KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With a season-opening victory under its belt to begin the Josh Heupel era, Tennessee football turns its attention to Saturday and the program’s upcoming non-conference matchup with Pittsburgh. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, running backs coach Jerry Mack and select offensive players met with media Tuesday to discuss the team’s preparations for the Panthers.
Banks is game planning for a familiar opponent this week, as he squared off against Pitt four years in a row from 2016-19 during his previous stint at Penn State.
“(Pat) Narduzzi and those guys, that whole Pitt program has done a great job since those guys have been there,” Banks said. “It starts with the quarterback (Kenny Pickett). He is obviously an experienced guy. He’s played a lot of ball. He’s athletic and seems to be able to make all the plays.
“They’ve got good skill around him and a good offensive line. They look like all the teams we have seen in the past. Our kids understand it’s going to be a great challenge with those guys rolling in here and we are going to put our best foot forward to have a chance to come out victorious.”
Mack echoed Coach Heupel’s Monday comments, emphasizing Pitt’s strength and experience on the defensive line. The Vols put up 331 rushing yards in the season opener vs. Bowling Green and look to carry momentum from that performance into Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
“When I see Pitt’s defense, I see physicality and (a group that is) fundamentally sound,” Mack said. “I told guys earlier, when (Pitt is) supposed to take it on with a correct shoulder, that is what they will do. If they are supposed to fit the gap, they will fit that gap. They don’t miss a lot of open-field tackles, which is a compliment. You can see where they have been one of the best defenses at stopping the run in the country the last few years.
“I challenged (our players) to go out there and run the ball physical like we did last week, and then when we get a chance to get those explosive plays and one-on-one tackles with safeties and linebackers, we have to make somebody miss.”
Tennessee (1-0) and Pittsburgh (1-0) will kick off at noon Saturday in Neyland Stadium and will be nationally televised on ESPN. The matchup has been dubbed as the “Johnny Majors Classic,” named in honor of the late legendary head coach and player. Tickets for the game, as well as season tickets and mini plans are available on AllVols.com.
Video and full transcript from Tuesday’s coach and player media availability can be seen below.
Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
On Theo Jackson’s career-high in tackles against Bowling Green…
“Hats off to Theo, I did not know he had a (career) high or any of that stuff to be honest – that’s awesome. Theo has done a great job all of camp. He has been the same guy since we got here in the spring. His level of preparation is a model for the young players to look at. It’s no surprise he played well. I think as he continues to grow and learn the system, the sky is the limit, because of the way he goes about his business, day in and day out. He is a wonderful kid and loves to play the game of football.”
On how he graded his players…
“Appearances can be a deceitful thing. We try to grade them hard. I was pleased, obviously the way we played, in terms of our effort. That is the first thing we talk about, as cliché as it may sound, you see a lot of first games and the adrenaline is so high, guys don’t play as hard, they think they’re playing hard, but they’re not. I thought our guys played extremely hard. I thought we minimized some mistakes but, trust me, we have things obviously we want to fix and make sure we execute at a higher level. Overall, I think we played a pretty clean game.”
On the consistency of all three levels of defense…
“Again, it is hard to be pleased with every aspect. I think there are still some plays we obviously left on the field and things we think we can do better. I will say it again, I was pleased with our effort and our competitive nature. These are the things we’ve got to take everywhere we go whether we are playing at Neyland or on the road. We got to play with great effort and great attention to detail, I thought those guys did that. There are things we need to do better, things we wished we had done better. Moving forward we are trying to get those things addressed and make sure we do a better job of it next game.”
On assessing tackling and the play of the front four…
“I thought our front four played hard. For us to go where we need to go, they got to play hard, that’s the expectation, and I thought they lived up to it. I thought our tackling was solid. I still think we left some plays on the field in terms of our tackling, but I think because we played hard and because the guys were pursuing, I thought it eliminated some glaring missed tackles. We can always tackle better, and we will.”
On a less complicated defense from last year…
“It is hard to answer that question because I am not sure what they did, or how they did it last year. I know for us we want to play extremely fast and being able to play fast, the guys can’t do a lot of thinking. We want to be able to play offense on defense and the only way to do that is if the kids understand very clearly what they are trying to get done. We worked our tail off to try to put those guys in those types of positions. We got to continue to do it week in and week out.”
