photo by Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee football coach and selected players met with the media Monday during the Vols’ weekly press conference at Neyland Stadium.
The coach and players – linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and defensive back Cameron Sutton discussed last week’s loss to Missouri and the upcoming Southeastern Conference finale against rival Vanderbilt in Nashville.
The Vols 5-6, 2-5 SEC) must defeat the Commodores (3-8, 0-7) to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 4 p.m. (Eastern) and will be televised on the SEC Network.
Tennessee and Vandy are meeting for the 108th time since 1892. It’s the second-oldest rivalry in Vols history. The Kentucky (110 games) series dates to 1893. The Vols beat the Wildcats two weeks ago.
The press conference transcripts:
Head coach Butch Jones
(Opening Statement)
"Quick recap on Saturday night, not much has changed since the postgame press conference in terms of our thoughts as a football staff. Winning is fragile as we all know that. It is very difficult to win in the SEC and we can't beat ourselves, particularly this football team. Offensively, two turnovers. Third down conversions, we didn't do very well but that is a byproduct of our first down efficiency. Did not do a particular good job on first down to put us in manageable third down situations. We had the most negative plays we have had all year in eight. We had too many dropped footballs. That is that formula of not beating ourselves.
"Defensively, we had too many missed tackles. I thought our youth and development really, really showed versus a veteran football team in Missouri. And then third down, we didn't do a very good job of getting off the field on third down, particularly in third-and-long situations. Again, those are the things that it takes to play winning football.
"I thought special teams wise, I thought Matt Darr stepped up, really punted exceptionally well. We placed a premium on kick-placement. He was able to do that. I thought for the most part our coverage teams did a very good job. We executed a fake field goal in a critical stage of the game, which was great to see.
"Moving on to Vanderbilt, coach (Derek) Mason is in the first year of his program. He is doing a very, very good job of instilling his philosophies, offense, defense, special teams, program philosophy. They present numerous and many challenges for you. Especially when you look at them defensively, they are multiple in their schemes, with their fronts, their coverages, they do a great job of really mixing it up. Offensively, they play different quarterbacks with different skills that pose a unique challenge for your defense. They shift, motion, and they create matchup problems for you. So again, we all know it is very difficult to win on the road in the SEC. It will be a great challenge this week. Like every challenge we are looking forward to it."
(On watching the onside kicks on film)
"Well, first of all, I thought Aaron Medley did a very good job of executing the onside kick. It is something that we work on each and every day. We got the bounce that we needed to. We have submitted it to the SEC and we have not received a ruling back because today is the day that you submit all that.”
(On this being a big game)
"It is a big game for a number of reasons. It is a big game because it is the last regular season opportunity that our seniors will have. It is a chance to build momentum in moving forward. Which we have tremendous momentum. We are fighting for bowl eligibility. It is an instate rivalry game. So there is a lot on the line. Every game is important."
(On the in-state rivalry)
"We always talk about winning the state first and I think we have shown the ability to do that. Obviously, Tennessee is a very special place. The more you win, that helps recruit players. But I think sometimes being here in Knoxville, people lose touch and reality of what the national perception is of the University of Tennessee football program. It is at an all-time high right now. The energy, they excitement, we see it every day because of recruiting and talking to high school coaches not just in this great state but across the county. We have players coming in from all over the country. We are going to have another great, great recruiting class, individuals that fit our profile. It is a matter of time, people know that, they see the energy, they see the vision. A lot of times we live in a negative society, people only want to write negative things, believe me the positives truly outweigh everything. We are all part of building something special here. I told you when we sat in this room in August that we are raising a football program. So every game is important. Winning is very important. We are just about 100,000 fans in attendance when most attendance is on the decline, we are on the upswing. Our fan base has been outstanding.”
(On if he's seen any of the freshmen hit a freshman wall and how he tries to combat that)
"I have seen it. It's been a different time table for each individual. I think its effected different individuals at different stages of the season. Some it affected early and they were able to recover and move on. Some it has affected later, but really when you look at the entire body of work of this freshman class, it's been truly remarkable. They may have hit it but they've bounced back. They've taken care of their body. They've done a great job in terms of the recovery process. A lot of it we've had to educate them on and push them towards. I think the change in our practice format has really, really benefitted especially our younger players, so they've done a very good job of that."
(On how he has changed the practice format)
"We have now perfect Thursdays, "No Sweat Thursdays" where we actually do not practice. It's all a mental day, so it's about rest, recovery, meetings and walk-thru. We don't want them breaking a sweat, so it's a big mental day. They get their body back and we try to spark the central nervous system 24 hours prior to competition which on Friday now we have about a 40 minute practice where we gear up and go after it pretty good."
(On Aaron Medley's performances as a freshman)
"Aaron's done a very good job for and we needed him to. He's one of those freshmen that, right, wrong or indifferent, had to play and perform, and he's performed well for us. You look at his accuracy within 39 yards, so he's done a great job. Again, he's another individual who takes tremendous pride in his performance. He works at it hard every day. Just like we spoke about it with the onside kicks. He's done his due diligence. He works on those kicks each and every day. Getting into Neyland Stadium and kicking in here has really helped. So again, very, very proud of him. We're going to need that consistency down in Nashville on Friday."
