Tennessee football: Joe Milton or Josh Heupel to blame for passing woes?

Tennessee football fans wanted to enjoy an air show against Austin Peay, but the passing attack was mostly grounded.

And they want to know why.

The No. 9 Vols (2-0) were more plodding than explosive in a 30-13 win over Austin Peay (0-2) at Neyland Stadium. They barely attempted a pass downfield and were sometimes stifled by an FCS defense.

Is quarterback Joe Milton to blame? Or the wide receivers? Or coach Josh Heupel or offensive coordinator Joey Halzle? Or someone else?

Those questions filled most of the Week 2 mailbag, as the Vols prepare for their SEC opener at Florida (1-1) on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN).

Questions were submitted by UT fans via our Vols free text group. Let’s dive in.

Why didn’t Joe Milton pass the ball downfield or over the middle?

Austin Peay, like Virginia a week ago, did everything it could schematically to keep UT from going deep behind the secondary.

But that opened up numerous intermediate passes over the middle that would’ve gone for big gains. That’s where UT thrived last season. Milton’s first two pass attempts were those type of routes, but he was off target on both.

Heupel said receivers “over the middle of the football field were wide open, but we didn’t execute.” He said Milton missed a couple of passes and receivers dropped others. Plus, a deep pass would’ve been open, but pass protection broke down.

So blame was shared.

Later in the game, UT settled for short high-percentage passes to find a rhythm, move the ball and secure the win. But Florida won’t be so forgiving.

Milton still finished with solid stats: 21-of-33 passing for 228 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. He also ran for a TD. But the passing game was noticeably limited against an inferior defense.

What happened to Squirrel White?

Wide receiver Squirrel White started and played the whole game. He was targeted by Milton passes eight times, tied with Bru McCoy for the most.

But White had only four catches for 30 yards. He dropped at least one pass, maybe two. It wasn’t his best game.

When UT can utilize a vertical passing game, White is a weapon on post and dig routes over the middle. But when it’s limited to short passes, he catches bubble screens for minimal gains.

His lack of production was a result of the overall struggles of the passing game.

Why doesn’t Dont’e Thornton play over Ramel Keyton?

Granted, Ramel Keyton dropped a deep pass in the opener against Virginia, and he fumbled against Austin Peay.

But Keyton also leads UT with 118 yards receiving, including a team-high five catches for 52 yards and one TD against Austin Peay.

Oregon transfer Dont’e Thornton eventually may play better, but there’s no hard evidence to support that. Thornton hasn’t been smooth in running his routes, and he dropped a pass against Austin Peay.

Thornton was hyped – overhyped, in my opinion – during the preseason. He’s a work in progress with potential to contribute. But Keyton, despite his flaws, is more proven.

After scoring four TDs in Week 1, where was Dylan Sampson?

Running back Dylan Sampson didn’t play much against Austin Peay – only 10 offensive snaps compared to Jaylen Wright’s 30 and Jabari Small’s 26.

But I think that highlights that Sampson will be more of a change-of-pace or situational back rather than interchangeable with Wright and Small.

Against Virginia, Sampson was used frequently around the goal line, and he scored four TDs. But that skewed the perception of his role.

UT has a backfield trio. But Wright is the best ball-carrier, and Small is the best pass-protector. So if any running back loses playing time, it’ll be Sampson.

Is there bad play-calling from the offensive coordinator or Heupel?

Heupel is the primary play-caller. Halzle, the quarterbacks coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator this offseason after Alex Golesh became the coach of South Florida. They design the offense together, along with other assistant coaches.

Play-callers can only be as good as their players and the execution of the play. Neither was good against Austin Peay.

Heupel is one of the best offensive minds in college football, and he called the plays in UT’s win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl – where Milton threw passes to these same wide receivers. So the play-caller isn't the problem.

How long does Heupel stay with Milton over Nico Iamaleava?

It’s not that time yet. And I don’t think that time will ever come.

Milton is far ahead of Nico Iamaleava, the five-star freshman quarterback. Milton understands the offense much better. His passing, at least in practice, is more accurate than Iamaleava. And Milton has valuable experience.

Let's not forget that Milton has tossed 16 TD passes with no interceptions at UT. His receivers have dropped some of his best passes, and preseason All-SEC center Cooper Mays hasn't played yet this season due to injury.

I understand that fans want to see the new shiny toy – in this case, a very talented young quarterback. But he’s the backup for a reason. Iamaleava has his own flaws that must be worked out throughout his freshman season.

If UT loses multiple SEC games that it should win, then Heupel might consider a change. But until then, Milton is UT’s best option.

Should Tennessee fans panic?

You should be concerned about the lack of cohesion on offense.

But you should only panic if you thought it was a foregone conclusion that the Vols would win the SEC East and challenge for a College Football Playoff bid.

However, if you thought UT would win eight, nine or maybe 10 games, then there’s no reason to panic. Most teams go through ups and downs, and the Vols haven’t even played a conference game yet.

Plus, few SEC teams have put their best foot forward so far. Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Alabama are UT’s first four SEC opponents, and they each have one loss.

Granted, they’ve played better teams. But they also showed flaws.

Why is UT wearing Smokey Grey uniforms? Orange and white are our colors.

I’m guessing you’re over 50 years old. That’s not a criticism, just a reasonable assumption.

Disagreements about alternate uniforms usually break along generational lines. Some older fans want to protect traditions, including school colors. Some younger fans aren’t tied to those traditions as strictly and enjoy an occasional different look.

Both are reasonable.

Just keep in mind that many players like alternate uniforms. They’re young and usually don’t have a long history with the school. And alternate uniforms are an easy way to generate revenue with sales of jerseys and T-shirts.

If you want the players happy and more money to flow toward the program, don’t freak out over to an occasional alternate uniform. If not, that’s fine too. Your age has earned the right to complain.

Why is UT using a rugby-style punter? It’s not going to work in the SEC.

It’s not a new thing. Rugby-style punters have been used in college football for years with varied success.

There are pluses and minuses.

The idea is that when a punter rolls out, the defense must pursue him or remain at the line of scrimmage to prevent a fake. That extra time also allows the coverage team to run downfield to cover the punt. And an accurate rugby-style punter can kick the ball along the sideline, where the coverage team has a better chance of pinning down the returner.

If done well, it’s very effective. If done poorly, punts can be blocked, sail out of bounds or kicked too low and therefore returned for big gains.

Jackson Ross’ knuckleball punt caused an Austin Peay fumble, which UT recovered. A week earlier, his punts were short and out of bounds.

So it’s hit or miss. But it's a strategy not a gimmick. We’ll see how well it goes in SEC play.

Were those the worst officials ever?

This was one of the most popular questions.

It seemed like the officials let some things slide – cut blocks outside the tackle box, late hits and more.

And perhaps the worst call of the game was when Austin Peay clearly fumbled, but it was ruled an incomplete pass. It was upheld by video review, which was even more surprising. It should’ve been a recovery by UT linebacker Aaron Beasley.

Ask Austin Peay fans about the officiating, and they’ll likely point to some calls that favored the Vols. That’s just college football.

That being said, an SEC team playing at home should be able to overcome poor officiating.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email[email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.