The line for the 90th Anniversary of RodeoHouston has been announced – and it includes a bunch of country music stars.
Starting February 28th and running until March 20th, fans can head to Texas to see Cody Johnson, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Brad Paisley, and George Strait, with special guest Ashley McBryde.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community.
Since its beginning in 1932, the Rodeo has committed more than $550 million to Texas youth and education.
It was a decade after RodeoHouston started that it also became a premiere stop for artists – when in 1942 Gene Autry became the first nationally known performer to headline the entertainment part of the event.
This year’s lineup is a who’s who of entertainment superstars across several genres of music.
Tickets for RodeoHouston go on sale January 13th.
Photo Courtesy of Cody Johnson, George Strait, Parker McCollum/Kimmel Live
Originally Dierks Bentley was scheduled to kickoff his Beers On Metour in Canada this week, but due to circumstances, the tour will now start next month on February 4th, in Missoula, Montana.
So, when your plans change – what do you do if you’re Dierks Bentley?
You bring back “the ‘stache”!
Sharing a picture from his studio, Dierks says “Using the unexpected time off to dig deep into this album I’ve been working on for over a year now. Cant wait to get it out in 2022. Hope your new year is off to agood start.”
Dierks also added, “the ‘stache is back! Thoughts??!”
While people might be torn on their opinion of his facial hair, everyone is on board for a new album!
It’s hard to believe but Dierks has not released a full studio album since 2018’s The Mountain.
Surely to be included on the new project is Dierks Bentley’s current single at country radio – with Hardy and Breland – “Beers On Me”
Tenille Arts is happy anytime she gets to be on stage, or is asked to appear on a show – but her recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show was next level for her.
Tenille shared, “If you told this little Kelly Clarkson superfan that she’d be performing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, she would have had a full mental breakdown.”
Tenille also posted a home video of her singing Kelly’s 2004 song “Breakaway.”
Tenille added that this was “a huge bucket list / dream come true moment…I love you, Kelly!”
Watch Tenille Arts sing “Back Then, Right Now” on The Kelly Clarkson Show…
Around midseason, Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh said the Vols offense is very productive once it gets rolling by making a first down on a possession.
He was right.
We charted every UT possession this year that resulted in a first down, and the proficiency is prolific.
My unofficial count: Tennessee got a first down on 119 possessions.
Here’s how they fared:
60 touchdowns
10 field goals
24 punts
8 turnovers
11 failed fourth-down tries
4 missed field goals
2 end of game plays
To score a touchdown more than 50% of the time when you get a first down on a possession seems like a high success rate, although I don’t know how that would compare to Alabama or Ohio State or Ole Miss or other high-powered offenses around the nation.
Several of those failed fourth downs were on short-yardage situations, an area where UT’s offense must improve.
Tennessee was also terrific in the first quarter, outscoring opponents 190-51, including a 21-7 advantage over Purdue. UT scored at least 21 points in the first quarter in three games and at least 14 points five times. It scored at least 10 twice. It got just 9 against Ole Miss and 7 against Florida and Vanderbilt.
At the Music City Bowl, I asked both head coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh why UT was so proficient offensively in the first quarter. They gave a similar answer: It takes a while for the opposing defense to adjust to the Vols’ up-tempo attack.
UT also might do a really good job of scripting the first 20 to 25 plays.
On the flip side, the Vols weren’t so good in the second quarter, being outscored 143-109. Purdue had a 16-0 edge.
Why the change?
It makes sense that defenses adjusted to UT’s speed of the game, but UT must also adjust. Whether it was lack of adjusting or lack of execution is debatable. But if UT wants to take that next step in the win column and get to nine next year, the second quarter performance must improve.
Have you been watching 1883 on Paramount Plus – with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill starring as the Duttons?
The prequel to Yellowstone is a huge hit with fans.
Back in 2004, when he was just starting his acting career, Tim McGraw got a role in the movie Friday Night Lights with Billy Bob Thornton. The two men have bee reunited on 1883 as Billy Bob is a member of the cast that also includes, as we mentioned, Tim’s wife Faith Hill, LaMonica Garrett, Isabel May, and Sam Elliot.
Tim was excited to have Billy Bob as a part of the cast of 1883, “He’s so fantastic. I’m a big fan of his. When Billy Bob showed up on set it was great to see him again. We’ve been friends and kept in touch and hung out together a lot since we did Friday Night Lights.”
