With a bowl berth on the line, Tennessee’s normally reliable receiving corps did not quite live up to its reputation in the Vols’ 29-21 loss to Missouri Saturday night.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs struggled throughout most of the game, but the signal caller didn’t get much help from his wideouts, as they let several passes slip through their fingers.
“We dropped too many passes tonight,” said head coach Butch Jones. “They’re a good football team. They’re a veteran group, they’ve played a lot of football, so we knew that it would be a tight game and we knew that we would have to earn everything.”
Several different players were guilty of drops in key situations, but one was more critical than others. Early in the fourth quarter, Dobbs targeted freshman Josh Malone on a slant route over the middle. The ball bounced off Malone’s hands, and ended up in the hands of Missouri defensive back Kenya Dennis.
Four plays later, Tiger quarterback Maty Mauk looked for wide out Jimmie Hunt deep down the field. Hunt out-jumped defender Justin Coleman, and ran 73 yards to the end zone to give Missouri a 23-13 lead.
“We had a dropped pass for an interception,” Jones said. “Then on a third and long on the next series, it goes for a touchdown. That’s what makes winning so fragile, so we’ll continue to regroup and learn from it.”
Alton “Pig” Howard was one bright spot for the Tennessee receivers, pulling down eight passes for 90 yards. Even Howard had his moments, though, dropping several passes late in the fourth quarter when Dobbs called his number.
Field position woes: After giving up a touchdown on its first possession, the Tennessee defense tightened up, and was able to give its offense the ball in great field position.
However, the offense failed to use that to their advantage.
“You have to take advantage of field position when you get the ball in scoring territory,” Jones said. “And when you get the ball at midfield at a minus 40, we need to capitalize and come up with some points. Points were going to be at a premium because they are a very talented football team.”
Out of Tennessee’s first six drives, three of them started in Missouri territory. Those drives resulted in just 20 yards of offense and only six points thanks to two field goals from freshman kicker Aaron Medley.
The Vols’ average starting field position was their own 36-yard line, and failing to capitalize on early opportunities put their offense in a hole it couldn’t climb of late in the game.
The offensive struggles, however, did pave the way for senior punter Matt Darr’s big night. Darr punted six times for an average of 46.5 yards per kick, including four that were downed inside Missouri’s 20 yard line on Senior Night.
Darr’s ability to flip the field helped even out the field position battle for Tennessee, and he was able to bail his offense out of several situations.
“It was great,” Darr said. “For my last game in Neyland, to be able to play to my full potential was very rewarding. I am grateful for every opportunity I have had to be able to punt in Neyland Stadium. Tonight was a good way to close it out.”
Field goal trickery: With the Tennessee offense struggling to find the end zone, Butch Jones reached into his bag of tricks early in the second quarter to help put points on the board.
Medley was lined up to attempt a 48-yard field goal, when holder Patrick Ashford took the snap, stood up and fired a pass to tight end Alex Ellis over the middle. Ellis hauled it in, running 31 yards for the Vols’ first touchdown of the night.
“Gut feeling,” Jones said. “It is something we have had for a couple weeks. We actually ran it against our defense in the bye week. Patrick did a tremendous job. Here is a young man that is a walk-on. He has done a great job and he gets an opportunity in a big time game and delivers a strike.”
Ashford is no stranger to throwing touchdowns, having originally signed with Carson-Newman to play quarterback before transferring to Tennessee as a holder.
This was a play the Vols have had ready for weeks now, and when the opportunity came, the junior from Morristown, Tennessee made sure he didn’t make too much of it.
“Coach Jones called it in from the sidelines,” Ashford said. “That was something we had been practicing for the past couple of weeks. Execute the play. Don’t make it a bigger deal than it is. Just find Alex and give him the ball.”
Missing Marquez: Jones announced after Saturday’s contest that sophomore wide receiver Marquez North (shoulder) will miss the remainder of the season.