(On the factors that led to Joshua Dobbs being sacked six times)
"It's a combination. All eyes point to the offensive line. You look at a stat sheet and say you gave up this many sacks, but sometimes as a byproduct of our receivers not getting open, it was a byproduct of Josh sometimes leaving the pocket too soon. It wasn't just the offensive line. It was a combination of everyone.”
(On evaluating Mack Crowder and Marcus Jackson)
"Marcus Jackson continues to progress. He'll be fine. Mack Crowder, we'll know a little bit more about his status as the week progresses. Right now, he's going to try to practice today and go a little bit. So, I'll know a little bit more tomorrow."
(On updates on A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams)
"I have not had any dialogue at all. Again, we're letting the investigation take care of itself. That's all I'll say."
(On if a win Saturday will be validation of moving in the right direction)
"I don't look at it that way. I know we're headed in the right direction. I think everybody, it gets back to what I said, and across the country they know we're headed in the right direction. So, it's not validation or anything like that. The next game is very important. We're fighting for victory number six. It's going to be a great challenge. Vanderbilt's going to play their best. We have to play our best. I have a lot of respect for coach Mason and what he's building there. I know what he's going through. Year one is always the most difficult year. I've done it three times, so I know what he's dealing with. We know what's going on in our program. I think the validation is by the recruiting classes that we're assembling, by the people we're bringing in here, and by our style of play. We've come a long way in a very short period of time. I'm extremely impatient.”
(On preparing for Vanderbilt to play multiple quarterbacks)
"Well like I stated earlier, it's a challenge in and of itself because each of the quarterbacks present different challenges for you. They have different skill sets. So, you always study your opponent and the little ticks, the little nuances, trying to give yourself a competitive advantage, but now when you have three to study, it makes it that much even more challenging, the preparation. They do, Vanderbilt does a tremendous job with multiple shifts, trades, motions. They challenge your communicative process not just on offense, but defense. They do some good things schematically. Again, it's going to be a challenge in and of itself, but when you're facing a number of quarterbacks, it is a great challenge to prepare for."
(On Marquez North's injury)
"He has a torn labrum, and it kind of stems back from an old high school injury. To his credit, he's tried to play through it, play through it, and play through it. We had a MRI late in the week and saw that, so we're going to go ahead and get that fixed (surgery) with hopes of having him back for spring football.”
(On if he was disappointed with the way the field held up this season)
"Yeah, and we're talking about that. I don't know if it had to do with the different climate. It's been an unusual year in terms of climate, from heat to cold and the extreme temperatures. They've really made a great effort in trying to get the field ready. Our field maintenance crew does a great job. As we continue to evaluate everything in our program, from A to Z, obviously that's one of the topics of discussions that we will have, in terms of continuing to improve and having the best surface in country.”
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin
(On Vanderbilt)
"They are much more complex than Missouri was, they run a lot of personnel groupings, they switch the quarterbacks up a lot. Solid run game."
(On the difference between Missouri and Vanderbilt)
"Missouri was really spread out, they just tried to open up, make lanes, make everyone play in space. Vanderbilt is just a different team than that."
(On the importance of a win at Vanderbilt)
"It is definitely big for our program. Get to win number six. Just focused on that right now. Not look ahead to a bowl game. All eyes on Vanderbilt, obviously, they got us the last two years but there are a lot of guys on that team who haven't been apart of that. Just focused on six and it is a new season."
Defensive Back Cameron Sutton
(On the series he didn't play against Missouri)
"Just blacked out. It happens from time to time, throughout the course of the game, this was the first time it had ever happened in game. They ran a couple things on the sideline just to make sure I was okay. I was just eager to get back out there and finish the rest of the game."
(On what happens)
"From time to time, it just happens throughout the course of the day I just black out and just keep walking. Nothing ever happens. Like I said it was the first time it had ever happened in a game. But I can't let that stop me from getting back out there and finish the rest of the game."
"It just happens from time to time. It doesn't happen every day. For the two seconds it does happen I just black out and come back and then just keep going about my business."
(On the importance of the Vanderbilt game)
"Just trying to get to win six. It is a program game. We can't worry about the past. A lot of the guys on this team haven't played Vanderbilt and don't know much about Vanderbilt. We are just trying to team the young guys the meaning behind the game. Like Jalen and I said, just getting win six."
(On the team's mentality on Sunday)
"We have been going through adversity all year. We lost some games that we think we should have won. Missouri was another game (where) a few plays here and there would have changed the outcome of the game. It is too late to go back and change that now. We have another opportunity, a big opportunity, to change that this weekend, coming up."
(On the possibility of a bowl bid)
"It means a lot. Like I said, my focus right now is just get win six. The bowl game just comes with it. We just have to win Saturday to even get to that point. Our focus right now is just play well throughout the week and make sure everyone knows what they are doing, make sure our bodies are healthy leading into the game. Just go out there and play the game that we love and what we are here for."
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)