Turns that Billy Bob also helped Tim with some acting tips that he still uses today, “Billy Bob taught me a lot during Friday Night Lights. He was like the angel on my shoulder. The best advice he ever gave me is, if you think you’re not doing enough, you’re probably still doing too much. And I’ve taken that to heart.”
Check out Tim McGraw’s acting skills on Paramount Plus’ 1883.
Tim will be back to using his stage skills in April when his new 2022 tour kicks off in Rogers, Arkansas with openers Russell Dickerson, Alexandra Kay, and Brandon Davis.
Watch the music video for Tim McGraw’s song “7500 OBO” which features another acting McGraw – Tim and Faith’s youngest daughter Audrey McGraw.
As fans check out Queer Eye‘s 6th season on Netflix, they’ll notice a new theme song…sung by Miranda Lambert.
Miranda shares the story behind the new theme, “I was asked to write a song for Queer Eye, and thought it was such a cool idea because I love the show. My little brother Luke sent me a few titles and ‘Y’all Means All’ was one of them, and then I wrote it with my friends Luke Dick and Shane McAnally. I’m proud to be part of this amazing show that does so much good. Y’all watch the new season on Netflix!”
If you haven’t checked out the new season yet, watch the trailer for Queer Eye here…
Check out the new theme for Netflix’s Queer Eye from Miranda Lambert – “Y’all Means All”
Miranda Lambert’s current single at country radio is “If I Was A Cowboy.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 7/8 Tennessee (13-1/2-0 SEC) returns to Thompson-Boling Arena to take on No. 25/23 Texas A&M (10-3/0-1 SEC) on Thursday at 6:32 p.m. ET.
These teams were picked either second or third in the preseason SEC media and coaches polls, with UT getting the No. 2 nod from the media and A&M getting it from the coaches.
Kellie Harper‘s squad enters on a four-game winning streak since suffering its only loss of the season on Dec. 18 to (then) No. 3 Stanford, 74-63, in Knoxville. The Lady Vols, who are No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage defense, will face a second-straight team that favors the three-ball, with the Aggies ranking No. 1 in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (42.1) with 101 makes thus far.
Jordan Walker – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
UT comes off a game in which it held a hot-shooting Arkansas squad to an 8-of-40 day beyond the three-point arc (20.0 pct.), and it will be tasked with slowing a similar arsenal on Thursday evening. Tennessee rode its defense, rebounding and offensive surges in the first and fourth quarters to a 70-63 road win against the Razorbacks on Sunday in Fayetteville. A 25-15 edge in the final frame overturned a three-point UA lead entering the last 10 minutes.
The Big Orange, which had played since Nov. 10 without Rae Burrell due to injury, welcomed the senior back into the mix at Arkansas. Also back was Jordan Horston, who was out the previous two contests due to illness. Burrell came off the bench and hit her first shot and finished with two points in 12 minutes, while Horston contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes.
Texas A&M, which has lost three of its past five contests and did not play between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2, returned to action on Sunday and fell on the road at LSU, 75-66. The Tigers limited their visitors to 10-of-31 shooting (32.3) from beyond the arc and 32.9 percent overall, and outrebounded A&M, 49-39.
The Aggies’ first loss of the year came on Dec. 5 at home vs. Texas, a squad the Lady Vols toppled in overtime on Nov. 21, 74-70. The other setback came at TCU on Dec. 12, 87-75.
Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair, in his 19th year in College Station and his 37th overall as a head coach, announced prior to the 2021-22 campaign that he will retire at the end of this season, so this could be his final visit to Thompson-Boling Arena at the helm of a program.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Courtney Lyle (play-by-play), Carolyn Peck (analyst) and Steffi Sorensen (reporter) will be on the call for the SEC Network broadcast.
All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone. Now calling the action for his 23rd season, Dearstone is joined by studio host Bobby Rader.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Knox County School Day: Donate two new school supplies and receive one complimentary ticket. All donations benefit the Knox County Schools Supply, supporting local teachers and education.
Flex Pack: Get admission to five games vs. SEC opponents, with prices starting at $24 at AllVols.com.
Free parking and free shuttle service from the Ag Campus (Lot CF near Brehm & Food Science Bldgs.).
For additional details and information, please call 865-974-1734 or visit the Fans tab on UTSports.com and click on the Fan Experience link.
UT IN TOP EIGHT IN BOTH POLLS
The Lady Vols are ranked No. 7 and 8 in the Jan. 3 and 4 AP and USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Polls, respectively.
