Injuries force Vols to shuffle offensive line

photo Tennessee quarterback (11) passes to the right behind the Vol offensive line at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 25, 2014.

KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's maligned offensive line turned to its fourth different starting lineup in the season's eighth game with two starters sitting out Saturday night's visit from fourth-ranked Alabama with injuries.

After failing to finish last week's loss at Ole Miss, freshman right tackle Coleman Thomas (ankle) and left guard Marcus Jackson (leg) did not play in the 34-20 loss to the Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium.

The Volunteers went with the same starting five for five consecutive games, the first of those being the third different grouping in the season's first three games.

Against Alabama, the Vols started, from left to right, Brett Kendrick, Kyler Kerbyson, Mack Crowder, Jashon Robertson and Jacob Gilliam, the fifth-year senior former-walk who suffered a torn ACL in the season-opening win against Utah State just eight weeks ago.

The redshirt freshman Kendrick started for the first time since replacing Gilliam in the starting lineup against Arkansas State in the season's second game, while Kerbyson started at left guard for the first time. It was the third different position in which he's started this season.

Kerbyson began the season at right tackle before swapping to left tackle at Oklahoma.

"I'll tell you what, being down two offensive linemen ... I thought we came off the ball," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. "We were able to establish a run game. I thought Jalen Hurd ran exceptionally hard (and) the spark with Josh (Dobbs) running the ball as well.

"Having the depth that we all know about and being down two offensive linemen, I thought we did some good things, some great building blocks in moving forward for the rest of the season."

Tennessee, which had allowed 30 sacks entering the game, surrendered just one in the first half, and it came on a third-and-7 on the opening series of the game.

The Vols went into halftime with a 140-69 edge in rushing yards after Dobbs came in at quarterback. In the first half, the sophomore was 8-of-13 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown and ran for 56 yards on 10 carries. It was the most yards on the ground by a Tennessee quarterback since Tee Martin ran for 81 yards at Syracuse in the 1998 season opener.

Alabama had not allowed more than 107 rushing yards, which Florida gained in a loss in Tuscaloosa in September, to any opponent this season.

"We have a very smart offensive line," said Hurd, who finished with 59 yards on 16 carries. "We have people that can play different positions, that do play different positions. One gets hurt, they move inside. They move around in practice all the time, and that really helps them in game situations."

Jackson went through warm-ups with the Vols and even ran with the first-team offense in pregame, while Thomas watched warm-ups in street clothes.

'Third down for what?'

Tennessee's defense entered the game ranked eighth in the country and first in the SEC in third-down defense, holding opponents to 28 percent conversions on the down.

That didn't seem to faze Alabama, at least in the first half.

The Tide converted five of their first six third downs into firsts and finished the half 5-of-7. Quarterback Blake Sims twice hit star receiver Amari Cooper to convert third downs of 7 and 9 yards on Alabama's second touchdown drive in the first quarter.

Alabama's next two touchdowns also came on third downs, as tailback T.J. Yeldon scored from 1 yard out and Sims darted up the heart of the Vols' defense for a 28-yard score on third-and-4.

"We started slow on defense," Vols cornerback Cam Sutton said. "We weren't as efficient as we always are on third down. We didn't get off the field for our offense like we should have and like we've been doing. Our communication and things like that, especially early in the game, we've just got to do a better job."

In the second half, Alabama converted four times on third down on a series that ended in Derrick Henry's 28-yard touchdown run that gave the Tide a 34-17 lead with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.

'Beast' is back

Facing a third-and-1 at Alabama's 10-yard line just before halftime, Tennessee broke out an old offensive formation.

Linebacker A.J. Johnson, as he did throughout the 2012 season, lined up as the quarterback and took a direct snap on a running play, but Alabama stopped him for no gain and the Vols settled for a field goal on fourth down.

In what Tennessee dubbed its "Beast" package referring to Johnson's longtime nickname, the two-time All-SEC selection at linebacker scored six touchdowns on 12 carries in 2012.

"It's trying to do anything and everything to win a football game," Jones said. "Our coaches are working around the clock with the game plans. It's just trying to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers.

"A.J. brings a whole other element of toughness and want-to, but it's just trying to find every creative way to win the football game."

Recruiting roundup

Tennessee hosted three official visitors for Saturday night's game.

North Carolina commitment William Sweet, a four-star offensive tackle prospect according 247Sports, was one of the three along with 5-foot-8 wide receiver Ryan Newsome, another four-star recruit out of Aledo, Texas, and Tennessee defensive back commitment Darrell Miller.

The 5-10, 171-pound Miller, out of Cedar Hill High School in Texas, committed to the Vols back in July.

A number of Tennessee's 2015 commitments, included touted defensive tackle prospect Shy Tuttle, also were in attendance, along with a host of 2016 prospects.

Tennessee tidbits

The Vols wore all-orange jerseys against Alabama for the first time since 1988, when the Tide won 28-20 in Knoxville. In its last four games with the orange-on-orange look, Tennessee beat South Carolina in 2013 and Memphis in 1999 and lost to Auburn in 2009 and to LSU in the 2007 SEC championship game. ... Scouts from nine NFL teams were in attendance. ... Tennessee's captains for the game were injured quarterback Justin Worley and linebackers Johnson and Curt Maggitt. ... Tennessee played a tribute video to Peyton Manning, who set the NFL record for career touchdown passes a week ago tonight, during a first-quarter timeout. ... Alabama won the opening coin toss, giving the Vols their seventh loss in the toss in eight games this season.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com

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