University of Tennessee Athletics
COACH FULMER COMMENTS ON SOUTH CAROLINA GAME
October 25, 2005 | Football
Oct. 25, 2005
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"Well obviously (we've had) a really, really tough start to our season. It's been tough on our team, which has fought really hard and hasn't accomplished we wanted to accomplish to this point. It's been tough on the staff, and I'm certain it's been tough on the fans. And regarding the fans, I just really appreciate all the support - the cards, the letters, the phone calls from friends and everybody that's been so supportive. We look forward to seeing everybody out there with loud enthusiasm and energy in that stadium Saturday night as we get after South Carolina.
Our kids have worked extremely hard and diligently and bounced back as we've gone through the season. They're very disappointed - as I know a lot of folks are. Especially when you look at the games where one or two plays make a difference in the ballgame, and if we get one or two of those plays, we'd probably be sitting here undefeated. I have to really compliment the kids on the fight that they've taken into each ballgame. We went into the Alabama game saying that we were going to make them match our intensity. We practiced that way, and then we went down there and played that way. We were right down there in scoring territory a couple of times - but especially the last one (when the ball was fumbled and went out the back of the end zone) - if we get that one in (for a touchdown) we probably win the football game.
But we didn't get it done. And as I told our team, life's sometimes like a grindstone; it either polishes you, or it wears you down. And our team has shown that it's not going to be worn down. I'm determined, and I know (the players are) determined, to get ourselves back on track where we expect to be.
A lot of people have talked about our schedule. We've always played a tough schedule here at Tennessee. Four of the six teams we've played have been in the top six, and that's challenging. And it's especially frustrating when you think that you were just a few plays away (from winning those games). I'm not happy. (The players are) not happy. The coaches aren't happy. So we're going to continue to work to get this thing turned around.
Offensively, we have been absolutely our own worst enemies, and we haven't reached our potential. I told our team the other day that the bad thing about our team is that we haven't reached our potential. And on the other side of the coin, the good thing about this team is that we haven't reached our potential. And we certainly can do that. Turnovers, dropped passes, penalties at the worst of times will get you beat when you play against good teams.
Everybody wants to talk about who's accountable. We're all accountable. It starts with me, all the assistant coaches, coordinators, position players - we're all accountable when things aren't like they're supposed to go. I think our team understands that and that their discipline our inconsistent play at spots needs to change so we can reach our potential.
Defensively we have certainly done that. We have played really well on defense. We've got a group of guys over there that are just fighting their rears off and basically trying to take this team on its back and help us win. So I'm excited about that. The kicking game has made some strides along the way, and we're going to continue to work offensively to make the strides that we need to make.
Regarding South Carolina, they're a very good football team. They're a well-coached football team. Their quarterback (Blake Mitchell) has thrown for about a 64 percent completion rate on his passes. They've got the leading receiver in the Southeastern Conference as far as total yards (in Sidney Rice). Their style of attack is vertical down the field with crossing routes, screens, draws, reverses, all kinds of things to try to keep you off balance. So we've got a big challenge ahead for ourselves from a defensive standpoint - particularly with the vertical passing game and the deep balls.
Defensively, South Carolina is very multiple kind of team. They really want to try to be an eight-man front to get in there and stop the run with the big, strong, good-looking guys up front. (They also have) fast linebackers and secondary players and a very solid kicking game. As you'd expect when you play in the Southeastern Conference, it will be another tough football game for us. But we look forward to getting ourselves back on track here as we move past the halfway point of the season.
Obviously Gerald (Riggs Jr.) was a very important part of our offensive attack. Gerald had a really great season last year and was heading toward the same thing. He was headed toward a 1,000-yard season probably this year. He was right at 500 yards at the halfway point. We'll miss him a lot, but you can't dwell on that. We're fortunate to have some guys - Arian Foster particularly - that have played some and played well. He's looking forward to carrying the load. The depth I'm a little bit concerned about (in terms of) where we are and what we're going to do next. Those young guys will have to step up. Losing Gerald and Montario (Hardesty) really makes it complicated. I think we'll be fine, and I'm anxious to see those guys play every down."