On his experience facing Pitt while at Penn State…
“First off, (Pat) Narduzzi and those guys, that whole Pitt program has done a great job since those guys have been there. It starts with the quarterback. He is obviously an experienced guy. He’s played a lot of ball. He’s athletic and seems to be able to make all the plays. He hasn’t changed since we obviously saw him at the other place. They’ve got good skill around him and a good offensive line. They look like all the teams we have seen in the past. Our kids understand it’s going to be a great challenge with those guys rolling in here and we are going to put our best foot forward to have a chance to come out victorious. We are working at it. As far as a game plan, we are going to play at our strengths and utilize our guys to the best of our ability based on the scheme we have in place.”
On playing four different line backers against Bowling Green…
“We like to play as many guys as we possibly can, based on the guys who have earned that opportunity. I thought those guys were solid and they will be the first ones to tell you that they left some plays out there on the field. We are working very hard to make sure when the opportunity presents itself again, we will be able to capitalize on it. Ultimately, I thought those guys did a good job and we will continue to play as many guys (as possible), in terms of how much they earn it. If they earn it, they play. If they don’t, they won’t. Those guys earned that opportunity last week and continue to work to try to get that same opportunity this week.”
On Juwan Mitchell’s play and the corners…
“Juwan played hard. He didn’t have as much production, but at the end of the day, he did his job. I thought he commanded the defense and did a great job making sure the front was lined up properly. He didn’t have any (missed assignments) that stick out in my head right this second. Overall, I thought he played a solid game. As far as the rest of the backers, like I said earlier, those guys did a pretty good job and as they continue to grow, they will get better.
“I thought the corners were solid. We grade them really hard, footwork, technique. I think we have some things from a technique standpoint we will continue to work on. Those guys want to be better, they want to be good players. We enjoy coaching those guys because they take coaching. I thought for the most part, they tried to be physical when they were in press, tried to read their keys when they were off coverage. I wasn’t displeased, but I understand there is still some work to be done there as well.”
On DL Elijah Simmons play…
“Again, I hate to be cliché, but we will work as we go. We like what he is doing, as we like a lot of the front guys and how hard they’re playing. Every week is a new week, every week is a new opportunity, so to predict where he will be three weeks from now, I can’t do that. All I know is that he is working extremely hard and giving himself an opportunity to get better. As long as he is doing that, I feel good with the direction the whole defense is going, to be quite honest with you. Based on how hard those guys are playing up front, and our front seven, then, as we talked about, the DBs.”
On defensive substitutions to stay fresh…
“You would like to play as many guys as you possibly can, you realize they are going to score a ton of points (on offense). We will have a lot of opportunities to play defense, so we look forward to that, those guys want to play defense. The guys that earn an opportunity to get on the field, we want to get them out there. Linebacker, defensive line, defensive back, we don’t necessarily worry about how fast we’re going, we will play a lot of reps because of how good they are, but at the end of the day, if they are earning an opportunity, we will get them in there regardless.”
On LB Jeremy Banks performance…
“Jeremy plays hard. He is a see-ball, get-ball type of guy. He started to understand schematically what we’re trying to get done and as he continues to grow within the system, I think you will see more flashes because he is definitely athletic, definitely has the want-to, but he is a work-in-progress, and he knows that. I was pleased with how hard he played.”
On specifics of the Pitt attack…
“They’ve got a lot of skill. Skill guys that are running backs that have been there a long time. Those guys have played a lot of football for them, and they are really big up front. We will have our hands full. We understand what the expectation is in terms of the physicality those guys will try to play with and we will have to try to match that and play with the same energy and edge, but overall, they are a veteran offensive group and they have played together for a long time. We have to play hard and work hard to execute and make sure we are doing our job. They are a good offense, a very experienced offense.”
Running Backs Coach Jerry Mack
On what he liked about the running backs against Bowling Green…
“I talked to our guys about playing violent and playing physical the entire game. One thing that jumped out and really impressed me was the physicality and the violence they ran the football with. We knew there were going to be vertical seams and did a good of pressing and attacking those seems when we had the opportunity to. As you go back and watch the film, they had the chance to bounce runs and get to the safeties. Those are the things we talked about, making one defender miss. That’s our one job in the run game, making the one free hitter miss. That’s one thing we did a great job of.”
