QB Maurer settles in quickly in first start
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee quarterback Brian Maurer’s first two throws of Saturday night’s game against the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs left plenty to be desired. Both were well behind their intended targets. His third was anything but. Maurer’s 73-yard completion to Marquez Callaway for a touchdown that led to a 7-all tie halfway through the first quarter ignited the Neyland Stadium crowd on Tennessee’s second drive. After the completion, the 6-foot-3, 193-pound freshman from Ocala, Florida, sprinted down to the end zone to celebrate with his teammates.
It was the longest pass for the Volunteers since a 75-yard strike from Josh Dobbs to Josh Malone on Oct. 31, 2015, during a 52-21 win at Kentucky.
Maurer then had completions of 16 yards to Dominick Wood-Anderson and 18 yards to Jauan Jennings on the Vols’ third drive, one that ended in a 12-yard scoring strike to Jauan Jennings.
The first start of Maurer’s Tennessee career came two weeks after he replaced redshirt junior and returning starter Jarrett Guarantano for part of the second half in a 34-3 loss at Florida to open Southeastern Conference play. The Vols were off last weekend.
Maurer was 6-for-11 passing for 127 yards in the first two drives against the Bulldogs, and he finished the first half with 205 yards.
With a game plan tailored to his strengths, Maurer looked a lot more comfortable against the Bulldogs than he did against the Gators on Sept. 21. He did lead the Vols to a field goal on the first drive of that third quarter in Gainesville, but he later threw an interception and finished the day 4-for-11 for 44 yards.
“He brings a lot of energy, he’s really eager to be on the field,” Callaway said after the Florida game. “When his number is called, he’s ready. We came out there and we had his back. We told him to be calm and to do what you’re supposed to do and to have fun with it. It’s nothing like practice, so go out there and just have fun with it.”
Callaway’s catches
Callaway had 105 receiving yards in the first half, the second 100-yard receiving game of his Vols career, with the first in the 2017 season opener against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Jennings had 81 yards on five receptions against the Bulldogs, including a 21-yard catch-andrun on a drive that ended in Brent Cimaglia’s first missed field goal of the season after nine makes to start the year.
Callaway entered Saturday’s game with just 10 catches and a pair of scores this season, while Jennings had been slightly more productive with 19 catches and three touchdowns.
“We have some really good wide receivers,” Pruitt said earlier this week. “It seems like Jauan has had more targets than some of the other ones, but we have to be able to get the ball to our playmakers. That’s something that we’ve really focused on here in the off week, not that we haven’t before — we’re just trying to make sure we can get some of these guys some touches.”
Opportunity knocks
Riley Locklear started at right guard for the Vols, and the junior’s second start of the year resulted in Tennessee’s fourth different starting lineup for its offensive line this season, with only center Brandon Kennedy starting all five games. Locklear also started the season opener against Georgia State.
With freshman Warren Burrell out due to injury, redshirt junior Kenneth George had his second start at cornerback.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.