Vols' tight ends look to make up for loss of Bru McCoy in passing game
As Bru McCoy laid on the turf at Neyland Stadium two weeks ago, Jacob Warren was one of the first players by his side.
McCoy, Tennessee's top receiver to that point in the season, went down after a catch late in the first half of a 41-20 win over South Carolina on Sept. 30. A day later, the Vols' fears were confirmed.
McCoy suffered a fracture dislocation of his right ankle, which required surgery and will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Now Warren and the rest of the tight ends room are looking to help fill the void left by McCoy in the passing game, particularly his physicality.
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"I think (McCoy's) physicality is something you really desire and you want on the perimeter for all of the little passes that throw out to the side," Warren said. "Whether it's blocking, I think back to the block he had for McCallan (Castles) whenever McCallan scored that big, long run (vs. Austin Peay). Just things like that are really special about him that our team is going to miss...We kind of just have to develop that identity that we're going to get that plus-two.
"Bru is really good about finishing plays, whether it's running over a defender or just running through an arm tackle. Guys are going to have to do that to make these 7-yard gains turn into 10's and 11's. That really helps our offense a lot."
It's an especially big opportunity for the 6-foot-6, 253-pound Warren who is one of the experienced leaders on the Vols' offense in his fifth season in the program.
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Warren has seven receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns through five games and averaged 7.7 yards per catch. He had one of his best performances of the season against South Carolina, grabbing three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown, which came after McCoy's injury.
"Just a lot of those opportunities that I feel like are there pretty much every week, whether it's scramble drills or whatever," Warren said. "Just being ready for the ball, being able to get open and make something out of nothing. That's what I think of. There's a lot of things that we just get to as the game goes on, too. Just adjustments that the coaching staff makes, whether they see a certain action off of a run sell or whatever it may be that we were able to get to a couple of big plays for us. It's good, that's what we want and that's kind of what we're looking forward to moving through the season."
As far as his physicality goes, the coaching staff has seen that, too.
He has been a factor both in springing plays on the perimeter and in Tennessee' vaunted run game, which leads the SEC with more than 231 yards per game. That development will be key in replacing McCoy.
"Sometimes, it can just be the ball finding him based on the coverage that you are seeing, but I also think Jacob has developed as a dynamic leader for us on the offensive side of the football," head coach Josh Heupel said. "He's had continued physical development, which has allowed him to play his best football that he has up until now. Fundamentally, that is in the pass game, but is also what he is going inside the core, too. In the run game, he has been really good."
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McCallan Castles has had a physical presence on the field in the No. 2 spot behind Warren. He has played 181 offensive snaps and currently had a 81.5 grade in pass blocking according to Pro Football Focus.
Castles has proven to be a threat downfield at times with seven receptions for 100 yards and a score and will likely seen increased role alongside Warren in Tennessee's first game without McCoy vs. Texas A&M on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
"The tight ends, they will be a part of what we do in the passing game," Heupel said. "Need them to continue to come on. They have created some big plays, some big plays that we are close on too with them, so they be a factor in the game."
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