Tennessee's junior linebacker Cortez McDowell, from Locust Grove, Ga., goes into Thursday's season opener against Appalachian State bracketed with Quart'e Sapp behind starter Jalen Reeves-Maybin at weakside linebacker.
photo by Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- With ninth-ranked Tennessee's season opener against Appalachian State just five days away, the Vols have adjusted their schedules for the first game week of the year. On Saturday, UT hosted its normal Monday press conference with coach and student-athletes.
Jones announced that the first "Legend of The Game" will be Chad Clifton, who will be honored at Neyland Stadium during the game. Last month, Clifton was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
The former second-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft played all 12 years of his professional football career with the Packers. He played in 165 games with 160 starts and ranks second in Packers history behind only Forrest Gregg (187 games) for games played by an offensive tackle. Clifton was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007 and 2010 and played on eight playoff teams in Green Bay, most notably the 2010 squad that won Super Bowl XLV.
The Vols and the Mountaineers play on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Brent Musberger and Jesse Palmer are in the booth and Laura Rutledge will report from the sidelines.
The Mountaineers enter the 2016 season having won 17 of their last 19 games dating back to the middle of 2014. They return 17 starters from the 2015 squad that finished 11-2 and grabbed a 31-29 win over Ohio in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. Appy State was the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt Conference and boasts both of the league's Preseason Players of the Year in running back Marcus Cox and linebacker John Law.
Thursday marks the first-ever meeting between Tennessee and Appalachian State despite just 160 miles separating the two campuses.
IN HONOR OF PAT SUMMITT
Jones said the Vols will wear a commemorative helmet sticker to honor the memory and legacy of late Tennessee icon Pat Summitt, who passed away in on June 28 at the age of 64. The helmets will feature a sticker with Summitt's cursive P in the center for the entire season.
"We all know everything that she stands for," Jones said. "I think it is very fitting that Tennessee football recognizes her and everything that she means to the University of Tennessee and the great state of Tennessee, and for sports in general."
WEDNESDAY PEP RALLY
Jones said that the Tennessee football team and the student-body will hold a pep rally on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Gate 21 of Neyland Stadium.
Coach Butch Jones
"Before I get started, I want to start off with something that is kind of dear to my heart, that's the family of Kenny Moats. Growing up in a law enforcement household, I understand what it is every day and what the job entails and everyone that's out there protecting our communities. That's something that is very, very close to me and it hit home. I want them to know that they're in my personal thoughts and prayers.
"Last week, we spoke about being game-ready. We continue to be a work in progress that way. I'm very anxious to see how our football team responds with a couple days off and see how far they've come with their legs and recoveries. So, today is a big day. It's a Monday in football terms but for us it's a great start to the work week and we have to make sure we're ready to go. I'm kind of anxious just to see our approach today, see our leadership and see the excitement. I know there's an excitement in the air right now.
“College football got off to a start last night and everyone's excited. Everyone's optimistic. For the first time Thursday night, we'll put our initial football identity on video. We're responsible for what we create so we're looking forward to that.
“We are playing a quality opponent in App State. They were 11-2 last year. They have won 17 out of their last 19 contests. Their players know what it takes to win. Coach Satterfield has done a tremendous job. We have a lot of similarities in terms of effort. They're a high-effort football team. They play with great effort. They're very disruptive.
"They had the No. 1 red zone defense in the country last year. They like to run the football, had a 4,000-yard rusher. As we all know, first games are the games of the unknowns: from tendencies to new players. You have to have the ability to adapt and adjust throughout the course of the game.
"There may be new schemes that you haven't seen or haven't prepared for so you have to rely on your training and you have to rely on your communication. It's going to be a good test for our football team. I know we're excited to play but before you can play, you have to make sure you're game ready and you go through this phase right now of investing in victory each and every week."
Cortez McDowell | Linebacker
(On the veteran players stepping up as leaders)
"We have a bunch of great guys in our group, a bunch of veteran guys from Jalen Reeves-Maybin to Kenny Bynum to Darrin Kirkland, who is in his second year, to myself to Elliott Berry to Dillon Bates, Gavin Bryant and Colton Jumper. We've all been here. We understand what it takes to be great leaders in our program. We feed each other. We rely on each other to be great. We take what we do in our room and apply it around the whole field. If it's encouraging the younger guys on the offensive side of the ball, we do that, however we can bring the other guys along with us."
Darrin Kirkland Jr. | Linebacker
(On defensive coordinator Bob Shoop referring to him as a vocal leader on the team)
"It's not necessarily been hard. I don't look at myself as a young player anymore, especially from my experience playing [last year]. From my position, I want to be the leader on defense. If I see something wrong, I'm going to speak up, and I feel like my teammates respect that. They see where I've been, so they respect that."
Jashon Robertson | Offensive Lineman
(On how being out of the lineup affected his perspective towards playing)
"Time missed puts into perspective how much something is important to you and I am as hungry as can be. I can't wait to play on Thursday. I'm excited for the week and excited to prep for the week and can't wait to get to the game. You soak in these things and enjoy the moments day in and day out."
Corey Vereen | Defensive Lineman
(On having depth at defensive end and how it helps individual performance)
"Honestly, this is the most depth we've ever had since I've been here personally. I'm not used to this and it's very nice to have. It's good to know that everybody is going to be contributing. We have a lot of weapons out there and now people won't be out there playing too many snaps or more than they need to. It's a long season so it's really good to have."
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)