KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee redshirt senior wide receiver Jauan Jennings knows the Volunteer football team will play in front of an atmosphere that can only be described as “crazy” on Saturday at Noon against No. 9/8 Florida inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
However, the Murfreesboro, Tenn., native also expects he and his teammates to match the Gators’ energy on the field when the game kicks off.
“The level – it’s going to be is crazy,” Jennings said. “We’re going to have lots of energy. We’ve been having lots of energy since that last game I told you all we were going to come out with energy. This whole team’s ready. We’re fired up. Like I said, it’s a road game, going into ‘The Swamp’ – Florida. How else can you put it? It’s an SEC game. We’re going to go out there and give our all and that’s all that matters.”
The Vols are coming off a 45-0 victory over Chattanooga to move to 1-2 on the season, while Florida will welcome UT with a 3-0 mark and a Top 10 ranking. Tennessee hasn’t won in Gainesville since 2003 and Florida has won over 83 percent of its home games since 1990.
“I know that we’re going to have to have a great week of practice in order to prepare for it,” quarterback Jarrett Guarantano said. “The Swamp’s not an easy place to play in. We know that. We’re going to have to do a lot of communicating during practice and we’re going to have to be very vocal with all our different things – whether it’s hand signals or it’s just me calling out different things that I see.”
Guarantano tossed a career-high three touchdowns last weekend, including his fourth of the season to Jennings, who has emerged as the emotional leader for the Vols this season. He has 99 receptions, putting him one catch away from becoming the 22nd Vol with 100 career grabs.
Following Florida, the Vols face two more Top 10 teams in a three-week span with No. 3 Georgia coming to Neyland Stadium on Oct. 5 and No. 2 Alabama hosting the Vols on Oct. 19. Mississippi State, who just dropped out of the polls, travels to Knoxville on Oct. 12.
Jennings and the rest of the Vols are taking each week, one day at a time and one play at a time. As their head coach Jeremy Pruitt preaches, they are not focused on the scoreboard.
“Literally,” Jennings said. “You go out there and you focus on that one play and only that play. You just collectively bring it together and you bring, collectively, a bunch of good players together, and then once you do that, you look at the end of the game and you can say did you give you’re all or not. Then you go from there.”
Road Vols
Tennessee proved it can win a road game against a ranked team under Pruitt last season when the Vols defeated the No. 21-ranked Tigers at Auburn, 30-24 – also a Noon game.
Guarantano (328 passing yards vs. Auburn), Jennings, senior linebacker Daniel Bituli, redshirt senior Darrell Taylor and senior safety Nigel Warrior have all played in big away games in front of hostile crowds.
Bituli and the rest of the Vol veterans plan to tell UT’s younger players to stay calm and trust their coaching.
“Just playing within yourself and just focusing on that,” Bituli said. “We obviously go into the games really prepared with Coach Pruitt and his coaching staff doing a great job. We’ve just got to trust ourselves and know that we can make those plays”
Jennings didn’t play in the Vols’ 26-20 loss in their last trip to Florida in 2017 as he was injured. He did throw a touchdown pass to Joss Dobbs in “The Swamp” as a true freshman in 2015, however. He also caught the go-ahead touchdown against the Gators in the 38-28 win in Neyland Stadium in 2016.
“I’m definitely excited,” Jennings aid. “It’s been a minute since I’ve been in ‘The Swamp’. To go back brings a whole lot of memories back and I just can’t wait to compete.”
Tennessee Player Media Availability Transcription (Sept. 17)
Jauan Jennings, Sr. WR
On if he’s excited to playing at Florida on Saturday:
“Definitely. I’m definitely excited. It’s been a minute since I’ve been in ‘The Swamp’. To go back brings a whole lot of memories back and I just can’t wait to compete.”
On how he would describe his play so far this season:
“I’ve made a few plays, but I just want to get better each week, as the games go. Like I said, BYU week – that was round two. This is round four and I’m just coming out to do the best that I can and to the best of my ability.”
On how Jarrett Guarantano bounced back on Saturday:
“He’s definitely bounced back and he’s ready to go. JG, I tell him every time that he’s the leader of this team. We need him, and he’s been vocalizing his leadership on this team. He’s ready to play. I tell him all the time – I’ve got his back and he’s got mine. So, no worries there.”
On how the team can get through a tough stretch in the schedule:
“One play at a time. Literally. You go out there and you focus on that one play and only that play. You just collectively bring it together and you bring, collectively, a bunch of good players together, and then once you do that, you look at the end of the game and you can say did you give you’re all or not. Then you go from there.”
