Tennessee Football: What Vols Need to See from Joshua Dobbs in Bowl Game

It's time for Tennessee sophomore quarterback Joshua Dobbs to take the next step forward for the Volunteers football program.

If he does, the Vols are going to follow him from the wilderness of the also-rans to the cusp of the national picture exiting the 2014 season and gearing toward a bright '15.

Just earning a spot in Friday's TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa was a step forward for UT, but the game against the Hawkeyes is a watershed moment for Dobbs and the program. If he's truly the savior some have anointed him, he needs to respond on this stage.

There are few major collegiate football players who deal with the academic workload that the aerospace engineering major does during the regular season. So, with nothing to focus on during the holiday break but football, UT is hoping to see a breakthrough in Dobbs' understanding of the game.

The fact that he's definitively "The Man" behind center for the Vols has helped him grow, too, UT offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian told ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf:

"

Where he benefited tremendously was just from gaining the extra reps that go along with being a starter. Any player is going to improve as they get more and more reps, but in Josh's case in particular, he seems to improve at an even higher rate than others when a high volume of reps is afforded to him.

"

But where are the biggest areas of improvement the Vols want to see from Dobbs when he takes the field in Jacksonville?

Another Level of Leadership

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Tennessee is unequivocally Dobbs' team. Now, he just needs to take it and run with it.

Nobody is suggesting that the sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia, hasn't taken huge leadership strides. His command of the huddle and the sideline was evident in his time as a starter.

It's impossible to dispute the way he carried Tennessee on his back in a wild-and-wacky 45-42 comeback, overtime victory over South Carolina that wound up one of the SEC's best individual performances of the season.

Or, when things looked dire for the offense against Vanderbilt, how he single-handedly provided enough through the air and especially with his feet to help the Vols squeak out a 24-17 win to get bowl-eligible.

But there's another gear that the great ones have. While nobody expects Dobbs to be Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel or Tim Tebow, he does have some elite skills. The comparisons to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson have merit.

Though on a much smaller scale than Wilson, Dobbs has shown a similar sixth sense when plays break down or with games on the line. When those times come, any team needs to be able to look to their quarterback for answers, and that's what Dobbs must continue to provide.

UT offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said Dobbs has shown that in practice, but will it emerge during the game?

Just because Dobbs seems nice and bookish doesn't mean the drive he obviously has in every facet of his life can't manifest itself as some fiery leadership. Being even-keeled isn't a bad thing, but if Dobbs can display an "alpha" mentality Bajakian spoke of, it will be good news for the Vols.

Consistency

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The leadership jump is something that may not be visible to the naked eye during the game, but the biggest tangible element Tennessee fans should look for when evaluating Dobbs is consistency.

Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances around him that can impede that development (such as a poor offensive line), but just because Dobbs burst onto the scene and led UT to a bowl doesn't mean he's faultless.

His mechanics and decision-making skills are often lacking, and his accuracy isn't anywhere near as sharp as it needs to be for him to sustain success on a down-to-down basis against a quality opponent.

Granted, he also needs the time to make those decisions, but regardless, he's going to have to improvise and work with what he has. One minute, he'll make a dynamic, "how-did-he-do-that" play, and the next, he'll overthrow a wide-open receiver.

His flashes of brilliance are scintillating, however. He just has to keep working on doing more than flashing. This is an ideal game for him to take over. Iowa's lack of defensive speed has made them susceptible to mobile quarterbacks this season.

While Tennessee fans are just thankful for somebody who occasionally keeps the football on a read-option play, Dobbs actually has the mobility to make things happen. More reps are going to help him improve on his knowledge of when to keep and when to hand off the ball.

If Dobbs can work on those fundamental flaws, the sky is the limit for his immense potential.

Dobbs told Ostendorf in the story linked above:

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Coach just wants me to make the routine plays as any coach does. He wants to push me every day, and he wants me to get better. Obviously, I want to make every play that's given to me, so my job is to go out and execute the offense and execute the plays that Coach Bajakian calls and do it to the best of my abilities.

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Then, maybe you won't see the vast discrepancy in statistics Dobbs suffered during the four games to end the season.

Versus	Passing Yards	Rushing Yards	Total Touchdowns	Turnovers
South Carolina & Kentucky	598	214	9	1
Missouri & Vanderbilt	287	104	3	4

Part of the reason for the gulf in numbers during those games is the quality of defenses UT played, but Dobbs wasn't as sharp, either. He has to be more accurate and more consistent.

Better Offensive Grasp

Wade Payne/Associated Press

Finally, it was evident Bajakian was limited in play-calling when Dobbs was in the game versus earlier in the season when Justin Worley was healthy.

Yes, Dobbs is a much better fit for Jones' zone-read option offense, and his mobility is a major asset that benefited the line greatly when he was sacked only 12 times during his five games versus the 29 times Worley was dropped in the first seven.

But he also didn't quite have as firm of a grasp of the offense.

Consistency comes with comfort, so this needed improvement goes hand-in-hand with the one above. When you know the offense, it's easier to focus on things such as repeating mechanics, reading through progressions and trusting receivers to run the routes they're expected to.

If Dobbs has developed the way he needed to over the last month, UT should be able to implement more diverse passing concepts and open the offense a bit more than it could during the season.

Though UT will probably have some new wrinkles, one thing they won't do is what Bajakian jokingly mentioned to GoVols247's Wes Rucker:

Volquest.com's Paul Fortenberry told HawkCentral.com's Chad Leistikow what Dobbs has brought to the fanbase is immeasurable:

"This Tennessee fanbase, honestly, couldn't be more excited," he said. Later, Fortenberry notes that Dobbs "has changed absolutely everything they've been able to do on offense."

All of that is true. Dobbs has revolutionized UT's offense and rejuvenated the team, and he has done all that with really a limited knowledge of the offense and fewer game reps than most sophomores.

Now that he's had some time where the only engineering he studied was the inner-workings of Iowa's defense, the expectations for Dobbs will soar. He needs to take a big step in the positive direction. If he does, Tennessee could be well on its way to contending next year.

All statistics gathered from UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.