Vols say SEC East race won’t distract them against Missouri

Many doubted his ability to be a successful quarterback at the collegiate level, but Dobbs has proved the doubters wrong time and time again.

These are the five Vols we will award Smokey Points to this week for their performance in Tennessee football’s 63-37 win against Missouri. “I think he’s a young man that, when he puts his mind to accomplishing whatever he wants, he’ll accomplish whatever he wants”.

A TV sideline reporter questioned Jones how he felt about Florida’s win as the Vols left for halftime.

“I’m just very confident in myself”, he said.

When Dobbs plays the way he did Saturday, the Vols are really, really hard to beat. The Missouri rushing attack isn’t quite as formidable as Kentucky’s, but freshman running back Damarea Crockett, who is averaging 6.5 yards per carry, will be a handful for a depleted Volunteer defense. J’Mon Moore has had four 100-yard receiving games, Dimetrios Mason has two and Chris Black, Emanuel Hall, Johnathon Johnson and Ray Wingo have one apiece.

Where does Josh Dobbs’ four-year pilgrimage through Knoxville fit in Tennessee lore?

Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara scored twice on runs of 4 and 2 yards ad gained 55 yards on the day. “Joshua Dobbs has meant so much for our football program, and he’s meant so much more than just all the wins as well”.

21 TD passes apiece for Missouri QB Drew Locke and Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs.

On the next drive, Dobbs broke multiple tackles on a 30-yard score to give the Vols a 35-27 cushion.

Josh Dobbs had one final opportunity to play in front of the home crowd at Neyland Stadium and he took full advantage of it.

Although Missouri threw a 50-yard score midway through the fourth, Tennessee didn’t need any extra help in their 63-37 win. Dobbs was only sacked once but didn’t have a single turnover – along with the rest of the Vols. “He’s a huge competitor”, said roommate and Vols offensive lineman Brett Kendrick.

Crockett and Witter weren’t the only running backs to get involved. He was excited to come out and play.

“I didn’t expect anything else from him”.

The Vols (8-3, 4-3 SEC) allowed 740 yards in total offense, the highest single-game total ever by a Tennessee opponent. Despite a three-game skid last month, the Vols can still earn a spot in the SEC title game by winning their final two games paired with a Florida loss Saturday at LSU. He’s also responsible for an SEC-best 174 points.

Had the Gators lost to LSU earlier in the day and coupled with the Vols’ victory in a high-scoring affair before 101,012 fans at Neyland Stadium, Tennessee could have claimed the East title by beating Vanderbilt next week in Nashville.

“Like Shoop (defensive coordinator Bob Shoop) says, losing magnifies problems, and losing minimizes problem”, senior cornerback Cameron Sutton said.

Kentucky’s bowl quest appeared doubtful after starting 0-2 and seemed in jeopardy just a few weeks ago before the Wildcats rallied past Mississippi State 40-38 with a last-second field goal. “We are anxious about ourselves and anxious about getting better and pushing the program forward. It’s awesome, but I really wish we could have come away with a W. But we’ll be back here in two years”. “It’s an honor and a privilege to coach here”.