KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Butch Jones held his Week 1 press conference on Wednesday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Kendal Vickers and senior tight end Ethan Wolfalso spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
The Vols’ game week officially started on Wednesday as the team had made practice schedule adjustments to prepare for its 2017 season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday, Sept. 4, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Monday will be a great opportunity for our football program to go to Atlanta and play against a very good football team in a great environment at a new stadium,” Jones said. “It’s going to be about our focus and discipline to execute all the things that go into a game. This will be what a game of complementary football is all about. Our possessions will be limited on the offensive side of the football. We have to be able to get off the field, defensively. It will be a great challenge. Field position will play a vital key in the outcome of the game. Our special teams will be big as well. We need everyone to understand their roles and responsibilities, and when we get on the plane to go to Atlanta, everyone will need clearly articulate job descriptions and understanding of the challenges associated with that job.”
Jones described how Tennessee’s offense, defense and special teams will need to be on point to be successful against a Georgia Tech offense that likes to eat the clock.
“It’s a team game, and you look at even the course of last year where you’re playing field position and everything is on your punt team to pooch kick it and get the ball down to the 2-yard line,” he said. “Then you need your defense to force a three-and-out, and you’re playing field position. The regions on the football field — the percentages obviously go up with where the football is. Then the offense is able to get the ball in scoring position and go down and score. What it’s going to be all about is field position. If our offense has to sustain a drive and our defense has been on the field and they need to be on the sideline, that’s complementary football.
Palmer, Smith Ready To Make Impact
There will be several new faces taking the field for the first time on Monday. Jones said that freshman receiver Josh Palmer and freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith are two newcomers who are ready to contribute.
Jones described Palmer’s journey from Brampton, Ontario, Canada to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Rocky Top. The 6-2 Palmer worked hard and finally gained recognition for as a high school senior.
“Their coaches kept saying, ‘this is the guy you want,” he said. “We stayed on him and again, (Palmer showed) resolve and resiliency.”
Wolf said that Palmer has made some amazing plays on the practice field.
“He’s going to be a really special player here,” Wolf said. “I’m excited to see how he does this year and even the seasons to come too.”
Smith, who was ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2017 class, enrolled at UT in the spring and has worked hard to earn playing time. Jones praised Smith work ethic and added that Smith has added toughness to the offensive line.
“I think our older players in that room have really done a good job mentoring him as well,” Jones said.
Wolf said that he was impressed with Smith’s talent and maturity.
“Probably the first time I saw Trey, I knew that he would be contending for a starting spot just because you look at him and he’s everything you want in an offensive lineman: big, strong, smart, athletic, tough,” Wolf said.
Preparing For Cut Blocks
The Tennessee defense has been hard at work preparing for Georgia Tech’s triple option, which is known to feature cut blocking. Vickers said that Jones has spent a lot of time with UT’s defense during training camp, preparing the Vols for the cut blocking they will experience in Atlanta.
“It’s hard to defend for it, but we have to be ready for it and he’s been pressing that on us,” Vickers said.
Additional Quotes:
Butch Jones
(Opening statement)
“Obviously, we are very excited to be in game week. We still have a long ways to go. When you’re preparing for a game like this and think in terms of the structure of a football calendar, today is Monday for our mental clocks and preparation. We gave our players a couple of days off, and then we got back to work yesterday. We had a great lift. Now, all our focus and concentration is on Georgia Tech, and it’s been that way for about a week now.
“Monday will be a great opportunity for our football program to go to Atlanta and play against a very good football team in a great environment at a new stadium. It’s going to be about our focus and discipline to execute all the things that go into a game. This will be what a game of complementary football is all about. Our possessions will be limited on the offensive side of the football. We have to be able to get off the field, defensively. It will be a great challenge. Field position will play a vital key in the outcome of the game. Our special teams will be big as well. We need everyone to understand their roles and responsibilities, and when we get on the plane to go to Atlanta, everyone will need clearly articulate job descriptions and understanding of the challenges associated with that job.
“As we all know, I like to say that the first game is the game of the unknowns. If you look at the trend in college football after first games, it really comes down to a number of key elements. First and foremost is taking care of the football. We have to take care of the football. Ball security is paramount. Special teams will have an impact in this football game. Then you have the mental errors. You have to be disciplined for 60 minutes and block out all the clutter and distractions, and you have to focus on execution and understanding your role and responsibility.
