John Stucky Award (Power) – Jashon Robertson
- 63 Award – Johnathon Johnson
Saturday’s crowd of 63,016 brings the average for spring game attendance during Butch Jones’s three seasons on Rocky Top to 64,213.
Wide receiver Von Pearson did not participate after being indefinitely suspended on Friday
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