Tennessee Football Smokey Points: Top 5 Vols Who Performed vs Missouri Tigers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) signals a touchdown as Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) scores against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee football dominated the Missouri Tigers Saturday in a 63-37 victory. Here are the top five Volunteers players from the game.

Well, it certainly was a memorable Senior Day for Tennessee football. After the fans were ready to quit once they realized the Florida Gators clinched the SEC East, the Vols seniors rallied the team and the program.

And in the process, they helped lead a historic offensive performance in a blowout victory over the Tigers.

As we get set to dole out more Smokey Points for our top Tennessee football performers in their 63-37 win over the Missouri Tigers, it’s safe to say the focus will once again be on the offense.

After all, the defense gave up over 700 yards, a week after they gave up over 600 yards.

But while the defense was an issue, there are a few individuals who certainly weren’t. And we need to give them props again.

Even with an 8-3 record and no chance of winning the SEC Championship, these Vols aren’t quitting. They are playing with a ton of pride and keeping morale up in Knoxville in the process.

So for their performances on Senior Day, these helmet stickers might mean just a little bit more. With only two games left in the season now, and only one regular season game, it’s become pretty clear who the Vols’ top players were throughout the season.

Many of them are familiar faces on this weekly post.

These are the five Vols we will award Smokey Points to this week for their performance in Tennessee football’s 63-37 win against Missouri.

Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) runs the ball against Missouri Tigers defensive back Aarion Penton (11) during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Malone

Wide Receiver, Junior

He went away for a few weeks, but Josh Malone has returned the past three weeks and showed why he was a five-star recruit. The junior wide receiver finished the game with only three receptions, but they went for 81 yards and one touchdown.

That touchdown was a 57-yard play that gave the Vols some breathing room in the second quarter, as they were only up on the Missouri Tigers 7-6 at the time.

Malone continued his success as being a game-changer in that regard. Remember, this was an elite Missouri Tigers secondary that does get lots of interceptions.

But Malone remained a reliable target. He now has 38 receptions for 731 yards and nine touchdowns on the year, and he has consistently been a huge playmaker.

He was a huge part of helping the Vols rebound early after they found out about the Florida Gators clinching the SEC East by beating the LSU Tigers.

Unfortunately, the Vols did not have enough of Malone during their three-game losing streak in the middle of this season, but they have certainly seen great performances by him the rest of the time.

The guy emerged as a star for Tennessee football this year.

Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) runs the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 63-37. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Alvin Kamara

Running Back, Junior

Alvin Kamara gets to be on this list for the second straight week! The junior running back only had 55 rushing yards and added just 14 receiving yards. But he was a huge playmaker for Tennessee football, and once again, he showed himself to be one of the most impactful per-touch players in all of college football.

Kamara’s 55 yards came on just 12 carries, and two of those carries went for touchdowns. On one of those touchdowns, he showed that he could be a power back by pounding it in from two yards out.

His other touchdown was a four-yard run to give the Vols some breathing room in the first half.

On top of those runs, Kamara also had a 28-yard run.

He wasn’t the overwhelming big-play guy we usually expect him to be, but two touchdowns and solid running all day have to count for something as a running back who has had to start by-committee all year.

Kamara’s story of really emerging as a team leader for Tennessee football is one of the best stories of the year. Even if he does leave early for the NFL, he put a great exclamation point on his time at Neyland with his performance on Saturday.

Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) and offensive lineman Coleman Thomas (55) celebrate after Jennings scored a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Jauan Jennings

Wide Receiver, Sophomore

Josh Malone is certainly a game-changer for Tennessee football at wide receiver, and he showed it again on Saturday. But Jauan Jennings is the playmaker for the Vols at the same position.

Jennings and Malone are both team guys and very accepting of each others’ success. That showed on Saturday, and Joshua Dobbs made sure they both got their due in the final home game of the season.

While Malone gave the Vols breathing room, Jennings was the guy to jump-start the offense. He had a 10-yard catch for a first down on the first play of the game. Then, after the Vols fell behind 6-0, he got the offense started with a 49-yard touchdown reception.

Jennings wasn’t done, though. He caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the second half to give the Vols a 28-20 lead. When it was all said and done, Jennings finished the game with four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

And both of his touchdowns came when it was still anybody’s ball-game. Being a clutch playmaker like that, as he has been all year, has to count for something. And it does.

That’s why Jennings gets to join Malone, and as a result, two Tennessee football wide receivers were Smokey Points winners in the same game. Looks like Butch Jones really has returned the Vols to Wide Receiver U status.

Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back John Kelly (4) runs the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 63-37. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

John Kelly

Running Back, Sophomore

So this is what Tennessee football was missing with Jalen Hurd starting ahead of John Kelly for two years. One of Butch Jones’s greatest finds a couple of years ago found his way into one of the top performers for the Vols…as a by-committee starter at running back.

Kelly almost made his way onto this list last week, but he certainly earned it this week. The sophomore runner has been running hard all year and cashed in on his chance to shine with 18 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.

On top of all that, Kelly proved himself to be a second-half runner and did exactly what you want your running back to do down the stretch of games. Of his 101 yards, 84 came in the second half on 13 carries.

He managed to help the Vols continue to extend their lead over the Tigers as they desperately sought to pull away all the way until about midway through the third quarter. His hard running is to be commended in the process.

Now, Tennessee fans everywhere are excited about Kelly’s bright future with the Vols. He has demonstrated what he can do when forced to be a feature back.

And as he is only a sophomore, it’s exciting to think about.

Nov 19, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) runs for a touchdown against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 63 to 37. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Joshua Dobbs

Quarterback, Senior

What can we say about this senior quarterback? He may not get the chance to play for an SEC Championship, but Joshua Dobbs deserves credit as somebody who was a leader and a star for the Vols throughout his career.

From the time he took over the reigns completely against the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2014, he never let the Vols quit.

Then, on Saturday, with everybody finding out about the Florida Gators score and knowing they clinched the SEC East, Dobbs was the one to rally everybody.

Knowing that the defense was decimated and the offense would have to put up points, Dobbs got everybody re-focused. In the process, he had another one of his five-touchdown performances. Dobbs threw three touchdown passes, to Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings, and he ran for two more.

That included a 70-yard run and a 30-yard run. So he had huge gains throughout the day.

The senior quarterback finished his final game at Neyland Stadium 15-of-22 for 223 yards and with 10 carries for 190 yards. And in this game, he had no turnovers, which was crucial.

So it should be no surprise that we kept Dobbs as the player of the game once again. He deserves a ton of credit for keeping his guys focused. And as we mentioned that every other player on this list helped give the Vols breathing room with huge plays when the game was tight, it’s important to note that Dobbs had a hand in all of those plays that they made.

Plus, he made his own. For that, he was definitely the top Tennessee football performer in their Saturday win over the Missouri Tigers.