Vols hope to show passing game growth Thursday night

Tennessee did a lot of things well last season. Throwing the ball down the field, however, wasn't their strong suit.

The Vols have put a lot of work into improving their big-play ability in the passing game, but it isn't the only area of focus this offseason.

“We've put in a lot of time throughout the spring, the winter, the offseason, the summer,” Joshua Dobbs said Sunday. “We've made a lot of strides in that part of our game as well as the running game and the short passing game and other parts of the game. We've grown as an overall offensive unit.

“We can do a lot of different things as an offense. We're very dynamic, which is great. We are definitely able to do different things, shift up the game plan week to week and keep defense of their heels.”

By most measurements, Tennessee was a middle of the road passing team in the Southeastern Conference a year ago. The Vols ranked 10th in the SEC in yards per attempt at seven yards a completion, ranked seventh in passing yards and seventh in touchdown passes.

But most of that success came from the short passing game and the ability for backs like Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd to turn a five yard screen into a big play.

Tennessee had just 18 pass plays go for 25 yards or more last season — including screen passes and those thrown by backup quarterback Quinten Dormady — and only produced two passing plays over 50 yards.

“It's always a work in progress,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said last week. “We're always trying to improve and that is certainly one of the areas we're trying to get better at.

“Josh has done a good job working this offseason, he and really all of our guys. But it's not just on the quarterbacks. It takes everyone doing their job.”

Tennessee will need to get contributions from a number of young, inexperienced receivers to make the kind of jump it wants. With such a thin group at receiver, freshmen Tyler Byrd, Brandon Johnson, Marquez Callaway and Latrell Williams will be contributors in Tennessee's passing game this season.

Dobbs has liked what he's seen from the group this summer and fall camp. The always confident Dobbs said the entire group of newcomers has impressed him this offseason.

“Those guys came to camp trying to play, trying make an impact. That was great to see,” Dobbs said. “And they've been in the film room studying and working on their craft. They'll definitely get in and make a key impact for us.”

Byrd, a four-star coming in according to Rivals, played mostly defensive back in high school but has been the most impressive newcomer to the Tennessee receiving corps. Trust between a receiver and quarterback, according to Dobbs, comes from scrimmages and pre-practice workouts, spending extra time on the field to build a rapport.

The senior quarterback has done that will Byrd.

“He's raw, obviously. He played a lot of defense in high school so it was a little different, but you see his dedication being on the Jugs machine, getting extra coaching in before workouts. Then, after workouts going up to the film room and trying to get a head start on the offense and he's carried that same dedication on the practice field,” Dobbs said. “You see it in him but you also see it in the other freshmen that need to step up, like Brandon Johnson, Marquez Callaway, Latrell Williams. It's great to see and they know that they'll have a big impact this year and they're really embracing it.”