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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Bru McCoy settled into a pocket on the Tennessee football sideline Saturday and seized a Nico Iamaleava pass.
The play netted 21 yards as the senior wide receiver tumbled into his teammates. It was the only pass play that gained more than 20 yards for the Vols, who never mounted anything that resembled an aerial threat against Ohio State.
“The entire sum of the entire night is we didn’t stretch them enough,” Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said. “We didn’t force them to respect us going by them enough to make them change up what they were doing.”
That wasn’t only a Saturday issue. It was a season-long offensive anchor that lingered all the way until No. 9 Tennessee (10-3) bowed out of the College Football Playoff with a whimper, losing 42-17 in a noncompetitive game against No. 8 Ohio State (11-2) at Ohio Stadium.
The Vols are hitting the offseason needing to address the passing attack — and that starts with a long look at the wide receiver group.
Wide receiver has to be a transfer portal focal point for Tennessee
Much was made of Tennessee’s wide receiver depth before the season but that proved a misevaluation.
The offense struggled for a myriad of reasons, including Iamaleava’s inconsistency and poor play at offensive tackle. Those issues flared, at times. The wide receivers rarely inspired confidence.
“We’ve got to find some guys that are going to step up and make plays and we will,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said.
Tennessee loses seniors McCoy and Dont’e Thornton. Chris Brazzell II and Squirrel White are the lone returners with more than seven career receptions. Mike Matthews didn’t take off as a freshman as anticipated. Braylon Staley played in his fourth game at OSU.
Saturday gave a glimpse of the future at the position when Thornton and White departed with first-half…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessees-transfer-portal-focus-start-075620285.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-12-22 07:56:00
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