Tennessee defenders A.J. Johnson (45) Owen Williams (58) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin jump onto Utah State running back Joe Hill during the Vols' season-opener football game against the Aggies on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE - For a brief stretch late in the third quarter, Tennessee's 34-19 win against Arkansas State on Saturday became the Owen Williams Show.
The junior college transfer defensive tackle popped up with a handful of plays that helped the Volunteers keep the Red Wolves at bay, and for a Tennessee defensive front trying to identify its playmakers, it was an encouraging sight.
"It was good. Great to see," Vols coach Butch Jones said Monday. "He had about three plays in a row back to back to back that really impacted the game. That's the thing that we really focus on -- is how are you impacting the game. When you're on the field, are you making impactful plays?
"He was able to do that, and I think he'll really gain some valuable confidence from that."
With Arkansas State starting a series near midfield and still within shouting distance, the 6-foot-2, 288-pound Williams came free after a stunt to smother quarterback Fredi Knighten, and he ended that possession by making a tackle on a screen pass.
On Arkansas State's next possession, Williams chased Knighten out of bounds on first down for his second sack, and he finished the game with five tackles and broke up a pass at the line of scrimmage.
"That's a great thing," Tennessee linebacker A.J. Johnson said. "'O,' he went off. It felt good just to see him out there making plays. Some plays I was running, and he was literally almost passing me and I was like, 'Where you getting this from?' He had a great game, and if we keep getting games out of him like that, it's going to help the team real big."
Pearson out, Wolf iffy
The injuries receiver Von Pearson and tight end Ethan Wolf suffered Saturday looked bad when they occurred, but Tennessee received "great news," Jones said, in that neither was lost for the season.
Pearson (high ankle sprain) is out for the trip to Oklahoma after leaving the Arkansas State game in the second quarter, but Wolf (bruised knee) is only questionable for Saturday after taking a low hit in the third quarter against the Red Wolves.
"The great thing is that's one position [at receiver] where we do have some depth," Jones said, "but any time you take an individual like Von Pearson out of your lineup, that's a setback for you."
Wolf caught eight passes for 46 yards in Tennessee's first two games before his injury. Fellow freshman Daniel Helm and Brendan Downs would get more action if Wolf is out.
Pearson caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the opener against Utah State and racked up 71 yards on four catches, including a 56-yard catch-and-run, before his injury Saturday.
"We have a lot of mature younger guys that's ready to fill his shoes," receiver Pig Howard said. "Von is a big part of the receiving corps, but Coach Jones and his staff did a great job of bringing in other great talents, so I think all-around it's not any pressure on me. Everyone has a job they have to do."
'Pleasant surprise'
Michael Williams has had a quiet start to the season, but that's a good thing for a cornerback.
The walk-on track athlete had five tackles Saturday, including a nice stop in kickoff coverage.
"Mike has done a great job," Jones said. "He needs to take some strides in his fundamentals and the small details in finishing plays, but he's been a very, very pleasant surprise for us. We saw it in him two years ago. We saw it, but he's really been a great addition to our secondary, and thank goodness he's playing the way he is right now, because he's helping us."
The 5-11, 177-pound Maryland resident wrestled a starting spot away from freshman Emmanuel Moseley late in training camp, and his speed and physical approach have helped the Vols.
"Michael's doing a great job just coming in and staying in the film room, staying on the rest of the secondary and staying on the coaching staff," cornerback Cam Sutton said. "He's doing his job well. He's impacting the quarterback and impacting the game. He's also making plays on special teams, so he's doing a great job."
Still shuffling
Jones said Tennessee will continue to "mix it around" along the offensive line to find the best possible combination.
The Vols plan to experiment with flipping Kyler Kerbyson, who began training camp at right guard and started at right tackle the first two games, to left tackle and plugging in freshman Coleman Thomas at right tackle.
Brett Kendrick, who started at left tackle against Arkansas State, will remain in the mix at that spot along with junior college transfer Dontavius Blair.
"It's finding the right five individuals," Jones said, "that have a mindset, a mentality to protect the passer, run the football and finish blocks."
Tennessee tidbits
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, staples of ESPN's popular Saturday "College GameDay" show, will be the commentators on the ABC telecast of Tennessee-Oklahoma. ... Jones said Sutton, Johnson, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and defensive back Justin Coleman are "playing too many snaps right now," and he planned to have individual meetings with certain players Monday about needing to "step up" and help the Vols on special teams. ... The Vols plan to redshirt freshman tailback Treyvon Paulk, who had his senior season in high school ended by a torn ACL last September, Jones said. ... Fellow freshman tailback Derrell Scott (foot) is targeting a return by the Georgia game in two weeks. ... The Vols expect defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry (knee) to return by the end of September "at the earliest."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.