On how the energy is going into Saturday’s game at ‘The Swamp’:
“It’s going to be crazy. The level it’s going to be is crazy. We’re going to have lots of energy. We’ve been having lots of energy since that last game I told you all we were going to come out with energy. This whole team’s ready. We’re fired up. Like I said, it’s a road game, going into ‘The Swamp’ – Florida. How else can you put it? It’s an SEC game. We’re going to go out there and give our all and that’s all that matters.”
Jarrett Guarantano, R-Jr. QB
On how much the win against Chattanooga will help him moving forward:
“A lot. We were having different meetings last week. We kind of had a different setup and going through the meetings and going through different things last week – it actually helped me last week.”
On the team’s excitement level this week:
“It’s very high. I know that we’re going to have to have a great week of practice in order to prepare for it. The Swamp’s not an easy place to play in. We know that. We’re going to have to do a lot of communicating during practice and we’re going to have to be very vocal with all our different things – whether it’s hand signals or it’s just me calling out different things that I see.”
On playing with a rotating offensive line each week:
“I knew that it was going to be like this going into the season. It’s really not my call. I trust and believe in Coach Chaney and Coach Friend. I think they’re always going to put out the best five.”
On how the different setup for meeting helped him last week:
“We tried to dig deep into each other’s minds – myself and Coach Chaney. I think that we did a good job with it. It was very effective. Every single play, we had a thought process through it and we went through it. I think that it helped me a lot and it also helped him get into my mind.”
Daniel Bituli, Sr. LB
On the importance of discipline when facing the Florida offense:
“It’s really important. We’ve got to come in and watch some film as much as we can. We know Coach (Dan) Mullen has a history with Coach Pruitt. They’ve been going at it for a couple of years. We’ve got to listen to Coach Pruitt this week on the things that we get during the game. We’ve just got to prepare and gain that confidence that we need.”
On what he tells the younger players when going into an SEC road game:
“Just staying calm and just using your attributes to go out there and make some plays. With me being in there, I’ll be able to handle setting the front and making all these adjustments. So, just playing within yourself and just focusing on that. We obviously go into the games really prepared with Coach Pruitt and his coaching staff doing a great job. We’ve just got to trust ourselves and know that we can make those plays”
On what makes Darrell Taylor go off in big games:
“He’s a real competitive guy. He goes hard each and every day. He’s one of those guys that, even if we don’t have an assigned workout, he’s in there in the workout room doing a quick pump because he obviously takes care of his body. He just wants to go out there and make some plays for the team as much as he can. We all see that on Saturdays.”
On much pride he takes in getting the defense set up:
“A lot of pride. We’re the engine of the defense. We’ve got to get everything set up, so just getting the front set up as fast as possible so we can read the whole offensive formation is really important to us and we take pride in that.”
On how much easier it is to communicate on the road:
“It’s really good. With it being quiet on third downs, we can communicate better than we can in Neyland Stadium when it’s really rocking. Coach Pruitt can make some adjustments on the sideline and we can hear him. So, just being able to have that quietness to go out there on defense is really good and we really don’t mind it.”
Theo Jackson, Jr. DB
On the importance of forcing five turnovers against Chattanooga:
“Every week Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt harps on getting turnovers. Since the first two games, when we only came up with one, he really emphasized that we, against Chattanooga, needed to get more turnovers. He challenged us to get five and we got five. So, this week with conference play starting, we really need to get more turnovers to create better situations for ourselves.”
On having Daniel Bituli back:
“It’s always good to have a veteran player back. It created some comfort up front for the players, and it was just good to have him back.”
On his message to young guys playing conference games for the first time:
“I would say take care of your body and get into film as much as possible, because any little mistake can cause a big play or something to go against you.”
On preparing to play against the speed of Florida:
“Every guy is fast. On every other team, they have some fast guys, but with Florida everybody has decent or good speed, so we just have to play faster and harder against them.”
Brandon Kennedy, R-Sr. OL
On what makes Florida’s pass rush effective:
“Well, I think it’s important that we just have to prepare for everything in the game as far as our run and pass.”
On what stands out about Florida’s defense:
“Obviously, up front they’re pretty stout, they have a good defense, and I think they’re fundamentally sound.”
On what kind of statement the offensive line could make against Florida:
“I think it’s very exciting starting SEC play. Every game that we play in the SEC is a big game, so I’m just excited.”
On how the offensive line has improved from the first game until now
“I think just not making the little mistakes as far as communication is where we improved at the most.”
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