KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones and redshirt seniors Brett Kendrick and Kendal Vickers spoke to reporters at Monday’s press conference in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC) returns to SEC play this week as the Vols host No. 7/8 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
“We are looking forward to a great challenge and a great opportunity Saturday at3:30 playing the No. 7-ranked team in the country,” Jones said. “If there’s a word that describes them, I would say (it is) complete. They’re complete in all three phases and they go very deep into depth in all three phases.”
The Vols have gone 2-2 against Georgia in the Jones era and each of those four games has been decided by one score. In 2015, the last time the game was played in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs with a 38-31 victory. Last season, Joshua Dobbs‘ 43-yard Hail Mary to Jauan Jennings with time expiring was one of college football’s best plays of the season and lifted Tennessee to a 34-31 win at Sanford Stadium.
“If you look at the past history of these games, they usually come down to the final possession,” Jones said. “Again, having that mindset of whatever it takes to win the football game. It’s going to be a very physical football game and we’re looking forward to it on Saturday.”
Veteran Vols Preparing For Athletic Georgia Team
Kendrick and Vickers are both in their fifth seasons on Rocky Top and, more than anyone, they know the tough test the annual Tennessee-Georgia game presents.
“I take a hard look at the defensive ends,” Kendrick said. “Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter stand out for me. I have a lot of respect for Georgia. They have a really athletic front, and their interior guys are big and strong. The linebackers run well and play well. It’s just like any other SEC game. The front seven will be a challenge, and it is something we have to step up and take care of.”
Vickers and the defense are preparing for a talented Bulldog offense. Georgia is averaging 223.3 rushing yards per game and uses multiple running backs as Nick Chubb (92.8 yards per game), Sony Michel (64.0) and D’Andre Swift (49.0) are all averaging over 40 yards per game.
“They’ve got really great players in the backfield,” Vickers said. “They have a freshman quarterback who’s been making a lot of plays. Their offensive line is very good. They have guys on the outside that can make plays as well, so we just have to come into this week focused and ready to take the task because they’re a good team.”
Checker Neyland For UT-UGA Game
For the fourth-straight season, the fan-led initiative of Checker Neyland will take place for this Saturday’s game against Georgia.
Fans are encouraged to wear orange or white, depending on their seat location. To find out if your section is orange or white, go to CHECKERNEYLAND.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your ticket or CLICK HERE for a seat map. Terrace ticket holders should enter their terrace number (Ter1, Ter2, Ter3, etc.) and do not need to enter a row or seat location. East and West Club ticket holders should enter their club with the respective number (EC1, EC2, WC1, WC2, etc.). UT students can enter their seat as in the section/row/seat number format.
Over the last three seasons, Tennessee fans have created and participated in one of the greatest sights in college football, turning Neyland Stadium into a sea orange and white in UT’s iconic checkerboard pattern.
Peyton Manning To Be Honored, Joined by College Football Hall of Famers On Field and At Vol Walk
Peyton Manning will be honored at halftime on Saturday by the National Football Foundation. The midfield ceremony will serve as the NFF’s official “on-campus-salute” of Manning’s selection to the College Football Hall of Fame. Per Manning’s request, UT’s living College Football Hall of Famers will join him at the recognition and at the Vol Walk. The VFLs include: Doug Dickey, Frank Emmanuel, Phillip Fulmer, Bob Johnson, Chip Kell, Steve Kiner, Johnny Majors and John Michaels (represented by his daughter).
Additional Quotes
Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones
(Opening statement)
“We are looking forward to a great challenge and a great opportunity Saturday at 3:30 playing the No. 7-ranked team in the country. If there’s a word that describes them, I would say (it is) complete. They’re complete in all three phases and they go very deep into depth in all three phases. Sometimes, they even rotate the three different units on defense. Obviously, we know about the number of running backs they play. I think one of the biggest improvements in their football program has been their offensive front. I’ve been very impressed with their offensive line. Again, they’re very deserving of being the seventh ranked team in the country. It’s a great challenge, but also I know our players are looking forward to the great opportunity. It all starts in preparation. If you look at the past history of these games, they usually come down to the final possession. Again, having that mindset of whatever it takes to win the football game. It’s going to be a very physical football game and we’re looking forward to it on Saturday.”
(On updates of quarterback situation after watching film from Saturday)
“I think there’s a lot more pressing topics than the quarterback conversation. I think that’s just something that the average person looks at and says, ‘the quarterbacks.’ If you look at Quinten (Dormady), he was five out of eight in the first quarter and 14 out of 19 in the first half. The play of the quarterbacks is a byproduct of everyone around them. They get too much praise when things go well and too much blame when things don’t go well, but that’s all part of playing quarterback. I thought Quinten did some very good things. Again, every game, whether it’s Jarrett (Guarantano) or whether it’s Quinten, it’s a learning experience.
