There was little surprise that the Tennessee defense dominated the young and inexperienced Volunteer offense for much of the afternoon. The young and much criticized Tennessee offensive line showed their inexperience by giving up seven sacks on the day.
 With the sudden departure of fifth year senior quarterback Nick Stephens all eyes were focused on the quarterback battle between junior college transfer Matt Simms and true freshman Tyler Bray. Simms was the quarterback of the orange team while Bray quarterbacked the white team. Throughout spring practice Simms had the leg up on Bray taking more reps with the first team offense. Most people have felt that Simms experience and pedigree would eventually win him the starting job. Matt Simms father, Phil Simms, was a Super Bowl and Pro Bowl winning quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Matt’s older brother, Chris Simms, is currently a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Although Matt Simms struggled throughout the Orange and White Game completing just 12 of his 26 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown. The most alarming stat was his three interceptions. Simms said after the scrimmage "I played Ok. I definitely made some mistakes. I was just happy to get out here and play and see the fans, hear the band play and I'm looking forward to things.’’
Tyler Bray actually outperformed Simms during the Orange and White Game completing 18 of his 40 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown. However, Bray did not throw an interception. Bray’s white team won the game 16-7. Coach Derek Dooley was pleased with Bray’s performance. "I was really pleased with his presence out there. He's really a high school senior. He wasn't nervous or jittery. He performed the way he has been performing all spring, and that says a lot about him. He made some good throws and he missed some throws. He did a good job."
Although Bray outperformed Simms during the game Coach Dooley cautioned everyone to not put too much stock in one scrimmage. “This game is always kind of tough because, especially in our situation, Matt and Tyler are kind of different in the things they do well," Dooley said. "It's hard to really shape a game plan to fit their strengths. That's why you don't want to put too much on this game." It seems the quarterback battle will continue into fall camp.
The crowd of 35,891 was the second largest crowd ever to attend an orange and white game.
Former Tennessee running back Bryce Brown who left the team at the beginning of spring practice and is expected to transfer to Kansas State after the spring semester was on hand for the game sporting a gray shirt and orange athletic pants.
Brown’s counterpart at running back Tauren Poole showed flashes of greatness throughout the game by continually not going down on first contact. Poole finished the day with 50 yards rushing on 12 carries and also added three receptions for 58 yards.
Veteran wide receivers Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones also showed their skill set as they both were consistently able to get open. Jones had six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. While Moore had three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Both receivers are expected to start this fall.
The Tennessee Football team is in a major transition phase and the growing pains of that transition were evident Saturday during the Orange and White Game. However, fans must realize that this team is a work in progress. Defensive end Chris Walker said after the scrimmage, “We're going to come miles from what people saw today.” Let’s hope so. They will need to improve vastly if they hope to compete with the likes of Florida, Alabama, Georgia and LSU on next year’s schedule.
The Tennessee Football team does have a long way to go but the Orange and White Game was a small step in the right direction.

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