“In terms of the injury situations, Darrin Kirkland Jr. went through surgery today, and it was his meniscus. I’ll know a little more in terms of a timeframe after the press conference. Josh Smith is another individual who actually lifted yesterday. He could possibly be available for the game. He will practice today, and that is a good thing in and of itself just from an experience and leadership factor.
“I know there has been a lot of talks of suspensions. Drew Richmond will not make the trip to Atlanta. He will be suspended for a violation of team rules. If he does everything he needs to do, he will be available for the Indiana State game.”
(On Darrin Kirkland Jr.’s injury and the starting quarterback)
“First with the Darrin Kirkland question, he is out for this game, and I’ll know a little bit more of the timetable later. There’s so much that goes into it and how the surgery went and all those things, so I’ll know a little bit more at a later date. In terms of the quarterbacks, I want them competing. They may compete all the way through pre-game warmups. And I think that’s healthy. Again, I just want them to continue to compete. They’ve done a really good job in their game week preparation, and it’s really just whoever goes out there first, so we’ll know on gameday.”
(On if he feels like both quarterbacks are worthy of playing time)
“I do. I think the circumstances of the game comes into play. What’s your rhythm on offense? How are you doing? This is a game where your possessions are going to be limited. There’s teams that have had 20 plays at halftime. They’ve had seven to eight plays in a quarter. So again, I think it’s the flow of the game more so than the deservingness to play both because they’re both very deserving and have worked exceptionally hard. But I think it’s more the flow of the game, which individual gives you the best opportunity against this particular opponent to win the football game. We have great confidence in both young men.”
(On who will start on the offensive line in place of Drew Richmond)
“The great thing is that we have some players that have played a lot of football for us. Brett Kendrick will be one of the tackles and Marcus Tatum will be the other tackle.”
(On the development of Trey Smith)
“We’ll be starting a couple true freshmen, again they have to compete, it’s still a long week, and they’re still in that mode, but Josh Palmer is another individual who’s going to play a lot of reps for us out on the perimeter of our offense, and then Trey Smith is working exceptionally hard, and I know he’s excited. We actually had to kind of calm him down a bit yesterday, but it brings a whole new element in terms of toughness mentality, and I think our older players in that room have really done a good job mentoring him as well.”
(On Darrin Kirkland Jr.’s injury and the depth at the linebacker position)
“He just got out of surgery, and that’s why I was a little bit late coming down here, so don’t want to comment not really knowing all the facts, so I’ll know a little bit more later. But it’s an opportunity for individuals to step up. Everybody wants to play and earn playing time, well now is your opportunity. There’s an opportunity for somebody to step up and play in a big meaningful game, so again, everything is going to come down to our preparation this week.”
(On Shy Tuttle’s status)
“He’ll be available. He’s going to make the trip to Atlanta, he’ll dress out, he’s going through practice now all the time. The great thing is, today’s Monday in the world of football practice, so we still have a number of practices to see what he can do, but really his progress has been remarkable, and that’s a tribute to him and all of his hard work and dedication of our training staff as well. But we’re never going to put an individual in if we don’t feel he’s ready. That’s not right to do. But he’s done everything that we’ve needed him to do so far at this point in time. It could also be a game time decision as well.”
(On how is Drew handling these last couple of weeks)
“Obviously we are all disappointed, but there isn’t anyone more disappointed than Drew, but there are standards and expectations. He has worked very hard. He has showed up to work every single day. He is working his craft and I know he is looking forward to getting back on the field.”
(On the kicking competition)
“Well to me, that’s as big of a competition as the quarterback competition. Especially in a game like this where points are at a premium and field position is so critical. Aaron Medley is being pushed everyday by Cimaglia. We compete in practice. Everything is charted, not only from a field goal kicking stand point, but also from a kickoff stand point. That is another competition that will go down until game day. Without revealing the game plan, we may kick two kickers based on the distance of the field goal we are attempting. I think the competition has been really healthy for both individuals. I see their consistency and performance continuing to improve. When you get in those areas of the field you have to come away with points, but also a properly placed kick is so important in being a great kickoff coverage team, so we will continue to compete.”
(On Evan Berry’s injury status for week 1)
“Well we expect him to play. Evan is another individual who has worked exceptionally hard to get himself back. He is going to continue to work hard. Again, it is day to day with him, but we do expect him to be available and to play Mondaynight.”
