Tennessee football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols performers vs. WVU

One of the reasons Jarrett Guarantano was able to be efficient on Saturday was his use of Marquez Callaway. In fact, Tyson Helton should have called more vertical plays for Callaway, one of the few reliable playmakers for the Vols against the West Virginia Mountaineers. He showed why the coaches never should have abandoned him last year.

Callaway established himself as still being the clear-cut No. 1 receiver with seven receptions for 85 yards. Dominick Wood-Anderson was the guy who caught the sole touchdown pass of the day, but Callaway was the one who consistently came through.

On Tennessee football’s first touchdown drive, Callaway had three receptions for 25 yards. He had two receptions for 42 yards on their final drive into the red zone. They couldn’t convert there, but Callaway was the one to get them into position. He pretty much did that all game.

As we said going into the season, Callaway is one of the best leapers on the team. He also has proven himself to have great hands, and he is clearly amazing with the ball in open space. Simply put, he’s the perfect all-around receiver. And that makes the Vols lucky to have him.

On one punt return, Callaway only gained six yards. So they didn’t get much from him there. But he showed enough elsewhere to make it onto this list. The guy is going to be a crucial target for whomever starts at quarterback for the rest of the season. He proved that on Saturday.