KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football coach Butch Jones and assistant coaches – Bob Shoop, Mike DeBord, Larry Scott and Willie Martinez -- spoke to reporters at Monday's press conference.
The Vols (7-3, 3-3 SEC) will face SEC foe Missouri (3-7, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and CBS will televise the action from Neyland Stadium.
Butch Jones | Coach
"Some conclusions to Kentucky and then we will move on to Missouri. I thought it was a very good team win. Going into the game I thought it was a Maxim 2 game. We had to play for our make to breaks and take advantage of it and obviously score and I thought we were able to do that. This a team that is not going to win the stat battle right now. We are concerned with only one stat and that is the win. It was a good win for us and then we move on.
"We have moved on towards Missouri. It is going to be a great challenge. First of all offensively, they are really explosive. They are averaging 31 points a game. They are second in the SEC in total offense. Drew Lock is an NFL quarterback and can make all the throws. You can see he is becoming more comfortable with all of their run-pass options. Along with the RPO's, they are as talented a group of wide receivers that we have faced the entire year. They can run vertical. They can get in and out of their breaks and take a five-yard gain and turn it into a 35-yard gain. They can rush the football, and their offensive front is playing really well. They have only given up 10 sacks I believe, which is No. 1 in the SEC. Missouri, defensively leads the SEC with 13 interceptions. The last two games they have had 10 sacks and 18 TFL's. They are a very talented defensive front.”
Mike DeBord | Offensive Coordinator
Saturday will mark Tennessee senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs final game at Neyland Stadium. Dobbs has played in 34 games for the Vols and has been instrumental in the program's turnaround. He had another outstanding performance against Kentucky, passing for 223 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 147 yards and two scores. DeBord spoke about how important Dobbs is to the offense.
"Well, as you saw Saturday he means a lot. When we can get him some runs like we got him, and he had the one throw he wish he had back before halftime, but other than that he threw the ball really well and made good decisions with it. He pushed the ball down the field a lot too which was good. He's the guy and makes this offense go, that's where it starts. He's got a lot of guys around him. I thought our line played well. Our receivers our backs, tight ends - probably overall as a unit it was one of our better days putting everybody together."
Bob Shoop | Defensive Coordinator
Tennessee's defense will have another tough task on its hands this week when it faces a Missouri offense that averages 31.2 points and 486.7 yards (second in the SEC) per game. Shoop spoke about what he has seen so far from the tape on Missouri.
"If you have number divisible by three, you are pretty good. Three, six, nine, and 12 are all really good players. The quarterback is probably the most complete player. I think he is a really good quarterback. I think he's one of the best quarterbacks we've faced. They use splits to their advantage. They spread you across 53 yards of field, for sure. Six and nine out on the outside are really good receivers. They are all fast. They all catch the ball well. Within the framework of the single snap they can run the ball or throw a hitch to the backside, a smoke screen to the front side, a glance down the field, and they execute really well. They are a very good offense and their numbers show that."
Larry Scott | Tight Ends Coach
The Vols started two tight ends in their win over Kentucky. Ethan Wolf had his best game of the season, reeling in four catches for 44 yards and one touchdown. Jason Croom had perhaps his best game as a blocker, setting the edge for big runs by Dobbs, Alvin Kamara and John Kelly.
"We have found a way to get better every week. That has to do with the multitude of reps and having guys buy into all of the little things that it takes to get better. They have stayed the course and attacked every week from a preparation standpoint, and then going out and executing during the game. I think that we have gotten better and better each week."
Willie Martinez | Defensive Backs
Tennessee senior captain Cameron Sutton made his return to the field against Kentucky and registered a pair of pass breakups, becoming UT's all-time leader with 36 passes defended. Martinez was pleased to have his shutdown corner and team leader back in action. Entering Saturday's win vs. the Wildcats, Sutton had been sidelined since suffering an injury against Ohio on Sept. 17.
"The amount of time that Cam has been out and for him to come and play and the amount of reps that he played for and was productive, it was really good for us. He's only going to continue to get better. It's great to see him back there because he has been a great leader off the field too. In meetings, he has always been engaged and it's good for him to come back and as fast as he came back was pretty impressive."
More Sound Bites
Mike DeBord
(On what Missouri's defense might try to do)
"I wish I knew. Very moldable and all kinds of movement, all kinds of different coverages. It's unbelievable all the different things that they do. We're trying to get a little bit of a feel as we continue our game preparation, what we'll see and work at that. It's a very moldable defense and who knows until game time what you're going to see."
(On the pressures of coaching in high-scoring games)
"I feel more pressure is when the other team is slowing it down and then we're going to have limited series. That's where the pressure is more I think in games like that. There's been pressure all the way through. You want to score every time you get the ball. "
Bob Shoop
(On improving the defense's physicality during the season)
"It's a delicate balance and I'm sure coach addressed. I think coach does a really great job setting the schedule during the course of the week. We're in Week 11 now. When depth is an issue, and obviously it's well-documented that we have had some injuries. Some of our guys, counting special teams, play over a hundred snaps a game. For me to beat them up on Tuesday and Wednesday, that's challenging. There is that balance between getting the run fits and being physical against our two on offense or against a scout team unit and being able to come out on Saturday and being able to do it. Or saying no, we're going to go live and we're going to go physical, and that's tough as well. It's hard at this time of year, but we are not the only team that goes through that. Our veteran players have to be mature and savvy enough to prepare their bodies. We have got to continue to carry over those fundamentals on a more consistent basis."
Larry Scott
(On Tyler Byrd and Marquill Osborne’s first time at punt return)
"They are both really young players and they are figuring it out. We try to produce as many reps, situations and scenarios in practice that we can with the allotted time that we have. Nothing replaces experience. They are getting better and they are seeing it and they will continue to do that each and every week."
(On Ethan Wolf’s progression)
"He has gotten a lot better. He pays attention to details and the fundamentals and he tries to get better each and every week. He knows not to get frustrated and just to work and get better. You are starting to see the fruits of that labor."
(On Trevor Daniel and his impact)
"It is always the hidden yardage stat that no one really talks about. That actually comes into play in wins and losses truly. So anytime you have a kid like that who can flip the field and keep the field position going for you that is a weapon and you cannot replace that. So the hidden yardage is where that comes into play and he is doing a great job at that. I am really glad he is on our team."
Willie Martinez
(On Nigel Warrior becoming a consistent contributor)
"Nigel is getting better each and every day. The safety position is totally different than the corner position. And what I mean by that is, you have to make all the calls and you have to make all the checks. Not that he can't do that, but there's a comfort level, there's experience there. The times that he has been in there, he's done a great job. It's just getting better each and every day. He'll play this game; he's ready for the challenge. He's done a really good job on special teams; you can see the confidence coming. We're excited about him. He's done a great job and he'll be a guy that we can count on his ball game."
(On Missouri's passing game)
"I hate to sit there and say that one is better than the other, but the quarterback is really good. For a young player, he is extremely talented and does a great job of his progression of reads and his throws. There's not really a throw he can't make and when you get the skill that they have in the receiver position, that makes them dangerous. Especially with a combination of the run-pass options. They are pretty good. We've faced some really good offenses this year. To sit there and say they are the best, they are one of the best there's no doubt about that we've played and the stats won't lie and his playing won't lie."
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)