Notes from Vols’ 11th Fall Practice

Tennessee Vols running back Derrell Scott makes a leaping catch in Thursday’s practice. PHOTO: Nathanael Rutherford

For the first time during fall camp, the Tennessee Vols practiced at the indoor facility in their preparation for the beginning of the season. Impending storms forced the retreat indoors, but the new venue didn’t change the intensity of practice for Butch Jones and his Vols.

The practice this evening was the second of the day, marking the second day of two-a-days for the team.

After the team stretched, they jumped right into a “Circle of Life” drill which pitted two players in a one-on-one battle to test their strength. A couple notable matchups included linebacker Kenny Bynum and tight end Daniel Helm, and linebackers Chris Weatherd and Justin King.

Among those wearing green, non-contact jerseys at the evening practice was linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

Here are some notes from this evening’s practice:

• During quarterback drills this evening, Justin Worley and Joshua Dobbs threw to receivers with linebackers covering them while Nathan Peterman ran some read-option drills with the offensive and defensive lines. It’s unclear what Peterman being separate means, but it likely has no bearing on the QB depth chart.
• Owen Williams was praised during the read-option drill, and with good reason. He consistently showed a good burst and ability to shed his blocker. Freshman defensive tackle Michael Sawyers also showed a good push with the 2nd-team unit, getting into the backfield a couple times.
• Redshirt junior defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry was able to get into the backfield a few times as well, and he worked with the 2nd-team defensive line as well.
• Both Worley and Dobbs looked improved in the quarterback drills today as neither had any glaring mistakes that plagued them during a lot of the practices last week.

Observations:

JUCO offensive tackle Dontavius Blair is still working with the 2nd-team offensive line, and redshirt senior Jacob Gilliam is still holding him off for the starting left tackle position. I would not be surprised if Gilliam holds on to the starting spot heading into the opening weekend at this point.

Freshman cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was able to show off his recovery speed in a defensive back drill this evening. The freshman stumbled coming out of his cut, but he was still able to recover and beat the other defender down the field and catch the ball thrown his way. Moseley also displayed surprising strength for his skinny frame during a tackling drill.

The offensive line is starting to look a little more consistent, but offensive line coach Don Mahoney still found plenty to critique his players with after some of the reps.

The Vols will take the practice field again tomorrow around lunchtime. Check back for more coverage then.