UT remained No. 7 for the fourth straight AP polling period and climbed to a season high of eighth in the USA TODAY/WBCA Poll.
That is the highest combination of rankings since the Lady Vols were No. 6/7 the week of Jan. 18 in 2018.
ABOUT THE LADY VOLS
The Lady Vols are one of the nation’s biggest stories of 2021-22, opening up at 13-1 against one of the NCAA’s toughest schedules despite losing returning starters Rae Burrell (12 games) and Marta Suárez (season) to injuries and with Jordan Horston missing three games, including those on Dec. 27 vs. Chattanooga and Dec. 30 vs. Alabama due to illness before returning against Arkansas on Sunday.
Burrell also made her long-awaited return vs. Arkansas (3:03, 1Q), playing 12 minutes and finishing with two points after nailing her very first shot attempt in the first quarter at the 2:10 mark.
Tennessee is led by Horston, the 6-2 junior guard, who paces the team in scoring (14.8 ppg.), rebounding (9.2) and assists (4.0 apg.) in a breakout season.
Horston is second on the team with five double-doubles and has topped UT in scoring six times.
Tamari Key, a 6-6 junior center, is putting up 10.9 ppg. and 9.2 rpg. to go along with 3.8 bpg. She had a triple-double of 10 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks in UT’s 74-70 OT victory over No. 12/21 Texas and her block average currently ranks No. 1 all-time among Lady Vols in a season and she is No. 1 in the nation with 54 total blocks. Key leads Tennessee with seven double-doubles thus far and has scored in double figures in eight of her last nine games for the best stretch of her career
Alexus Dye, a 6-0 forward, is third among active UT players in scoring at 10.1 ppg. She is third in rebounding at 8.4 rpg and has three double-doubles, including a 13/10 effort vs. Arkansas on Sunday.
Freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett is UT’s fourth-leading scorer. She is putting up 8.1 ppg. and is shooting 48.3 percent from the field, 34.2 percent on threes and 77.8 percent on free throws and has scored in double figures in five of her past nine contests. She got her first career starts vs. UTC and Alabama during Horston’s absence.
Graduate guard Jordan Walker, graduate forward/center Keyen Green and senior guard/forward Rae Burrell follow at 8.1, 7.6, 7.4 and 7.0 ppg.
Point guards Jordan Walker and Brooklynn Miles have been UT’s most secure regulars with the ball, accumulating 48/25 and 34/25 assist-to-turnover totals.
Eleven different players have scored in double figures this season, including eight who have done so in multiple games.
Tennessee scores 71.7 points per game, with 39.4 of that coming in the paint.
UT is getting 25.4 points per game from its bench.
In SEC play, Keyen Green is shooting 88.9 percent from the field, while Tamari Key is hitting at a 52.9 clip. Key is averaging 15.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg. and 4.0 bpg. to lead Tennessee in conference action.
Jordan Walker is putting up 14.5 ppg. in SEC games, connecting on 47.6 of her field goal attempts, including 40 percent on threes, and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe. She has nine assists vs. only three turnovers thus far.
In the NCAA Tournament with her previous team vs. Texas A&M last season, Alexus Dye tallied a game-high 26 points and pulled down 11 boards in Troy’s near upset of the Aggies.
EVOLVING OVER THE PAST FIVE GAMES
Over the past five games, three Lady Vols are averaging double figures in points, including juniors Tamari Key (13.0) and junior Jordan Horston (12.7), and graduate Alexus Dye (11.8).
Even with Rae Burrell on the shelf for most of that time, Tennessee has seven more players averaging better than four points and three rebounds per contest, including graduates Keyen Green (9.2 ppg./3.4 rpg.) and Jordan Walker (8.4/4.4), and freshmen Sara Puckett 8.2/3.4) and Karoline Striplin (7.3/4.3).
During that stretch, UT has a scoring margin of +23.6 (79.6-56.0), a rebounding margin of +15.2 (51.2-36.0) and 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio (98-75). UT also is shooting 45.4 percent from the field while allowing only 28.6 percent by its opponents.
Those numbers are even more impressive when one considers Jordan Horston missed two contests due to illness and Rae Burrell remained sidelined until appearing for 12 minutes vs. Arkansas.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DANDIES
The Lady Vols had at least one player record a double-double in the first 11 games this season and now in 13 of 14 contests, led by Tamari Key with seven (including a triple-double), Jordan Horston with five, Alexus Dye with three and Kaiya Wynn with one.
