Jones Says Vols Confident Heading Into Game Vs. Florida

 Tennessee coach Butch Jones and his coordinators spoke to reporters Wednesday, just three days from their key SEC showdown against No. 19 Florida.

The 14th-ranked Vols (3-0, 0-0 SEC) and Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) meet for the 46th time on Saturday, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS. Also, ESPN’s GameDay will be in Knoxville for the first time since 2012.

Tennessee and Florida are meeting as ranked, undefeated teams for the first time in four yeares. It is also the first time since 2006 that both the Vols and Gators are ranked inside the top 20 at the time of their annual meeting.

UT is 3-0 for the first time since 2004 after defeating Ohio on Saturday to claim its third non-conference victory. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw for a 203 yards and a pair of scores to Josh Malone, while also rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Malone, a junior wideout, now has four touchdown catches this season -- the most in the SEC through three weeks.

Florida heads into the game boasting one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Coming off a 32-0 shutout of North Texas last weekend, UF allows a measly 4.7 points per contest. Florida's 42.3 rush yards allowed and 87.3 pass yards allowed per game each rank first in the SEC and second in the nation. 

Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and special teams coordinator Larry Scott were also interviewed about the upcoming game.

The Vols are seeking to snap a demoralizing 11-game losing streak against the Gators. The last time Tennessee defeated Florida was in 2004. That was also the last time the Vols began the SEC season with a victory.

Butch Jones | Head Coach  

As the head coach of the program with the third-longest active winning streak (nine games) in college football, Jones believes his Volunteers have every reason to be confident going into Saturday's game. While the Vols’ performances over its first three games have been far from perfect, Jones believes UT can hang its hat on its relentlessness in the face of adversity. 

"First of all our team is very confident. You don’t win nine games in a row by not having confidence. We’ve suffered some adversity and a lot of the adversity, we’ve created it for ourselves. I think that’s healthy because our football team could have quit in some adverse situations and they never blinked, they’ve kept playing. I’ve been really, really encouraged by that.

“Our team has a tremendous amount of confidence. They expect to win, they expect to win every time they got out the football field. That’s why you compete, and I think the way you work in practice and the way you prepare gives you confidence going into game day. Now you have to be able to take the practice field to the game field. You don’t win nine straight by not having confidence."

Mike DeBord | Offensive Coordinator

Jones said Tuesday that offensive lineman Chance Hall would be available to play against Florida. The sophomore had arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-August, and returned to practice for the first time this week. The 6-foot-4, 318-pounder played in 10 games last season and earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors. DeBord has been impressed with Hall's recovery and his quick return to the field.

"You have to give credit to Chance. You have to give credit to our training staff and our strength and conditioning staff for getting him into that position where he can come out there and play like that. Anyone who knows Chance Hall knows he is a great young man and he is all in to football. He loves football and he studies it all the time. Its not like he left and wasn't in meetings and watching film. He has prepared himself like that."

Bob Shoop | Defensive Coordinator  

Despite battling through a rash of injuries sustained against Ohio, Shoop found a positive in the Vols' willingness to rally around the "next man up" mentality.  

"To me the narrative Sunday might have been 'Tennessee hangs on to win over Ohio,' but to me that was one of the greatest wins I have ever been a part of. For the guys to rally around one another, for Justin Martin to go in at half time and put his pads on even though he was declared out with an injury, and for Micah Abernathy to beg to go in on special teams and say he can go in for corner if we need him, little things like that are cool stories that if you were writing a book those would be a great chapter in the book.

“Guys really stepped up. I told you Colton Jumper would step up and play well and he did and he did a fine job. Cortez (McDowell) and Dillon Bates and Gavin Bryant got reps there. It was great to see those guys emerge and given the opportunity they will thrive."

Larry Scott | Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends  

In 2015, Tennessee boasted one of the top special teams units in the country -- a unit that often appeared as the x-factor in several of the Vols' nine victories. An explosive return game, featuring Evan Berry on kickoffs and Cameron Sutton on punts, put points on the board and provided the offense favorable field position throughout the 2015 season. Those types of big special teams plays have been rare so far this year, but Scott is optimistic that his unit can return to last season's form.

"I think we’re really close. The really good thing about is is that we’re close with a lot of young, talented kids that are coming in and learning our style of play and learning how we do things. You can practice it, give them the basics, give them the foundation, but nothing’s like getting out and having to execute it in a game situation, understanding the one and done mentality that comes with that. There are no do-overs like practice.

“You go out for one shot of kickoff, one shot of kickoff return and you gotta be executing at a high level, can’t miss anything. You gotta be detail-oriented and that only comes with times and reps. We’re excited about the young guys we have doing that, and they’re just getting better and better each week."

More Sound Bites

Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord

(On his impressions of Florida's top-ranked defense)

"Number one, they have a great defense because of their personnel. I think they have a great defensive line, great linebackers and secondary. That is why they are ranked so high right now and why they play at that level."

Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop

 (On the losing streak against Florida)

"Everybody is aware of it, you can't help of be aware of it. You turn on the SEC Network and its there, but a lot of these guys haven't played them but one or two times and they were both really good games. It's a nice rivalry, we very are excited about it. To us its a great game because its our first SEC game and its a3:30 CBS game. I think our players are really excited to play Florida on Saturday."

Special Teams coordinator Larry Scott

 (On sensing the excitement of the SEC opener against Florida)

"Isn’t that why you come to Tennessee? At the end of the day, that’s the whole thing: you come to a place like this to play in games like this one. Of course they’re excited. But they understand but that’s still not until Saturday at 3:30 and the processes of getting ready for that is what’s important right now."

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)