University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Report: Onward and Upward After 1st Quarter of Season
September 19, 2017 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee assistant coaches and student-athletes spoke to reporters on Tuesday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio and discussed the team's progress over its first three games.
Tennessee is one quarter through its 12-game regular season schedule and the Vols' best football is still ahead of them.
UT's offensive line has been very productive, paving the way for 402 yards per game and junior running back John Kelly, who leads the SEC with 349 rushing yards and 540 all-purpose yards.
"Every position on the field and the way they're playing impacts play calling and how things are going, especially that group up front," Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott said. "We've done a really good job with all the moving pieces we've had to move around and shake up from week to week, all the way through camp, and a lot times right up until we're getting ready to go out on the field. These guys have done a really good job."
Offensive line coach Walt Wells said that his group is progressing and improving on its physicality and communication. Freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith, who has started all three games at right guard, has stood out in both the running game and the passing game, demonstrating why he was rated as ESPN.com's No. 1 overall recruit for 2017.
"Trey is coming around and learning," Wells said. "He came out and played well against Georgia Tech. Then he came back against Indiana State and learned that you have to work your craft every day in college football. You can't let up even against certain teams because they will embarrass you. It is college football, and everyone was probably one of the best players on their high school teams. Whether it is FCS or FBS, it doesn't matter because they are a good football player. He learned that in Week 2. In Week 3, he came out and played with one of the better 3-techniques that we have seen. He did a nice job against Florida."
Smith echoed his position coach's evaluation of his development, saying "there's a lot of stuff I need to improve on."
"Just being an offensive lineman, you're never really going to have perfection," Smith said. "There are a lot of people that play in the NFL for like 16 years and there's still always something to work on. So I think that I'm doing an okay job right now."
Kelly Is Spark of the UT Offense
Kelly leads the Vols and ranks 11th in the nation with 349 rushing yards. His five rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in the SEC and fifth in the nation. Kelly, who also leads Tennessee with 16 receptions, also ranks sixth nationally with 540 all-purpose yards.
Kelly's tackle-shedding running style fueled Tennessee's second-half rally against Florida last week, bringing the Vols back from 10-point deficits before the Gators took the win on the final play of the game.
"When you're a running back you don't want to get tackled, so I'm doing everything I can not to get tackled," Kelly said. "Just trying to impose my will on people when I'm running the ball when I get opportunities to do so and that's really just where it comes from."
Kelly, who is also one of the most respected players on the team, has also won over teammates with his vocal leadership in practice and in games.
"My mom used to always say I talked too much anyways, so I guess it's still going," Kelly said.
Scott described Kelly simply as "a football player," adding that "He's prepared, he's competitive, he wants to win, and you can't have enough of those guys on your football team."
Kelly's ferocity on the field and genuine personality off it have made him a model teammate. Wells said that Kelly spoke to the offensive line on Monday and thanked the unit for paving the way for his success over the first three games.
"There are times when I just look at John and I'm like 'wow,'" Smith said. "He was running over people, he's a full-contact back, and that's what I really love about him. JK gets me hyped in games just by the way he plays. The violence with which he plays, it really motivates me. If a guy's going to run that hard, what is blocking for a couple seconds so I can help spring him free?"
Kelly Named to PFF College SEC Team of the Week
Kelly was named to Pro Football Focus College's SEC Team of the Week on Tuesday, registering the highest grade of a conference player at 92.3. Kelly totaled 237 all-purpose yards at No. 24 Florida on Saturday, setting career highs in rushing yards (141), receiving yards (96) and receptions (six), while tying his career high in carries (19). Kelly leads the SEC in rushing (116.3 ypg) and is tied for second in receptions (16) through three games this season.
1967 National Champions To Be Honored Saturday
The 1967 National Champion Tennessee football team will be honored at the end of the first quarter on Saturday as part of the 50th anniversary reunion weekend for the team. The 1967 Volunteers fell to UCLA in the season opener before winning nine straight, including victories over Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss. UT finished No. 2 in the final polls and was selected as the national champion by Litkenhous. Led by Head Coach Dough Dickey, the Vols earned a berth in the Orange Bowl and also won the SEC Championship with a perfect 6-0 mark in conference.
Vols Teaming Up with Curing Kids Cancer
For the third year in a row, the Tennessee Volunteers will team up with Curing Kids Cancer to promote that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month during their game on September 23 against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.
Teams from across the country will wear helmet stickers and wristbands while coaches wear wristbands, gold whistles and lanyards to represent their support for pediatric cancer awareness. Many of these teams are not only spreading awareness, they are helping their local children's hospital receive funds to better provide innovative treatment at its pediatric cancer center.
The campaign is becoming a staple for many of the teams as all of this year's teams have participated before. Each team gives back on a national and local level by promoting childhood cancer awareness.
Taking on pediatric cancer and their opponents will be:
- University of Alabama
- Duke University
- University of Georgia
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Georgia State University
- Kennesaw State University
- University of South Carolina
- University of Tennessee
With support from ESPN GameDay commentator Lee Corso, "Mr. College Football" Tony Barnhart from the SEC Network and the "Head Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier the campaign has continued to grow.