KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After pulling out a narrow 27-24 win over South Carolina, the Vols’ third in a row in the series, Tennessee began prepping for undermanned and overwhelming underdog North Texas in Saturday’s homecoming game at Neyland Stadium.
Kickoff is set for noon at Neyland Stadium.
Coach Butch Jones’ opening statement:
"First off, I think it is important to say thank you to our great fan base and all the support they continue to give to our football program and team.
When you look at five games this season of over 100,000-plus in attendance, which has not been done here since 2007, and we still have two home games left. We are going to continue to need them to make Neyland Stadium a great home-field advantage. They have been remarkable, and I think it shows the commitment and hunger that they have. It drives you to give them everything they covet.
"This week is about improvement, going back to the fundamentals and fine details. We need to get back to our "Neyland Focus." I didn't think we had 60 minutes of collective focus. I am talking about collective focus as an entire football team with all 11 players on the field at one time. We talk about one out of 11. That is in direct correlation to doing your job. We need to get back to our discipline. We had some penalties that aren't us. We lacked discipline.
"This is a big week for us moving forward, as North Texas comes in. (Coach) Mike Canales is a great friend of mine. I have known him for a very long period of time. I have admired him as a play caller, as a quarterbacks coach and as an offensive coordinator. He has done a great job in a difficult situation. You can now see their offense starting to take on his personality. Their quarterback, DaMarcus Smith, is an individual who can make plays with his legs and can throw the football. I think they are gaining confidence, offensively. Defensively, they have very good team speed.
"This week is about every individual in our football program taking accountability for their self-determination and getting better as a football team. It starts with us as a coaching staff. Like I told you Saturday evening, it was a very good win for us. It is very difficult to win, but it was a great game moving forward for us."
Winning the Turnover Battle
Each game this season has proven that for every big play, it's the little details that matter. Honing in on those details can lead to game-changing moments, determining a win or loss in a matter of seconds. For Team 119, focusing on the details and improving their turnover margins have been key practice elements, as the Vols have now forced 12 turnovers in their nine games in 2015.
"You have to be focused for 60 minutes, and it takes a mature football team to be able to do that," Jones said. "One lack of focus on a play can generate a big play for (the opponent). We need to start taking the ball away much more on defense. We call it ball disruptions. At practice, we emphasize that. It is a big part of our DNA and what we stand for, but we do need to get up in the turnover margins."
Leading 27-24 with under one minute left to play last Saturday, Tennessee sealed the win over South Carolina when defensive back Malik Foreman stripped the ball and forced a fumble by tight end Jerell Davis following a 25-yard reception. Anticipating a game-deciding tackle in the red zone, Vols linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin jumped on the loose ball, returning possession to Tennessee with 32 seconds remaining.
But the turnaround began well before Saturday. Against Arkansas on Oct. 3, true freshman Shy Tuttle blocked a 22-yard field goal to help keep the Vols within striking distance. Defensive back Brian Randolph blocked a punt in the Vols' season opener against Bowling Green. The next week against Oklahoma (Sept. 12), sophomore Todd Kelly Jr., became the first Vol to record two interceptions in a game since Randolph did so in 2013. Another big moment this season came when Jakob Johnson forced a fumble against Georgia, ultimately leading to a score on the ensuing drive for Tennessee.
"The play that Malik Foreman made was really remarkable," Jones said. "When you watch it on video, the pin and the punch are things we work so hard on in our Maxim One periods. I credit him because he did a tremendous job. If you look at the course of a long football season, nobody plays a perfect game. When you get in games like that, you have to rely on your habits and training."
O'Line Unit Persevering
The Tennessee offensive line has dealt with its fair share of injuries. After starting the same five man combination for the first five games, the team has had a different starting lineup in each of its last four, with redshirt senior Kyler Kerbyson as the lone player to start every game at the same position.
Despite the injuries, the O-Line hasn't lowered their standards at all.
"Going into the season I knew we were a really good offensive line," Kerbyson said. "I knew we had struggles last year, especially because no one had played before. It was very new to us. Ever since then, the guys who play have held everyone to a high standard.
"We want to get our backs over 1,000 yards in a season, we want to be able to run the ball whenever we want and we want to be able to protect [Josh] Dobbs," Kerbyson continued. "I hold myself to a high standard as much as I hold Dontavius Blair, Chance Hall, Brett Kendrick and Drew Richmond, all the tackles. I hold them all to a high standard as much as me. If I need to learn a new play, they need to learn a new play. With that mentality and with everyone who is playing all being leaders, it bleeds down to the younger ones and they understand how important it is to be on the O-Line."
The offensive line needs to be a cohesive unit and part of that success has been from young players stepping up and stepping into the starting lineup.
"I totally trust Jack Jones and Chance Hall with everything that they are doing," Kerbyson said. "I have watched them work every day in practice. I know exactly their capabilities, their knowledge base. Those guys are some of the smartest guys I know, so I definitely trust them."
"I think everyone out there and everyone who is going to play is locked in and ready to go," Kerbyson said.
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)