Jason Croom wasn’t shy when it came to discussing his performance against Oklahoma on Sept. 13.
“That was the worst I ever played in my life,” Croom said.
The poor performance for the wide receiver in Norman, Okla., couldn’t have come at a worse time either for Tennessee.
With fellow wideouts Von Pearson and Josh Smith both suffering from high ankle sprains, the Volunteers were looking for their reserve receivers to step up.
Croom didn’t.
Instead, he failed to record a catch, while dropping a couple of crucial passes from senior quarterback Justin Worley.
The redshirt sophomore, however, bounced back strong against Georgia, recording a career-high four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown – all of which eclipsed his season totals of three receptions and 52 yards through the first three games.
The difference: Resiliency mixed in with the removal of the hard cast he had sported on his left hand for the Vols’ first three contests of the season.
“When you’ve had to play in a cast and you’re a wideout, you have to overcome some things, but Jason’s play is very encouraging,” second-year head coach Butch Jones said. “A lot of confidence was built there.
“He’s made those plays in practice. He made those plays in training camp. We’ve really challenged him to play like a big wideout, own the ball in the air and play big. He was able to do that Saturday.”
The cast became a necessity after Croom injured his hand during the Vols’ final practice this summer. But instead of letting the injury hold him out, the Norcross, Ga., native chose the other route and never made a single excuse about the cast that restricted him from moving his wrist.
“I found out I had to go into the season with it on,” Croom said. “I knew it was going to be difficult, but I was still able to catch the ball. I tried not to complain about it too much, I just tried to go out there and do what I can.”
While the cast proved to affect the 6-foot-5, 243 pounder throughout UT’s first three games, Croom still had to bounce back mentally from that rough outing.
“We preach resiliency out here all the time,” Croom said. “It was a snap-and-clear thing. I emphasized that I wasn’t going to do it like that again.
“It just so happened I played my best the next week.”
And his best made a difference. Croom’s touchdown catch with 18 seconds left in the first half was a critical part of the Vols’ nail-biter against the Bulldogs, as it provided a spark for Tennessee’s offense in the second half.
“You always talk about being confident while you’re playing,” Worley said. “For him (Croom) to go out there and have the game that he had is huge. To have that touchdown to end the first half and have some big catches to convert some third downs was huge for him.”
While that newfound confidence has shined throughout practice this week, Croom knows he has to continue to improve on using his large, 6-foot-5, 243-pound frame as a weapon for the Vols as they prepare for the Florida Gators and the rest of the season.
“It definitely could help,” said Croom of what his size could mean to UT’s offense. “Just going up to make plays for the quarterback and taking the ball out the air (would help).”
