Butch Jones requires his quarterback to be an “alpha male” and a leader of the team when adversity arises.
“That’s part of the job description of being quarterback,” the first-year UT coach said Aug. 26 at the season’s first weekly press conference inside Neyland Stadium.
At least for the beginning of the 2013 season, UT’s alpha male will be Justin Worley.
The junior from Rock Hill, S.C., learned in a meeting with Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian on Sunday night that – for the time being – he beat out fellow quarterbacks Nathan Peterman, Riley Ferguson and Joshua Dobbs for the right to start against Austin Peay.
“I guess just knowing officially that I am the starter, there is a sense of relief,” Worley said Monday. “It’s an honor and privilege to play quarterback here.”
Peterman, a redshirt freshman, is listed second on the depth chart, and Jones said his staff has yet to decide who would be UT’s third quarterback if the Vols needed one.
All four quarterbacks practiced with the starters at times during fall camp, but Worley – the only one with game experience – took most of the first-team reps.
Jones did not rule out the possibility of playing Peterman on Saturday, but he and Bajakian encouraged Worley to take the reigns with confidence heading into his first season as a full-time starter.
“Take control of this team,” Jones told Worley when they met on Sunday. “It’s your team and take the opportunity and run with it.”
Competition at all positions will remain open, but Jones is hopeful that it motivates Worley more than it stresses him.
“That’s on him,” Jones said. “Any great competitor, you don’t ever look back behind you. You keep looking forward and continue to progress and get better, and Justin is extremely competitive.
“We don’t ever want to create a scenario where they’re always looking behind them. But that’s the world we live in. That’s football.”
When Tyler Bray injured his thumb in 2011, Worley started three games, throwing for 604 yards over a trio of contests that included a win against Middle Tennessee and losses to Arkansas and South Carolina.
The first action of his career came against No. 2 Alabama when he unexpectedly had his redshirt removed and was inserted into the game late in the fourth quarter with his team backed up in its own territory.
“I was a little shocked that they were going to put me in, especially in that situation,” Worley recalled. “When I walked out there, I thought ‘I haven’t played football against anyone other than my own team in a year.’ It was a good feeling to be out there.”
Since that baptism by fire, nearly two years have passed and Worley sees two areas where he’s improved as a quarterback.
“My leadership is the main thing,” Worley said, “and also understanding of game situations and the offense as a whole”
As the favorite to win the starting job during fall practice, he acknowledged playing with a cautious mentality – being careful not to force any difficult throws or jeopardize his standing with the coaches. That is a mindset that Jones and Bajakian hope Worley strays from as the season progresses.
“They told me ‘don’t worry about making that mistake,” Worley said. “‘Go out, play your hardest and perform as well as you can.'”