(On Marquez Callaway making the punt returner position his own)
“We’ll you bring up a great point about him wanting to make that position his own. He has great passion for being the punt returner. He is out there every day, early, catching as many punts as he can. He stays after practice. We talk a lot about understanding your job and your role on this football team. He has done a remarkable job at working his craft. He has great confidence in his skill set. I still say catching a punt is one of the most difficult skills in all of sports. When you look at it, you have a four plus second hang time, ten guys coming down to tackle you and it takes so much focus and discipline to be able to catch a punt. When you fair catch a punt, you usually have six or seven guys that are a yard away from you. So much focus goes into that. Those are the things we take for granted unless the ball is on the ground. Marquez has done a really great job at working that craft, so we’re excited to see what he can do back there. He has live game repetitions, which I think helps in this type of environment.”
(On Robertson moving to center from guard)
“He has worked very hard. He has good pad level. We’re still competing there, it could be Coleman Thomas at center and Jashon at guard. That’s the thing, we have a couple more days where everyone can put their football productivity on film. We will play the best five that we feel will give us the best opportunity to win. Like I said, up front, you can never have enough individuals. I don’t look at it as a starting five. I look at is as a starting eight or nine. We have found over the years that with the physicality that is required up front, that you can never have enough capable offensive linemen. We have a lot of individuals that are still competing. Jashon is experienced, he is extremely strong, he plays with good pad level and he is very athletic but Coleman brings some things to the table too. I almost look at it as we have two starting centers, so we have great confidence in him as well.”
(On whether competition for starting positions is positive or negative)
“I think it’s a compliment to competition. It’s these individuals understanding that every day you go out on the football field, you’re putting your football identity on video. We never move an individual up and down the depth chart. They do that in their performance, they do that in the consistency in performance, everything that goes into it. So again, we want these individuals competing, and as we all know, I don’t look at it as a starting 11 or starting 22. We need anyone and everyone, and everyone’s opportunity is going to come. Some individuals may not have a great opportunity in this game, but the next game, and the third game, and the fourth game, they’re given that opportunity. I go back, and I think one of the greatest stories that we have of true freshmen on our football team, that really is resolve and resiliency, is Josh Palmer. I don’t know if anybody truly understands his story. If you talk about a young man who understands competition, he defines it. He grew up in Canada, he’s from Brampton, Ontario, right outside of Toronto. He always dreamt about playing college football. He goes and lives with a family member in Florida, and he goes to St. Thomas Aquinas and he has a one-hour commute, each way, every single day. He has two four and five-star (recruits) ahead of him that had a ton of scholarship offers. We watched him in spring football and we kind of had him on our radar. He didn’t play the first four games of his senior year. Then all of a sudden, unfortunately one individual gets hurt, he goes in there and the rest is history. Their coaches kept saying, ‘this is the guy you want.’ We stayed on him and again, (he showed) resolve and resiliency. That’s what we’re going to need from this football team. If some individuals don’t play, should they be disappointed? Absolutely, because they’re competitors. But also, it’s a long football season, and everything is about how you handle adversity and all that that goes along with that. We’re going to need everyone on this football team throughout the course of the long season.”
(On Darren Kirkland’s mentality following surgery and injury announcement)
“I give that young man a lot of credit. Obviously, football means everything to him, and I know he was looking forward to being out on the field Monday night. It was one of those unusual, bizarre things that happened in practice. Somebody just fell over, and the play was over. It was non-contact, and that’s the game of football unfortunately. He was very disappointed but not discouraged, and I expect him to come back from this and be bigger, be stronger and be better for it. It’s very disappointing obviously, but he means a lot to our football program and to us. He has a great family and they’ll all be there for him, and I expect him to bounce back and be better for it.”
