Tennessee Vols' Bru McCoy fulfills a promise to his mother on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium
The past 14 months have been a rollercoaster for Tennessee Vols WR Bru McCoy, but it was one that ended on a high note on Saturday during the Vols' 56-0 win over UTEP on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium. McCoy pulled down 4 catches for 37 yards with 2 touchdowns, his first two of the season. […]
The past 14 months have been a rollercoaster for Tennessee Vols WR Bru McCoy, but it was one that ended on a high note on Saturday during the Vols' 56-0 win over UTEP on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium. McCoy pulled down 4 catches for 37 yards with 2 touchdowns, his first two of the season.
It was a day that proved to be particularly fulfilling for McCoy, and not just because the Vols rolled to reach win #9 and stay in the thick of the college football playoff hunt. McCoy was able to deliver on a promise to his mother by reaching the end zone in what was more than likely his final game ever in Neyland Stadium.
"It was really cool, it was really special for me," McCoy said. "I told my mom that I was going to get in the end zone, so I had to make sure that she saw that. Yeah, it was awesome."
McCoy caught the first of his two scores with 8 seconds left in the half, rising up and coming down with a toe tap to push Tennessee's lead to 28-0 at the half. Bru ran down towards the players' family section following the score.
McCoy turned in his second score early in the second half on a slant pattern (which is criminally underused in Josh Heupel's offense) in the red zone.
QB Nico Iamaleava admitted that, while Bru hasn't been on him to get him in the end zone, it's been a goal of his during the season, and he was happy to finally deliver.
"No, sir. No, not at all man," Nico said in response to a question about whether Bru has been giving him a hard time. "I've been trying to get him in the end zone this whole year, so I'm glad we finally got him two today, and yeah, I hope it continues on the rest of the season."
McCoy's 2023 ended in heartbreaking fashion. The veteran wideout suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle injury against South Carolina on September 30, which led many to wonder if he'd played his final down inside Neyland Stadium. As it turns out, that wasn't the case, as McCoy announced he was returning and spent the offseason rehabbing for one more year on Rocky Top.
Now, in likely his final game in Knoxville (depending on how the playoff shakes out), McCoy showed his prowess in the passing game that he'd possessed before he injured his ankle. It didn't matter what had happened in the first 10 games. It didn't matter that McCoy and Nico haven't been able to get on the same page.
What mattered was that McCoy had made his way back from an ambulance to the training rooms to the practice field to the game field and finally, once again, back to the checkerboard end zones where he belonged.
Just as he promised his mother he would reach.
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