That gives Tennessee 16 total double-doubles this year, surpassing the 2020-21 total of 13 in only 11 contests in 2021-22.
The 11-game streak, which was both a season-opening UT record and an overall program best, came to an end vs. UTC. Karoline Striplin (12/9) and Alexus Dye (15/8) were oh-so-close to continuing the run.
GOOD AT BEING GRITTY
UT has shown itself to be a tough, gritty team, coming from behind in 11 games to win.
The Lady Vols have bounced back from deficits in the fourth quarter five times this season to taste victory (Southern Illinois, South Florida, Texas, Va. Tech, Arkansas).
UT also came from 20-down in the second quarter vs. No. 3/3 Stanford, cutting the deficit to three in the second half with a 17-0 run spanning the second and third periods before eventually falling to the Cardinal.
An example of UT’s resolve can be found in its ability to score 20 or more points in fourth quarters, doing so the past four games and in nine total contests this season.
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
No. 7/9 Tennessee picked up a hard-fought win on the road on Sunday, taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks, 70-63, at Bud Walton Arena.
Tennessee (13-1, 2-0 SEC) had five players in double figures, with junior Tamari Key leading the team with 17 and graduate Alexus Dye recording a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Graduate Jordan Walker finished with 13, junior Jordan Horston had 12 and graduate Keyen Green rounded out the scoring with 11.
Amber Ramirez was the leading scorer for Arkansas (10-4, 0-1 SEC) with 26, while Makayla Daniels had 11.
The Lady Vols won their fourth straight game and posted their best record through 14 contests since opening 15-0 in 2017-18. The Razorbacks dropped their second straight game.
NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST GAME
DOUBLE-DOUBLES CONTINUE: Graduate Alexus Dye recorded her third double-double as a Lady Vol with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tennessee has managed 16 double-doubles on the season with at least one UT player recording a double-double in 13 of 14 contests.
DEFENSE ON POINT: UT held the Razorbacks to a field goal percentage of just 30.3 percent, almost 11 percent below their season average of 43.2 percent. Tennessee has held all 14 foes in 2021-22 to 36 percent shooting or below and 10 of 14 opponents to 31 percent or lower. Tennessee ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense at 30.2 percent.
RAE RETURNS: Senior Rae Burrell returned to the court for her first game action since suffering a lower leg injury in the season opener vs. Southern Illinois on Nov. 10. She made her debut in the Arkansas game with 3:03 left in the first quarter and hit her first bucket at the 2:10 mark. She played 12 minutes on the day and finished one of two from the field.
DROPPING 20s: After tallying 20 in the opening stanza vs. Arkansas, Tennessee has scored 20+ first-quarter points in its last four games and in five of its last six contests. The Lady Vols had no 20-point first-frame efforts through their first eight contests this season. UT also has accumulated 12 20-point quarters in its last four games, including four vs. ETSU and UTC, and two vs. Alabama and Arkansas.
RALLYING THE TROOPS: Tennessee overcame an eight-point Arkansas lead in the third quarter and recorded its 11th come-from-behind win of the season. UT also overcame a three-point fourth-quarter deficit to card its fifth final-frame comeback of the year.
UP NEXT: ON THE ROAD FOR TWO
The Lady Vols will hit the road for their next two contests, visiting Ole Miss on Sunday at noon CT (1 ET) and Vanderbilt on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT (9 ET).
Both of those contests are slated to be televised by SEC Network.
UT-TAMU SERIES NOTES
Tennessee holds an 8-7 all-time record vs. Texas A&M, dating back to Dec. 19, 1997.
UT is 3-2 in Knoxville, 1-4 in College Station and 4-1 at neutral sites vs. the Aggies.
The Big Orange women are 6-7 vs. hall-of-fame coach Gary Blair and A&M since the Aggies joined the Southeastern Conference.
The Lady Vols will be looking to halt a three-game series losing streak, in which A&M was the higher ranked team on all three occasions. UT is above the Aggies in the polls this year.
Kellie Harper is 0-3 vs. Texas A&M and Gary Blair. Her 2015-16 Missouri St. team fell, 74-65, in College Station on March 19, 2016, in the NCAA First Round. UT suffered a two-point home loss (73-71) on Feb. 16, 2020, and lost, 80-70, on the road on Feb. 14, 2021.
