When Von Pearson went down with a high ankle sprain in Tennessee’s victory over Arkansas State, it was Josh Smith who was asked to step up in absence.
Instead, Smith followed Pearson’s footsteps to the sidelines when he too suffered a high ankle sprain just a week later.
Since then, the Volunteers’ receiving depth has been tested, but with a contest against the Florida Gators looming, it seems that at least one of the downed wideouts has a possible return on the horizon.
“Right now, Von Pearson is a little bit ahead of schedule,” second-year head coach Butch Jones said during his weekly Monday press conference. “He’s ahead of Josh Smith at this particular time … The last couple weeks, we put them in protective casts just to make sure they didn’t tweak it. Now, they’re heavy into their rehabilitation, so I’ll know a little bit more as the week progresses.”
Before going out with their respective ankle injuries, the receiving duo combined to catch 17 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
In their absence, Josh Malone, Jason Croom and Johnathon Johnson – all receivers who played alongside regulars Marquez North and Alton “Pig” Howard in Saturday’s contest against Georgia – combined for 10 catches and 127 yards.
Dobbs seeing red: When Justin Worley was pulled in garbage time during Tennessee’s season-opening victory over Utah State, the winner of the Vols’ backup quarterback competition seemed to be answered when Nathan Peterman trotted onto the field.
Any doubt was erased on Saturday when Peterman, once again, stepped under center after Worley was forced out of the contest with a numb right elbow.
The reasoning, however, for why Jones has turned to Peterman over Joshua Dobbs, who started UT’s final four games in 2013, could be in the form of a potential redshirt for the sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia.
“We’ll see,” said Jones about the possibility of redshirting Dobbs. “In a perfect world, yes, (he would be redshirted), but Josh is prepared to play each and every week. As we’ve come to know around here, you’re one snap away. Sometimes, you’re two snaps away.”
And for the foreseeable future, Dobbs will be two snaps away from seeing the field as Jones announced that Worley would be 100 percent against the Gators on Saturday.
Bring on the checkerboard: It’s been the talk of the Tennessee Twitterverse for weeks, and with Saturday’s scheduled contest being the most anticipated home game of the season, it appears the “#CheckerNeyland” movement may become a reality, much to the delight of Jones and the Vols.
“To have a fan initiative of checker-boarding Neyland, I think it speaks volumes,” Jones said. “Most places, they have to manufacture that, where our fans come out, and it’s on them … They have been extremely supportive, and Saturday afternoon at noon should be a great, great college football environment. It should be the best environment in the country.”
For the players, just seeing pictures on social media has been enough to get them excited for Saturday’s “epic” new-look crowd.
“I know the environment is going to be crazy,” senior linebacker A.J. Johnson said. “I’ve just seen the pictures and stuff on Instagram and everything and just looking at the pictures makes you want to play in the stadium. I know the fans are going to have their emotions high and have the environment real ‘turnt’ up.”
