The storyline of Tennessee football beating the Florida Gators without Cedric Tillman Saturday surrounds the other receivers. After all, Bru McCoy had over 100 yards and a touchdown.

Ramel Keyton had 69 receiving yards and a diving catch on a key 99-yard scoring drive. Jalin Hyatt had over 50 yards. However, Jacob Warren noted that they weren’t the only ones who needed to step up.

“It’s also big for positions like tight end and running back to be able to take some of that heat off of those other guys that are trying to fill the role,” Warren said Sunday during The Vol Report.

Indeed, the tight ends and running backs certainly performed. Jabari Small, who had 90 yards rushing and a score, also had three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Both tight ends went for over 40 yards.

Although Princeton Fant fumbled on the opening drive, he still had five catches for 43 yards, including a key 3rd and 10 catch on that same 99-yard drive. Warren had a 45-yard catch.

“You know you’re losing a big threat on the outside,” Warren said of the need to step up without Tillman. “You know you’re losing a guy that, you know, will either draw a lot of attention or will be given a lot of attention by just how many passes he’s catching.”

That 45-yard catch was almost a score. Warren just needed to make one guy miss. Earlier in the game, he almost had another easy score, but Hendon Hooker just missed him.

Still, on the 45-yard catch, the Vols did go down and score. They were on their own 13-yard line when he caught that pass.

“I’m happy to just make the play,” he said. “It’s good to just be a part of that drive. That was an amazing drive.”

The drive came in the fourth quarter. Tennessee football had just forced a fumble, and they needed to stick in the dagger with a 31-21 lead.

After Warren caught that ball, the Vols were able to march another 42 yards on nine plays to punch in what would be the game-clinching score. Warren said he was prepared for that play.

“We had the play up for a while, and I knew I had the opportunity to come free on it and made a play when it came my way,” he said. 

Few teams can have so many players step up without their biggest weapon in such a huge game. That Tennessee football can do it this quickly into Josh Heupel’s tenure is amazing.

However, as Warren noted, many of the other targets on the offense are Division I caliber players. Also, many were highly recruited.

“It’s kind of just the next man up mentality, and I guess we’re kind of part of that too,” he said. “You see the ball coming our way a lot more, getting more targets, just because of having to spread the ball out a lot more now.”

The game plan, according to Warren, stayed mostly the same. Having Hooker, a Heisman caliber player, at quarterback likely helped with that.

“It’s nothing necessarily that changes,” he said. “It’s just, you understand that one of your biggest threats, if not your biggest threat, is out of the game, so it’s time to start figuring out how we can get the ball out of the perimeter quick.”