A&M is 2-0 in overtime games vs. UT, with both of those taking place in College Station.
In the initial meeting between these teams in Knoxville, on Feb. 28, 2013, Tennessee defeated A&M, 82-72, on Senior Day to give UT an SEC regular-season championship on the Lady Vols’ home court. Tennessee had been picked to finish as low as fifth in the league and returned no starters.
Tennessee made its first-ever women’s basketball appearance in College Station on Jan. 26, 2014, and the (then) #11/12 Lady Vols picked up a key victory over the (then) #17/15 Aggies, 76-55. A&M was the SEC leader at the time of that defeat.
UT’s first two contests vs. Texas A&M came in tournaments, including one regular-season event in 1997-98 and one postseason event during the 2007-08 campaign.
In the first meeting, the #1/1 Lady Vols rolled to a 105-81 victory over the Aggies at the Northern Lights Invitational in Alaska in game two of a three-game stay.
The famed “Three Meeks” dazzled #8/9 A&M on Dec. 19, 1997, as Chamique Holdsclaw tallied 29, Semeka Randall tossed in 23 and Tamika Catchings added a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds for #1/1 UT in the high-scoring affair.
Kellie (Jolly) Harper was UT’s point guard in that game, and she was the Lady Vols’ fourth player in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers.
In 2008, Candace Parker scored 26 points and Alexis Hornbuckle chipped in 14, as the Lady Vols defeated Texas A&M, 53-45, in the Oklahoma City Regional Final to advance to the Final Four in Tampa.
After both of those tourney wins over the Aggies, the Lady Vols would advance to, and win, the NCAA Final Four in 1998 and 2008. Incidentally, UT also beat Arkansas in the 1998 NCAA Final Four semifinal when Gary Blair was then coach of the Razorbacks.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M is led in points per game by the dynamic guard trio of Kayla Wells (17.1), Jordan Nixon (13.9) and Destiny Pitts (11.4).
The Aggies have hit 17, 30 and 30 three-pointers this year to pace the nation’s No. 1 team in three-point field goal percentage (42.1). Qadashah Hoppie has fired in 18 treys of her own to add to A&M’s season total of 101. UT has 57 by comparison.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
Gary Blair is in his 19th year at Texas A&M and 37th season overall as a head coach, owning records of 440-173 in College Station and 848-336 combining stops at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M.
Blair has led his teams to 27 NCAA appearances, two NCAA Final Fours and one NCAA title (2011). His 1998 Arkansas team met UT in the Final Four.
LAST TIME TEXAS A&M PLAYED
Alexis Morris scored a career-high 30 points and No. 19 LSU defeated No. 23 Texas A&M 75-66 on Sunday in Baton Rouge.
Morris was 9-of-16 shooting with four 3-pointers. Khayla Pointer hit four threes and scored 17 points, while Jailin Cherry added 10.
Destiny Pitts tossed in 18 points with four 3-pointers and had 11 rebounds for the Aggies (10-3), the defending SEC regular-season champs. Qadashah Hoppie added 16 points and Kayla Wells 13.
The Aggies came in leading the nation at 43.5% from the 3-point line but made only 10-of-31 against LSU and shot 33% overall.
WHEN UT AND A&M LAST MET
No. 16/19 Tennessee pulled within one late in the fourth but couldn’t overcome a No. 6/5 Texas A&M team that shot 63 percent from the floor in the final quarter and also hit 17 of 22 free throws in that period, falling 80-70 in Reed Arena on Feb. 14, 2021.
Senior Rennia Davis led UT (12-5, 6-3 SEC) with 25 points. Sophomore Tamari Key turned in her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Rae Burrell added 18 points, while Kasiyahna Kushkituah had 10 boards and eight points.
Destiny Pitts was the high scorer for Texas A&M (19-1, 10-1 SEC) with 18 points, and Jordan Nixon was close behind with 15. Aaliyah Wilson and Kayla Wells turned in 13 points apiece, and Ciera Johnson added 10.
Alvin Kamara’s score pushed the New Orleans Saints to victory, 18-10, keeping them in the playoff picture in the NFC. Kamara’s offensive efforts highlighted the 17th week of NFL play for former Tennessee Volunteers.
