University of Tennessee Athletics
Head coach Phillip Fulmer's Media Day Comments
September 10, 2008 | Football
Sept. 10, 2008
"First and foremost, it's going to be great to be at home and playing in front of the home crowd. I know our players will be excited about that, particularly the new guys that this will be their first time through the `T' and to experience Neyland Stadium.
"Coming off a tough loss, I think we used the open date extremely well--Wednesday to correct mistakes and get our feet back on the ground after a long trip; Thursday to really work fundamentals and work again at correcting some of the mistakes we made during the course of the UCLA game and also to build on the good things that we did. We took a couple of days off through the open date and then Sunday got back to work.
"I like the way our football team has tried to respond in the right way. You look back and you see each and every game should make progress. You find out a lot about yourself in a game like that early. I certainly think we did that; the good, the bad and the ugly.
"We played well on defense. Certainly UAB offers a different style of attack and will challenge our defense. The quarterback is a really fine player. He throws the ball exceptionally well, and with his mobility and his ability to make plays on the run, he is a big concern for us. They run a lot of formations, a lot of looks, and spread the field to get the ball to a lot of people in different ways, whether it is the vertical passing game, crossing routes or screens. We're really going to have to be on top of our game defensively to manage a very good UAB team.
"Defensively, they've had their struggles during the first two ball games. We need to take advantage of every single opportunity that we can. They present you problems with a lot of looks and blitzes and different things. That's a challenge for the quarterback and the front. Fortunately, we have some experience up front. Hopefully we will manage that well.
"Kicking game wise, we went back to work and I feel like we corrected the punt situation. It ended up costing us points in the ballgame. Certainly, the kicking game overall--except for that one play--was a positive for us. Our return games were both good; our coverage games were good. We had one play that ended up being the difference in the ball game that was one of the areas we addressed early last week.
"I do like how the staff and players have responded. I have been determined to get ourselves back in the right frame of mind to play not only this ballgame but down the road this season. We certainly have work to do, but we have ability and people to work with. I was really pleased to see how Arian Foster played except for the one play going in that cost us points. It looks like he's gained a step and actually ran away from some people in the game. Montario Hardesty being healthy has turned out to be a real plus for us. Hopefully, he'll continue on the path that he's on. That gives us two backs that can play like you like them to play.
"The receiving corps was solid. I'm looking for bigger and better things from those guys, to make catches on deep balls and separate better in the passing game. We went to work there. We need to get the ball to Luke Stocker and Brandon Warren more at the tight end position. That's something we'll work at doing.
"From a defensive standpoint, I was glad to see our secondary play well. When they threw the ball down the field, we had people in the right places and ended up getting interceptions and takeaways that were difficult for us last year. We're getting our hands on the ball and making the plays. That was a positive.
"Ellix Wilson played one of the best ballgames a linebacker has played here in a long time. That's a real plus when you're trying to replace a guy like Jerod Mayo.
"When you play anybody, you can't assume anything. Our first goal is to win this game. Our second goal is to improve as a team. We always feel like a lot of improvement should be made from the first to the second ballgame. I'm looking for the guys that are going to be fighters and tough guys and have the attitude to play the game like we need it to be played. We only have 12 opportunities guaranteed to us, and we've wasted one. We need to take advantage of the one we have in front of us."
