Tennessee’s offensive line and midfields achieved their goal with Missouri’s defense in the Vols’ 35-12 win on Saturday.
Here are five observations emerging from the victory film.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was given artistic with his jumbo packages. In Ty Chandler’s 3-yard landing run, take right on Cade Mays turned left on Wanya Morris. Offensive lineman Cooper Mays covered himself as a tight ending with his brother.
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Defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus claimed the back place in front of Chandler, and Chandler entered the finish line with the Mays brothers.
Cooper Mays and fellow understudy Riley Locklear have had opportunities in jumbo lots, where Flights has excelled. It was not unusual for either player to be in the area at the same time, which gave the flights seven linemen in the area.
“It’s a lot of meat to handle, ” said left guard Trey Smith.
Cooper Mays and Locklear use numbers 93 and 96, respectively, when they enter as other linemen, making them eligible recipients, but their presence indicates that a career is approaching. Cooper Mays played 18 shots, depending on the number of Pro Football Focus shots, and Locklear made 11 shots. Flights happened once when one or the other was on the ground.
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Mays and Locklear covered in the backfield in combination as back H on several plays, adding Eric Gray’s 20-yard run. They were tied to the line like closed wings in Jabari Small’s 15-yard race and Chandler’s 21-yard run.
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“The way Missouri plays defensively gave us probably the most productive opportunity to make sure we had a chance to block everyone in the area,” Coach Jeremy Pruitt said of the jumbo lots. that gave us the most productive opportunity on Saturday. We’ll decide how we’ll use it as the season progresses. “
Tennessee’s closed wing, Jacob Warren, did little to embarrass Missouri’s Tre Williams on the first third attempt at flights. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano veered to his left, away from the approaching Williams, to save time before completing a pass to Brandon Johnson, extending the drive.
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Pruit did not approve his team’s pass protection, but Guarantano, who made five of 8 passes under pressure, according to PFF statistics, did not.
Later in practice, Missouri’s defensive take on Kobie Whiteside beat supporters Brandon Kennedy and Jerome Carvin to put pressure on Guarantano, who returned a short pass to Chandler for a first attempt.
Three plays later, in the 3rd and 7th, Trajan Jeffcoat of Missouri overtoot the tight Princeton Fant. Jeffcoat made the derjate of Guarantano, who topped off a 36-yard pass to Jalin Hyatt.
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Guarantano took a bad resolution under tension when he threw an unguided pass to the band line before being hit by Jeffcoat, whom no one tried to block. The pass almost intercepted but fell incomplete.
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Morris helped pave the way for both of Gray’s touchdowns. The moment Gray scored on the right shot, Morris dropped his left shot in position to knock Stacy Brown’s nickel out of Gray’s pass.
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Morris later entered the ground to push cornerer Ishmael Burdine to the ground, setting Gray’s 13-yard score on one screen. Morris may have escaped with a lock on his back in this game, but no flag thrown.
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Missouri’s open receivers were the best for Tennessee pass defense. The Tigers dropped six passes, three of which were expensive.
Connor Bazelak gave Jalen Knox a short pass for what would have been a first check at the 5-yard line, but Knox dropped it. Missouri settled for a basket.
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On the next in Missouri, Dominic Gicinto burned Theo Jackson on a downstream road, and Bazelak discovered it. At best, it could have been an 84-yard touchdown; at worst, it deserved to have been a long gain on Tennessee territory, but Gicinto dropped the pass.
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The first part of Missouri’s moment stamped after Knox dropped a low but catchable pass from Bazelak on the third attempt.
Tennessee ball carriers discovered lanes to run, regardless of the direction they ran.
The Vols midfielders had the ultimate fortune running to the right side, a point of the limit for Cade Mays’ season debut, gaining 83 yards in 12 hauls.
But UT’s ball carriers also gained 68 yards on 16 hauls in the middle and 67 yards in 11 on the left side.
Blake Toppmeyer covers football from the University of Tennessee. Send an email to the blake. toppmeyer@knoxnews. com and stay with him on Twitter at btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, a virtual subscription will give you access to all of this. Current subscribers can click here to enroll in The Blake Subscribers Text Group that provides Football Flight updates and analytics.