Josh Dobbs Prepares For Final Home Game As Vols’ QB

It seems like just yesterday that Josh Dobbs signed with Tennessee after he was committed to Arizona State for almost eight months.

But believe it or not, that was nearly fourth years ago.

A lot has changed since Dobbs arrived on Rocky Top as somewhat of an afterthought, with Justin Worley, Nate Peterman and Riley Ferguson on the roster ahead of him.

It turns out it was a good thing that Butch Jones, who had been on the job for only two months when signing day rolled around in 2013, was able to flip the Alpharetta native.

As you probably recall, Worley was injured in 2013, Peterman proved against Florida to be ineffective and Ferguson’s time at UT was not for long.

Dobbs took over the starting quarterback position in 2013, and despite a strong finish to the season, was once again in the backseat in 2014.

But just like in 2013, Dobbs was thrust into action in 2014 (once again against Alabama) and led the Vols to victory in four of their final six games — ultimately helping to deliver Tennessee’s first bowl win since January 1, 2008.

Dobbs’ strong performance in that bowl game win against Iowa (76 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns) meant he had a stronghold on the starting quarterback job entering the 2015 season.

2015 saw some heartbreaking losses (Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas), but it also saw Tennessee’s first win against Georgia since 2009. That game in particular was one of Dobbs’ best games of his career, as he passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Dobbs nearly led the Vols to victory two weeks later against Alabama, a game the Volunteers led in the fourth quarter. He didn’t let the loss get him down though, as UT rattled off six wins in a row to close the 2015 season, culminating with their second straight bowl win.

All of that brings us to this season. 2016. Dobbs’ senior season, which was suppose to be the Vols’ year to win the SEC East and be a contender for the College Football Playoff.

Those dreams, however, haven’t exactly come to fruition.

I won’t say this season has been a disappointment. Tennessee won five games in a row to start the season (yes I know essentially all of those wins were “ugly”).

Two of those wins were absolutely huge. The Vols beat Florida (finally….I mean doesn’t it feel good to get that out of the way Vol fans?) and Georgia (why not start a streak of UT’s own) in a remarkable two game stretch.

But a lot of folks would argue the Vols should be sitting at 9-1 right now. Tennessee’s offense was clearly better than Texas A&M’s and South Carolina’s. And both of those games are still games I believe the Vols should’ve won.

Did they lose because of Josh Dobbs?

Partially, though he’s hardly the one to place all of the blame on for those losses.

Dobb’s rating against South Carolina was 95.2, his second worst of the season. His completion percentage was 46.2, by far his worst of the season. He played poorly against the Gamecocks to be blunt. But so did the rest of the team (we now know there was some inner turmoil on the team at the time).

Let’s be real here, it’s no secret that Dobbs isn’t the best quarterback in the SEC. His arm isn’t the most accurate. Sometimes his decision making on the field is questionable.

But I don’t think anyone in the world can question Josh Dobbs’ desire to win.

When it comes down to it, there isn’t a better quarterback to bring Tennessee back to relevancy. For every game that Dobbs “lost” for the Vols (if that’s even fair to say), there are plenty of games that he absolutely won for Tennessee (such as the Georgia game last season and the South Carolina game in 2014).

Josh Dobbs’ leadership and ability to make plays on the field will absolutely be missed. Yes, a better quarterback will come along at some point soon for the Volunteers. Another quarterback will eventually lead the Vols to a better record. But no one will be able to look back at the history of Volunteer quarterbacks and question what Dobbs meant to UT football.

On Tuesday, Dobbs told reporters “Being the quarterback at Tennessee has been the blessing of a lifetime and I’ve never taken any of it for granted”.

It’s interesting that Dobbs feels that way. Because despite all the heat of the moment criticisms, I imagine there are a whole litany of Tennessee football fans that feel blessed to have seen a stand-up guy like Josh Dobbs (there are just way too many examples of Dobbs’ exemplary character to go into detail here) spend four years of his life in Knoxville.

So on Saturday, when Dobbs takes the field at Neyland against Missouri for the last time, get on your feat and give that young man the ovation of his life. He’s more than earned it.