“We were able to get Jarrett 11 snaps which were invaluable in his growth and development, and they were in some stressful situations, as well. I think they’ll continue to get better, but again, they’re a byproduct of everyone. We had our first third-and-three, and it looks like Quinten’s holding on the football, but we go two deep on the run, and it’s right there. So, there’s a lot of things that go into the quarterback play and a lot of it is dictated by the individuals around them. There’s some things that we have to continue to improve on that we’ll work at, but for the most part, I was pleased. Getting Jarrett those 11 reps was invaluable as well. But we have to be able to run the football, make no mistake about it. We cannot be a one-dimensional football team. We’re not built that way. We have to have great balance, and when you can’t run the football, you’re going to be behind a little bit. If you really look at the storylines from the game, it was second-and-14, second-and-15, second-and-12. We were never ahead of the sticks. You’re not going to have much success if you’re not ahead of the sticks and staying on schedule with the four-yard efficiency that we speak about all the time.”
(On injury status of junior defensive lineman Shy Tuttle and senior offensive lineman Jashon Robertson)
“We fully anticipate them being ready to go. We anticipate just about everyone being ready to go. I’ll know more as the week progresses, but we expect that they’ll be ready to go for this game.”
(On whether lack of energy shown Saturday has been a recurring issue)
“We talk about the different things that make up the structure of our football program, the little things that maybe no one sees until they’re not there, things that embody our football program. It starts first and foremost with energy and passion. I thought it was very lackluster. We had some players that played with some energy and some passion, so it’s not everyone. But it’s what I spoke about postgame. It has been an isolated incident. I think we’ve shown some passion and some energy in the other games, but that’s something that we will not tolerate. We will not go backwards with that. We’ll address that situation, and you can make a lot of excuses for it, but there is no excuse for a lack of passion and energy. For a lot of these individuals, they’re younger players. It’s their first year in the program and they’re going through a lot. They have to understand, you may not be playing much, but you can help the team win in one way, shape, form or another. If you’re not on the field, give them some energy. Stay into the game. You can impact the game regardless if you’re on the field or not. You can impact it in your own way. That’s something that we’ll talk about. I’m going to meet with our freshman today at 2, and make sure they understand the standards and expectations in our program as well.”
(On usage of junior quarterback Quinten Dormady in the run game)
“I think it’s evolving. There’s so many ways to involve a quarterback. It may be with RPO’s (run-pass option). He has a key read attached to it, whether it’s a zone read or whether it’s an RPO. Sometimes, he has to keep the football. There was a couple times where we felt that he should have kept the football. It’s an assignment. It’s just like going through your pass progressions, there’s also a read progression as well.”
(On redshirt senior defensive back Shaq Wiggins’ play vs. UMass)
“I was very pleased with Shaq. I thought he had a whole different mindset and a different level of determination starting last Monday. I like the way he approached practice. He was extremely competitive. He approached everyday like it was gameday. You get on the football field through your week of preparation. I think it showed when he had opportunities during the game. He was very decisive. We are going to continue to need that going forward.”
RS Senior DL Kendal Vickers
(On the lack of passion)
“For me, I always try to go out there and play as hard as I can and play with as much passion as I can. There’s not really an excuse to make for the lack of passion on Saturday. We just got to go out and fix it. It’s on me, and it’s on a bunch of the leaders to help fix that.”
(On what they know about Georgia)
“They’ve got really great players in the backfield. They have a freshman quarterback who’s been making a lot of plays. Their offensive line is very good. They have guys on the outside that can make plays as well, so we just have to come into this week focused and ready to take the task because they’re a good team.”
(On things the team has learned about each other)
“We got a lot of heart, we really do. This team works hard. This team is really close and people don’t really understand that. Just being out there with my brothers every day, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re going to continue to work, we’re going to continue to get better, and it’s a long season. We can really do some special things as a team.”
RS Senior OL Brett Kendrick
(On his thoughts on the run game Saturday)
“I would say the run game was pretty poor, and that is on the offensive line. As a senior lineman, I take that personal. This week of practice has to be huge for us. We have a bunch of guys who work hard every week. We have great backs in John Kelly, Carlin Flis-aime and all of them. We are going to work on it a lot this week and get it fixed.”
(On what catches his eye about Georgia’s defense)
“I take a hard look at the defensive ends. Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter stand out for me. I have a lot of respect for Georgia. They have a really athletic front, and their interior guys are big and strong. The linebackers run well and play well. It’s just like any other SEC game. The front seven will be a challenge, and it is something we have to step up and take care of.”
-UT Athletics
