A change at quarterback may have been all Tennessee coach Butch Jones needed to turn around his team’s season.
The Volunteers were 3-4 on the season and were in danger of missing out on a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season.
Sophomore Joshua Dobbs came in behind center, and the scope of the Volunteers’ season changed.
Dobbs, who had yet to appear in a game this season, replaced starter Justin Worley on the team’s third offensive series against Alabama after typical backup Nate Peterman struggled early on. Dobbs never looked back.
Dobbs totaled 267 yards (75 rushing) and two touchdowns against the Crimson Tide and nearly led the Volunteers to a historic comeback. Tennessee trailed 27-0 before Dobbs took command of the offense and closed the gap to 27-17.
“All of a sudden, (Dobbs) gets an opportunity in a big-time environment, and he’s played really well,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “He’s playing at a whole different level.”
Since his performance against Alabama, Dobbs has continued his success in crucial games for the Vols. He has started back-to-back games on the road against South Carolina and at home against Kentucky. Both games resulted in Tennessee victories, and in both games, Dobbs lit up the scoreboard.
With the two wins, Tennessee is within one victory of bowl eligibility. In that pair of games, Dobbs led an offense that put up outbursts of 45 and 50 points. He recorded 812 total yards (214 rush) and nine touchdowns (four rush) in that span. After his first career start against the Gamecocks, a 45-42 win, Dobbs was named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
“(Tennessee) is competing at a very high level, and you’ve got to point to (Dobbs) and say he’s the reason why,” Pinkel said.
Senior defensive end Markus Golden said that Dobbs’ ability to run the football does not change the Mizzou defense’s strategy from other games.
“Our job is to get after the quarterback no matter if they’re dual-threat or pocket-passer,” Golden said. “(Dobbs) is a leader out there controlling their offense, but we’re going to be ready to get after him.”
Although Dobbs will still pose a significant challenge, Mizzou does have the luxury of having faced him last year. The Tigers held Dobbs to 240 passing yards and forced two interceptions in a 31-3 Mizzou victory.
Despite Mizzou’s familiarity with Dobbs, sophomore linebacker Michael Scherer is only concerned about his performance this season.
“I focus more on this year,” Scherer said. “I think he’s a completely different player.”
Mizzou will have to be at its best in order to limit Dobbs and the Vols’ offense in the blare of a 100,000-seat environment. The Tigers must win out to capture a second straight SEC East title.
“This is game three (in November), and this is the most important game for us in November to this point,” Pinkel said. “There are opportunities out there. The margin of error is that there is no margin of error.”