Kamara, a 2022 Pro Bowl selection, ran for 32 yards, but it was his pass catching that propelled the Saints to victory on the offensive end. Kamara recorded the only touchdown of the game for New Orleans, a 12-yard pass from Taysom Hill. The fifth-year running back finished the day with 68 receiving yards.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara / Credit: UT Athletics
The Saints’ leading receiver in the victory was Marquez Callaway, who made six grabs for 97 yards. The second year wide out has tallied 255 yards in the past three games.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin continues to be on a tear in the Detroit Lions’ second-level. He wrapped up eight tackles against Seattle and now has 20 in the last three contests. In a contract year, Reeves-Maybin has shown out, totaling 70 tackles in 14 games. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said last week, “obviously, we want the player back, because he’s a good player.”
Morgan Cox had a strong day for the special teams unit in the Tennessee Titans’ dominating win, 34-3, over Miami. On a cold and rainy day in Nashville, Cox was successful on all 10 snaps (four punts, four extra points, two field goals).
The final week of the regular season comes up next week. Seven players and their teams have clinched a playoff berth, while 13 remain in the hunt coming down to the final week.
Derek Barnett – DE – Eagles Made two tackles in a win over Washington – clinched playoff
Marquez Callaway – WR – Saints Caught six passes for 97 yards against Carolina
Justin Coleman – DB – Dolphins Did not play in the game at Tennessee
Dustin Colquitt – P – Browns Boomed eight punts for 342 yards and a long of 55 on Monday Night Football
Morgan Cox – LS – Titans Made 10 snaps in the Titans’ win over Miami, four punts, four PATs and two field goals
Jason Croom – TE – Eagles Injured Reserve
Joshua Dobbs – QB – Steelers Injured Reserve
Alex Ellis – TE – Cardinals Practice Squad
Malik Jackson – DT – Browns Sarted his 16th game of the season on Monday Night Football
Ja’Wuan James – OL – Ravens Injured Reserve
Jauan Jennings – WR – 49ers Had two catches for 25 yards in a victory over Houston
Alexander Johnson – LB – Broncos Injured Reserve
Jakob Johnson – FB – Patriots Played 26 offensive snaps in a 50-10 win over Jacksonville
Alvin Kamara – RB – Saints Gained 68 yards through the air and 32 on the ground in an 18-10 win over Carolina. Caught his fifth receiving touchdown of the season
John Kelly – RB – Browns Practice Squad
Josh Malone – WR – Packers Practice Squad
Khalil McKenzie – G/DT – Ravens Did not play in Sunday’s game against the Rams
Emmanuel Moseley – CB – 49ers Injured Reserve
Michael Palardy – P – Dolphins Punted four times for 147 yards against the Titans with one inside the 20
Joshua Palmer – WR – Chargers Caught three passes for 16 yards in a 34-13 win over the Broncos
Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – Falcons Tallied 28 yards rushing and 24 receiving in a loss to the Bills
Kyle Phillips – DL – Jets Placed on the COVID-19 reserve list
Jalen Reeves-Maybin – LB – Lions Took down eight tackles against Seattle and now has 20 tackles in his last three games
Trey Smith – OL – Chiefs Saw all 61 offensive snaps in the game at right guard and didn’t allow a sack
Luke Stocker – TE – Vikings Played in his 11th game of the season against Green Bay on Sunday night
Cameron Sutton – CB – Steelers Wrapped up two tackles in the win over the Browns
Darrell Taylor – DE – Seahawks Made one tackle in a 51-29 win over Detroit
Bryce Thompson – CB – Saints Played in his second career contest against Carolina
Shy Tuttle – DL – Saints Tallied three tackles against the Panthers
Kendal Vickers – DE – Raiders Placed on the COVID-19 reserve list
Nigel Warrior – DB – Seahawks Entered his third game of the season against the Lions
Ethan Wolf – TE – Saints Placed on the COVID-19 reserve list
On freshman Zakai Zeigler’s performance at Alabama… “We have a lot of confidence in Zakai, because the one thing we know is he’s going to do what he does every day in practice. What you see him do during the game, that’s what he does every day. He’s fearless. He’s going to go at it. I think he’s a player who’s able to let mistakes roll off of him really quickly and keep competing. When you play as hard as he plays, and really he tries to get at it every possession on both ends, that is what coaches want and that gives you a great deal of confidence. When you have a guy like that, you realize that he’s giving you everything he has. That’s why you want him out there.”