(On complementary football and whether offensive tempo will be similar to last year’s)
“What I mean by complementary football is all three phases complementing each other. It’s a team game, and you look at even the course of last year where you’re playing field position and everything is on your punt team to pooch kick it and get the ball down to the 2-yard line. Then you need your defense to force a three-and-out, and you’re playing field position. The regions on the football field — the percentages obviously go up with where the football is. Then the offense is able to get the ball in scoring position and go down and score. That’s what it’s going to be all about is field position. If our offense has to sustain a drive and our defense has been on the field and they need to be on the sideline, that’s complementary football. (If) we need a three-and-out, or we need to play field position, that’s complementary football in all three phases. We’re going to do what we do, and everything is about managing the game and what gives you the best opportunity to win the game. Sometimes you have a game plan, and as we know, the game of football never goes as you plan it to. So sometimes you have to sub and change, you have to make adjustments on the sideline, you have to make adjustments in terms of your game management, and all that goes into it. Again, they (Georgia Tech) do such a great job of themselves playing complementary football. Everyone talks about their offense, how their offense is very explosive, they possess the football and do a great job that way, but the same is true on the defensive side of the football for Georgia Tech. They don’t give up very many big plays. They make you get bored with the details. Do you have enough patience to get a 4-yard run, then another 4-yard run, and then another 4-yard run. Take a 5-yard hitch, a 5-yard slant, a 5-yard rollout, then being able to beat press man (coverage). They don’t give up many big plays, so they force you to beat them through execution. That’s how they win, they win through execution, and we have to be a disciplined football team to handle all that and match that discipline snap for snap.”
Senior Defensive Lineman Kendal Vickers
(On preparing for Georgia Tech)
“Coach Jones has spent a lot of time with the defense this whole camp, just trying to get us prepared for all of the cut blocking they do. Like I said, it’s hard to defend for it, but we have to be ready for it and he’s been pressing that on us. We’re getting ready for it and we will be ready for it.”
(On losing Darrin Kirkland Jr. and confidence in the guys behind him)
“It’s a big loss losing a guy like that, but we have faith in Colton and some of the other guys that are going to have to step up. We’ve kind of been through this before. We know what to expect. Those guys can put their identity on film and I’m sure they’re going to play well. I have the utmost confidence in them.”
(On Colton Jumper and his progress)
“I think it’s just a confidence factor. The more he played, the more he played well. His confidence got better and better every week. He’s a leader of the defense right now. He’s our mike and I can’t wait to see him play on Monday and I know he’s going to play well.”
(On the offensive line depth)
“I feel like we have a lot of depth at the o-line position. Different guys can do different things on our o-line and I think that once the season starts, we’re going to see the o-line be one of the strong suits of our team. I practice against them every day so I feel like I have a good understanding of what they’re capable of.
“[They’re more] physical as is the physicality of the team really. Our offensive line is especially. Like I said, we go against them every day and it’s always competitive.”
Senior Tight End Ethan Wolf
(On being excited to finally get to play a game after a long fall camp)
“Yeah, we’re all juiced up and ready to go. Camp was long with the new rule change and we got a lot of work done. We stayed healthy for the most part excluding a few injuries here and there, but we got a lot better as a football team. (There was) a lot more time for this young guys that weren’t here for spring to become accustomed to college football. Everybody on a team from all levels, managers all the way up to coaches and definitely the players are excited for this game, and we’re going to go out and give everything we’ve got.”
(On what he’s seen from Josh Palmer)
“Josh is a naturally gifted kid. I didn’t really know much about him until he got out here and started playing. I got to know him a little bit better and he’s a really nice guy as well. He’s from Canada and he’s just a well-rounded kid and to see some of the plays he’s made out there being straight out of high school it’s kind of amazing. He’s going to be a really special player here, I’m excited to see how he does this year and even the seasons to come too.”
(On when he knew Trey Smith could have an immediate impact)
“Probably the first time I saw Trey I knew that he would be contending for a starting spot just because you look at him and he’s everything you want in an offensive lineman: big, strong, smart, athletic, tough. In practice, just seeing him come out every single day; last week we were doing 1-on-1 pass rush and he kind of stoned one of the d-lineman with one hand, and I’m not sure but it looked like he was looking at us and was just kind of like taunting the defensive line. To see a freshman do that you know that he’s going to be there, he’s going to get his job done, and yeah there’s some things that he can improve, and that goes for everybody on our team, but he’s definitely going to be one of the more mature freshmen out there on the field for any team in all of college football I think. We’re excited to see how he translates everything we’ve seen in the weight room and the practice field onto the game field.”
(On how excited he is for Coach Larry Scott’s opportunity to be offensive coordinator)
“It’s an exciting time for him. He’s taken on a brand new role that he didn’t last year and he’s handled it. He’s my (position) coach but I can say that everything that I’ve seen from him he’s doing a great job. He loves the game, he loves what he does and he’s going to put every ounce of effort and time that he has into this and we all see that from the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball, even the specialists. They know that Coach Scott is a very passionate guy and he wants the best for all of us, so I’m excited for him to be calling the plays in the game and doing what he wants to do and what he’s passionate about.”
-UT Athletics
