Tuttle’s triumphant return ‘rewarding’
KNOXVILLE — Shy Tuttle showed few signs of rust in his first action nearly 11 months after suffering a nasty leg injury.
Much to the enjoyment of his coaches and teammates, the Tennessee defensive tackle enjoyed a disruptive debut in the win against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Tuttle’s promising freshman season was cut short last October when he suffered a broken leg and torn ankle ligaments as a result of a block by Georgia center Brandon Kublanow, but he completed his recovery in style.
“It was very rewarding,” Volunteers coach Butch Jones said of Tuttle’s return. “We’re going to need his productivity and his mentality on our defensive front. I was really, really proud of him and excited for him. He’s worked very hard in practice.
“We still have got to get him in game shape some more, but to get those valuable repetitions, when he got in there, he was disruptive with being able to win a one-on-one matchup, apply pressure to the quarterback, his fumble recovery.
“It was great to have his presence, and now he has to continue to work on his conditioning levels.”
Tuttle did not play in Tennessee’s season opener, but he looked 100 percent against the Hokies.
He deflected two passes at the line of scrimmage, one on a third down and another on what could have been a long gain with Virginia Tech threatening to cut into a 31-17 lead.
Earlier he and Kahlil McKenzie blew up a second-down run on a drive ending in a field goal.
In the fourth quarter Tuttle hustled down a bad shotgun snap and recovered to set up John Kelly’s short touchdown run.
“Shy is a guy that he works hard and doesn’t really say much,” defensive end Corey Vereen said. “He’s in there and he’s always working. He’s talking to Coach Strip (defensive line coach Steve Stripling); he’s getting the tips; he’s putting the extra work in; and to see him play and get back in action from his foot (injury) and everything, it was real exciting to see. “I was really happy for him.” Tennessee played 13 defensive linemen against Virginia Tech, and the unit took over the game for a stretch with Kendal Vickers and Danny O’Brien making plays from their tackle spots.
“I think it was great for his confidence of getting back,” Jones said. “That was a significant injury. Sometimes individuals don’t come back from that injury, and Shy’s worked exceptionally hard to get himself back. It’s a tribute to him. To get him back on the field, it was exciting to see, and I know our players loved having him out there.”
Starting fast
The Vols will emphasize better starts in practice, perhaps going to some early team periods this week hoping to replicate it against Ohio.
In 2015 Tennessee outscored opponents 130-52 in the first quarter, but in the first two games of this season the Vols were outscored 21-3 and outgained 266-107.
“I couldn’t really put my finger on it,” Vereen said. “We talk about starting fast day in and day out in practice and everything. We’ll try to stay more relaxed this time around and just do what we know we came to do in the game.”
Along the line
Tennessee used three different offensive-line combinations in Saturday night’s win, but Jones didn’t disclose which of the three performed the best after reviewing the game.
He did say Jack Jones “did some very good things” and praised Dylan Wiesman for having a “complete” game.
“We want to play as many guys as possible,” Coach Jones said. “The world we live in, everybody wants to play. Parents want their sons to play, and I get that and I understand that. It’s one thing to work hard, but it’s prodcutivity in practice and earning the right to perform in the games.
“Jack, he earned that right through his week of performance in practice. Who has the best week in practice are going to be the ones that play on Saturday.”
Offensive tackle Chance Hall remains “at best” two weeks from a potential return from his knee injury.
“We’ve missed him,” Coach Jones said. “We’ll see how it goes. We’ll take our time, and when he’s ready to compete, he’ll get in there and compete like everyone else.”
Williams limited
After making a team-leading five catches in the opener, wide receiver Preston Williams played a limited role and was targeted just once against Virginia Tech.
Williams missed practice time last week with a hamstring issue but should be back to full strength this week, Jones said.
Safety and kick returner Evan Berry also is dealing with a hamstring problem, and Alvin Kamara took over kick-return duties against the Hokies in his absence.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com