Vols HC Rick Barnes / Credit: UT Athletics
On if he likes point guards that are fearless… “Absolutely, they have to be in so many different ways. They’ve got a tough job because defensively, they’re asked to do a lot. They’re going to get hit a lot, especially in today’s game with a lot of ball screens. Then, you’re expecting them to run your offense for you. It’s a lot that you’re putting on them. He’s done a terrific job from getting in here a week after school started and picking up the system. We had a day off yesterday and I came over, walked into Pratt Pavilion and he was up in the gym with one of the coaches, working on his own. That’s the kind of person he is and the kind of player he is. We keep telling him what he has to do to get better and he’s up there working at it, even on his own time. It’s above and beyond what we ask him to do.”
On how much confidence he believes some players gained having to step up in place of Kennedy Chandler and John Fulkerson at Alabama… “I think the key was, once those guys went down, we didn’t mention to them, ‘Hey, we don’t have Fulkerson.’ We really do have a mentality that with what we have, we’re going to go play and we believe it today. With the group we have, we could have won the game. Once we found out those guys weren’t going to play, we didn’t make a big deal about it. We said, ‘Okay, we’re putting our game plan in. This is what we’re going to do.’ We went in fully expecting to win. We’ve seen it happen. The one thing, as a coaching staff, that we talked about was, if you think back to last year and the game with Vanderbilt over there, they had two players out, (Scotty) Pippen Jr. and (Dylan) Disu. They played well because the guys who didn’t get an opportunity (now got a chance.) Again, I think that every guy we have, we’ve recruited. We believe in them. We just know that, yes, some of them are still learning what it’s all about. But overall, the work they put in when given an opportunity, I think everybody did a pretty good job with it.”
On execution late in the game… “When we were up six, we had three bad possessions in a row. We took two quick shots in transition that we shouldn’t have taken from the three when we weren’t balanced and a had a mid-range shot that we should have kicked out. And that was a time when Santi wasn’t in the game too where I think he would’ve controlled it a little bit more, but those three possessions to us as a staff was the biggest three possessions of the game. Even though coming down the end, you have to give them credit for scoring way they did at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. You know, we had two breakdowns, we had one in the zone, late, and we had a ball-screen breakdown. When we had them down there those three possessions, when we didn’t really work the game the way we should have, we really let it get away from us.”
On changing structures to lessen COVID’s impact… “No, not really. You know, we went through that a year ago and it was really difficult and again, our guys have done a good job. In the last couple days, they all went and got booster shots and all that. We’re trying to do what we’ve done up to this point. What we need, we just need to make sure our guys know when they walk out of this building, they make good decisions on where they go and things they do because all that’s going to in some way affect us if you put yourself in a position where you’re exposed to a lot of people that you don’t know. That’s where we have to be really thinking about where we are in today’s time and everything that is going on with COVID. That’s what we have to ask them to do, make good when they walk out of this building.”
On what he saw from Uros Plavsic on film… “He did a really good job. He worked his tail off on the boards, and he did the same thing running our break. He tried to get down, and he was the guy who created a lot of angles for Zakai mostly. He played hard, and again, there’s a great example—I think the more he plays and the more he will do what we want him to do, especially when he gets the ball. Maybe will continue to get more consistent on ball-screen defense. He has to be a factor around the rim. We’re not asking him to block a lot of shots, we’re asking him to put himself in a position to affect shots. Whether it’s taking a charge, or going straight up with two hands up and making guys score over him, but those are the areas he needs to improve in.”
On who Tennessee’s best 3-point shooter is… “Well, I mean you look at numbers, I would say this team, we talked about our shooting percentages right now and we tried to show the guys the difference in a good shot and a bad shot in terms of balance. You know, I can tell you this, Santi obviously is a guy that can shoot the basketball, but he’s being guarded harder than anybody on the court. Zakai is a guy that can really shoot it, if you went out there every day and had a shooting contest, I mean those two guys would be right there. Josiah is a guy that when he has his balance and he shoots rhythm shots, I think he’s a 44% 3-point shooter. When he’s forcing it and not balanced, that’s where he is right now. After we showed him that, the very next day in practice, I think he was 6-for-8 from the 3-point line because you know he was taking just smooth, rhythm shots. Justin Powell, same thing, if he gets his feet under him. I think we have guys that can shoot it, I think one of the reasons our percentages aren’t what they need to be, we haven’t taken those shots the way we practiced. Off-balance, not doing our work early, anxious, because you haven’t made one. It’s a lot of the mental side to it. Olivier is a terrific shooter, but you can tell in the game when he gets anxious, he misses one and says, ‘Well I have to make the next one,’ and it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s a part of some of these guys being out there for the first time, but I think we have guys who can shoot the ball. But if you ask me at the end who we set plays up for, I think it would depend on the game and who’s being guarded by who.”
