is it saturday yet?

There’s a reason Tennessee used to be known as Wide Receiver U.

The Vols cranked out explosive deep threats in the passing game the way the Hawaiian Islands did world-class surfers.

That pipeline to the NFL has slowed somewhat over the years, but it looks like it’s about to pick back up with the game-changing tandem of Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson making an early claim to being the two best receivers in the SEC.

“It’s like being a kid in a candy shop with two guys like that to throw to,” Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray said. “You drop back and know that nine times out of 10 the defense isn’t going to be able to cover them both.”

The Vols’ passing game was supposed to be a three-headed monster this season, but Da’Rick Rogers was dismissed from the team in August after failing multiple drug tests.

Rogers led the SEC with 67 catches last season and was second with 1,040 receiving yards.

But in Patterson, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior college transfer who’s been clocked at 10.3 in the 100 meters, the Vols have essentially replaced Rogers with somebody who’s just as big, just as sure-handed and even faster. (via)