Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (second from left) is congratulated by wide receiver Johnathon Johnson (81) and guard Jashon Robertson (73) and center Mack Crowder (57) and offensive lineman Marcus Jackson (75) after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field.
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The lengthy list of Tennessee players who have been sidelined by injuries for at least a portion of the Vols’ preseason camp to this point soon could be noticeably shorter.
Tennessee gave up 43 sacks last season. Now he’s one of seven linemen with starting experience. The 6-foot-2, 308-pound Jackson took a redshirt in 2013, played in 12 games without a start in 2012 and started five games as a true freshman in 2011. Everyone talks about the skill guys, (how) they’re young but they’re talented.
“I just want to represent that number and its legacy and build on that legacy”.
“It’s night and day”, Jones said. “So we’ve got to work through Nike to see if we can make that happen”. “It’s always a question mark with the O-line, but I want to show people that we’re the glue that holds it together”. How a still unproven offensive line handles pass protection could determine the success of Tennessee’s offense.
As the Tennessee Volunteers prepare themselves to deal with the added pressure of being a preseason top 25 program, their biggest issues remained along the offensive line. “When you play on the interior fronts – the offensive and defensive lines – with one step you’re beat”. And touted freshman Preston Williams joined his fellow receivers for a team photo Friday – a possible sign that Tennessee is confident he scored high enough on the ACT to qualify academically.
In other injury news, Jones said cornerback Justin Martin has a knee sprain that could cause him to miss 1 to 1½ weeks.
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> Junior college transfer running back Alvin Kamara may be in his first year with the Vols, but Jones said he’s already stepped up his leadership and “become the voice of the offense”.