On what Ole Miss brings defensively… “Kermit Davis, he’s a terrific coach and he does a really good job mixing his defenses. From his man, back to his 1-3-1, 2-3, he’s always changing things up trying to keep you out of rhythm, keep you off balance. Working the game and last year down there they lately did the 1-3-1. Basically, put three guys on the ball trying to trap. Getting very aggressive. We didn’t handle it very well and with all that said and done, that night we were not very good from the free throw line and we were getting the ball places that we wanted, but we couldn’t get anything done with it. Kermit Davis does a terrific job, he’s going to work hard at getting his players in a position to get them a chance to be successful. If you look at his teams over the past, he’s been consistent with his man defense, his 1-3-1, back to a 2-3. Mixing it up, maybe on a missed shot he’ll go man, on a made shot he might go 2-3, out of timeouts he’ll go 1-3-1 get it to the baseline it kind of rolls into a 2-3. They can stay with it too as he did a year ago with the 1-3-1.”
On if Justin Powell’s playing time is tied to defense… “Yes. You know we have a really high standard. Here’s what I try to get all of those guys to understand, we go in that film room and when you’re watching a play on film while we’re sitting in there as a team. It’s difficult for a player to watch that sometimes, because it’s not me, it’s just a film showing it to them. You’re watching two or three guys out there maxing out other guys. It’s not just Justin, there were plays that we showed last game where Zakai as far as he plays maybe getting done what he needs to get done on a procession. Or it’s Santiago (Vescovi) on a block out. Nobody’s perfect, but what we’re trying to get to is we are trying to get as many guys on the same page as possible. The biggest thing is that they understand that we’re in a possession league if teams are playing well. You think about it, we’ve played three games where it’s been a one-possession game, we’re 1-2 in those games. You go back, both of those games we had pretty good looks to win the game or put us up, so getting guys to understand that every possession matters is a big, big thing. It can happen when we were up six, we had three straight bad possessions on offense. Same thing on defense, you score a basket, you get back and give up two straight baskets because you don’t get the right angle on defense. Again, I’m not just talking about Justin, I’m talking about anybody on our team. It’s about consistency, it’s about who can we rely on at certain different times. All the guys have to do a better job with their passes some. Justin, we need him, we need him in a big way. We need them all to be ready because who knows where we are this year with the COVID, we see it, we see it happen we’ve got to have everybody ready to play.”
On if playing without Kennedy Chandler and John Fulkerson will benefit Tennessee in future… “Well you like to think every game you do that, yeah. I think we have a confident team, our guys work hard and they should expect good things. We keep talking about you have to be better at it. We have to practice every day like every possession matters, like every day matters. These guys as a group, they work hard and they’ve done the things we’ve asked them to do. We can get a whole lot better. Can we play without certain guys? I think we can. I said it at the beginning of the year, we have quality depth and it’s up to them to make us use that depth. The way they do it is they show every day that they’re ready to buy into exactly what we need them to do and if every guy on this team does that, we will play 10 or 11 guys.”
On how his performance at Alabama helps boost his confidence going forward… “Honestly, I think it does a lot. At the same time though, I want to give credit to my teammates and coaches. That confidence doesn’t come from myself doing things, it comes from teammates pushing me and making me better every single day in practice. Getting offensive rebounds and working on my free throw game obviously was a big thing in the second half, but I don’t want to make it about myself. It’s something that I do every single day in practice and my teammates help me out with it every single day.”
On the mindset of the team going into the Alabama game without John Fulkerson and Kennedy Chandler… “I’ll say one thing—this team has great chemistry. These guys are so close to each other, they love each other and I think missing two important guys like John and Kennedy was really big for us, but at the same time, we knew we had to group up, get together and give our best to go up against a really good Alabama team.”
On where he’s improved most since arriving at Tennessee… “A lot of places. I don’t think I can separate one single thing to talk about, but I would say really everything. I’ve improved on and off the court. The way I’ve grown as a person here with all of these people around me, with this community—that has helped me a lot on the basketball court too. I feel like this is a great environment for me and people around here, you can just feel that they care about you every single day and they love you, they truly do. It’s really easy to be around people and there isn’t one thing that I want to say that I’ve specifically improved, but I feel like I’ve gotten better in every single aspect of my life.”