On talking to Jaylen Wright about having patience and letting plays develop…
“A lot of times when you get young freshmen in there, they get excited, and their adrenaline starts pumping inside Neyland Stadium. He just got a little anxious. Once the game started, he started to calm down and know what his role was and some of the things he could do. We brought him to the sideline. We have talked extensively the last few days, and I think you’re going to see a different Jaylen Wright going forward. The bright lights probably got him excited a little bit, but I think one of the main things was just calming him down a little more when he came back to the sideline. He was a little uncharacteristic of the Jaylen Wright I saw during camp, especially the back half of camp, but I think he will recover and be fine.”
On how he felt the running backs handled pass protection…
“If there’s any area that we could improve in, I think that is the No. 1 thing we can improve. There were certain situations where our eyes were in the wrong place or, for whatever reason, we were late getting to certain people or just let a guy freely come through. As you look at it over the next couple of days, that is one thing we will constantly try to improve on. We have to make sure that we are sound, and it’s our job and responsibility to keep the quarterback upright. The one thing we have to improve on is the protection piece.
“It was a little bit of a surprise because of the person it came from. Sometimes, it was Jabari (Small), and sometimes, it was coming from Tiyon (Evans). They shared their role in terms of missed assignments. Jabari has not played a ton of football, so he was trying to get used to the speed of the game. With Tiyon, that was his first game ever in that environment, so it’s something he will have to get used to as well.”
On how he feels about the rotation of running backs and what stands out about Pitt’s defense…
“I like the rotation a lot. I like the way they balance each other. When they needed a blow, they allowed me to get them out. They knew when they were too tired and tapped out, so we brought a fresh body in. I liked that guys aren’t being selfish and understand, ‘If I can’t go, I need my teammate to take the load off me.’ That was one of the things I liked a lot. We had a good balance and good transition going back and forth.
“When I see Pitt’s defense, I see physicality and (a group that is) fundamentally sound. I told guys earlier, when (Pitt is) supposed to take it on with a correct shoulder, that is what they will do. If they are supposed to fit the gap, they will fit that gap. They don’t miss a lot of open-field tackles, which is a compliment. You can see where they have been one of the best defenses at stopping the run in the country the last few years. That is one of the things we are going to have to do. I challenged us to go out there and run the ball physical like we did last week, and then when we get a chance to get those explosive plays and one-on-one tackles with safeties and linebackers, we have to make somebody miss.”
On Marcus Pierce Jr. seeing action in the fourth quarter…
“I think Marcus has done a great job. If you go back to spring football, (he is) a guy that really makes it important. He is really diligent in the way he studies the film and the way he attacks and approaches the game every week. That is what allowed him to get those reps in the game. We had a nice lead and we felt like we had the opportunity to get those guys who had already carried the load a blow. Marcus deserves every carry that he gets, and when he got in the game, he showed what he could do. That is what we expect. You never know when your number may get called. He created an opportunity for himself, and he took advantage of it.”
On Tiyon Evans’ first performance…
“The violence that he ran the ball with definitely didn’t surprise me. That was what we had been seeing all through camp, with how physical he was. He has a strong lower body and was able to drag some piles for a few more yards. Especially yards after contact was one of the things we liked so much. One of the things that did impress me, and I was kind of shocked, was that he was able to make some safeties miss in space. He hasn’t been able to do that a whole lot in camp, for whatever the reason may be, but he went out there Thursday night and showed that he does have the ability to make the open-field tackler miss.”
On the factors that go into having two running backs on the field at the same time…
“I think it’s more about whatever the defense presents for the week. From a personnel standpoint, we know that we have three really good (running backs). We feel like it’s just about whatever the defense presents and creating mismatches. Sometimes, the defense for the week will allow us to (use two running backs). Sometimes, we will have different directions that we want to go in with our game plan. We are just always trying to come up with those creative ways. From a situation where we play with tempo, how do we get those guys in the personnel group that Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach (Alex) Golesh wants to be in for the week. It just really depends on the defense week to week.”
