Tale of the Tape preview: Tennessee’s Dobbs a problem

When the subject of Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs comes up, South Carolina co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke encapsulates the rugged passer in a just two words.

Big man.

It’s a good way to describe the 6-foot-3, 207-pound signal caller, and it fits his role within a feisty and dangerous Volunteers attack. Tennessee plays fast, something now relatively common in the SEC. When one breaks down the video, it’s how they employ Dobbs that gives the offense its particular look.

When Dobbs totes the ball, he’s not running some get-out-in-space zone read one saw from Texas A&M last week. Nope, he’s running counters behind a wall of pulling linemen, the sort power backs such as Leonard Fournette might run. He also gets plenty of work plunging up the gut behind pulling guards, running a concept called a power read.

Nearly everything Tennessee does has some element of quarterback run, either as a fake or an option within the play design.

But Dobbs is also wild in his play. He’s prone to throwing off his back foot, firing passes while going down or under heavy duress. He’s got a cannon for an arm, but he’s not deadly accurate with it. He also has the confidence to extend plays to the end, which is part of the reason why he’s lost 129 yards on sacks and goes down twice a game.

At his best, he’s a game-swinging presence who shapes an offense, but he remains an unstable element in spots.

Offense notes

▪  The Vols rely mostly on three-wide receiver, one-tight end personnel. They’ll mix in some two-back or two-tight end looks (the latter was heavier vs. Kentucky), but they usually stick with their main look, which gives the hurry-up a lot of continuity. The key is tight end Ethan Wolf (245 yards on 18 catches), a player versatile enough to play on the line, in a mobile H-back role and split out on occasion.

▪  The tailback duo of Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd can move around formations and cause more headaches.

▪  The Vols occasionally deploy a play where both guards pull and kick out in both directions, messing with linebacker reads, though Hoke pointed out that was really only usable against 3-4 defenses.

▪  Occasionally Tennessee splits its receivers out extremely wide, a move Baylor does often. It puts edge defenders in conflict as they must decide whether to split out or stay close to the box. The Volunteers passing game appears to be built on shorter, quicker routes, often running hitches under corner routes in what’s called a “smash” concept.

Defense notes

▪  Tennessee plays mostly four-man lines, occasionally standing up a defensive end. Naturally a 4-3 team, the Vols usually trade a linebacker for a defensive back against extra-receiver looks and compensate by rolling a strong safety into the box and leaving the free safety alone deep.

▪  Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a lynchpin, adept in space or rushing the passer.

▪  Despite a reputation of a front loaded with talent, the Tennessee line has secretly been just OK. Only 10 of the team’s 16 sacks come from linemen, and the group has not really wrought havoc outside a big performance against Alabama.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Tale of the Tape preview: Tennessee’s Dobbs a problem."