Kaleb Webb had only run the play sparingly in practice.

Early in the second quarter against UTSA last Saturday, the Tennessee redshirt freshman wide receiver was running it in a game.

Webb, who stepped in for Bru McCoy, appeared to set up for a screen before quarterback Joe Milton III pump-faked to him, allowing Webb to get downfield in between the covering linebacker and the safety.

Milton connected with him for Webb's first career touchdown that put the Vols up 21-0 en route to a 45-14 win.

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"That's not something we rep often," Webb said. "We'll do it occasionally in practice, just in case we need it. It was like a face screen and I had to figure out where the safety was and turn my angle. Joe waited and put the ball on me."

In a game where McCoy and Ramel Keyton left with apparent injuries at different junctures, Webb made the most of his playing time. He saw the field for 44 offensive snaps—the most among Tennessee receivers.

Webb finished with two catches for 22 years but flashed his potential, offering a glimpse of the future of the Vols' receiving room.

"I would just say the hard work and preparation," Webb said. "I feel like I'm in the facility nonstop every week to prepare myself for any moment that may come. Bru was tired and I had a chance to come in. My mindset as soon as I got into the game was just to try and make a play and give them a reason to play me a little bit more.

"Joe has done a good job throughout camp and throughout the season so far of keeping me ready by saying, 'There's going to be a time where we're going to need you. Execute, because that's what you've been doing since you go here.'"

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Webb's presence in the facilities hasn't gone unnoticed. Neither did his impact last Saturday.

According to head coach Josh Heupel, the plan in the week leading up to the UTSA game was the get Webb and redshirt freshman Chas Nimrod into the rotation after making limited contributions in the previous three weeks—something the coaching staff didn't have the luxury of doing in the opener vs. Virginia, a closer than expected win over Austin Peay and the loss at Florida.

"Saturday was a good opportunity for those guys to get more reps than they had early in the season," Heupel said. "I think I said it last week that we had planned on playing those guys some more. I really liked what they did. There are moments where we could be a little bit better between quarterback and wide receiver on some of the downfield passing.

"We were close on it, but we have to go hit those things this week, but I like what they did. They played competitive, with fundamentals and technique. They played hard."

"I feel like they did good coming in. They didn't blink," wide receiver Squirrel White added. "Kaleb had his first touchdown. I was pumped. Chas came in and made a couple of plays. It was just great to see them come in and work."

McCoy is expected to be available and play vs. South Carolina this week, but Webb has the trust of the coaching staff if needed.

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Josh Heupel puts final touches on South Carolina preparation

"Feel good about Kaleb, feel good about Chas," Heupel said. "The young receivers continue to get better, they've played important roles on special teams. Kaleb was in on the fake punt stop (vs. UTSA) and scored a touchdown a few plays later. Feel good about all those guys and their continued development."

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