On what he saw that led to Jabari Small’s success…
“I think just getting used to the flow of the game. One thing about Jabari is that he hasn’t played a ton of football here, and as he keeps going more and more and getting more experience, you’re going to see a better version of him. He was able to catch a pass last week out of the backfield. That is one skillset that is going to continually get utilized as we continue to go forward: his pass-receiving abilities. Also, just the way he runs the ball and the way he is able to get through those short, small areas. One thing that he impressed us with was the third-down opportunities, where he had to cram it in there and get those tough yards right then. It’s probably a little uncharacteristic of what a lot of people think he is, but he is a tough, physical runner, as well, and when those opportunities present, he just goes.”
On what factors lead to long runs…
“It all starts up front. Coach (Glen) Elarbee has done a great job with our offensive line and putting those guys in position to be violent and physical. Some of those guys were player of the week internally with our football team. One thing you can see, they created those seams and those holes to allow those backs to run through. After they did their job, it’s up to us. When we get to the second or third level, it’s up to us to showcase our abilities – some of those guys have a natural God-given ability – to make those people miss and then deliver your pads. I like the physicality that those guys play with. That is what really impressed me. Some of those guys have been sore ever since the game ended, but I think when they look at the stat sheet and see the win and what their productivity was, it was well worth it.”
Player Quotes
Sophomore RB Jabari Small
On his assessment of the season opener…
“I think the whole team, we did a good job of pushing our tempo. You know what I mean, those first-game jitters, just getting out there and seeing how we gel together. As far as my performance, I wasn’t too pleased with it. I think that’s just the competitive nature in me, but I feel like the whole team, we did a good job of gelling, creating that chemistry to get better throughout the season.”
On Joe Milton III’s positive attributes…
“Definitely his arm strength, his poise. He’s very poised. He’s a leader. He’s vocal. He brings a physical presence to the run game also. They’ve got to account for him in the run game. He’s an outstanding athlete, so I’m happy to be in the backfield with him.”
On what it will take to face Pittsburgh’s stingy run defense…
“Playing physical and playing low, having a tight track, staying honest. Take those 3- or 4-yard gains, and then it’ll eventually open up. If not, just keep running hard and get the yards we can get.”
On his advice to Jaylen Wright after the season opener…
“Just keep pushing. It was the first game. We all, the whole running back room, we have to improve and get better. He’s a freshman, but he’s very talented. Everybody’s timing is different. He’s going to be good.”
Redshirt Junior WR Cedric Tillman
On his 40-yard touchdown catch vs. Bowling Green…
“It was kind of a broken play, kind of a scramble. We work on scramble drills at practice, so when I turned, I just had a good feeling that Joe (Milton) was going to throw it and when he threw it, I was like ‘yes’, and he just gave me an opportunity to make a play, so that’s what I try to do.”
On the team’s first game in the up-tempo offense…
“I think it worked really well. After our game I was watching other football games and was like, ‘man they’re going so slow’, so now I’m pretty much used to it, and I think it’s good for us.”
On if he prefers when defenses play press coverage…
“Yeah, like I said, whatever look they try to give me I kind of just try to play my game. If you’re in front of me pressing, playing shadow technique, zone, I’m going to just try to find a way to get open and make plays for my team.”
Senior OL Jerome Carvin
On having to slide over to play center and the adjustment to doing so mid-game…
“It was good. It’s always good to bump over and play center. It talks to my versatility, being able to play guard and play center. The coaches always harp on it, being versatile, playing multiple positions (and) cross training, so just did a good job on that. Adjusting, first half (I) was kind of shocked at first and then got comfortable and kept rolling.”
On Ollie Lane coming in at left guard and how he played…
“Ollie played well, especially coming in just like that. He did a really good job. Ollie’s been here for a long time, so it was great to finally see him in there playing some quality reps.”
On the fast start to the second half against Bowling Green…
“All of our coaches came back with great adjustments, and they drew it up just how we should be blocking it and we went and actually executed. So, I feel like that’s the main thing that we harped on and that’s why I think we did well coming out in the second half.”
On Pittsburgh’s defense, specifically their defensive front…
“They play hard. They’re a physical group, a very good group. We have a very big challenge in front of us and we’re ready to step up to the plate and accept it.”
-UT Athletics
