University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Confident in Simms
October 14, 2011 | Football
Matt Simms didn't have to say it because his teammates already knew it. The sky is not falling.
It was Simms who stepped in last Saturday when starting quarterback Tyler Bray fractured his thumb against Georgia, converting two fourth downs to finish off a 76-yard drive for UT's only touchdown of a 20-12 loss.
It was Simms who calmed initial fears of what the Vols will do over the next six weeks while Bray's thumb mends.
And it was Simms who went to the practice field earlier this week with Tennessee's first team.
The Vols never expected to face their toughest stretch of SEC games without starting wide receiver Justin Hunter and now their starting quarterback. But they aren't running from it, either.
"I don't have any doubts that Tennessee is going to be what Tennessee expects to be," head coach Derek Dooley said. "But we also have to confront some tough, brutal facts that we are facing right now. Is it going to be tough? You're dang right."
Senior defensive lineman Ben Martin is confident in Simms' ability to lead. According to Martin and others, Simms has been a leader for the team all along, even after becoming Bray's backup last November.
"Whenever you have guys that go down, we need to have another one to step up," Martin said. "That's what we have to do in this situation, just like always. Injuries are a part of the game. We are a team. We are going to practice this week, and we are going to get through it as always."
Martin knows. He suffered two Achilles injuries within a year, preventing him from playing a down in 2010. But Martin stayed mentally prepared, and Simms has done the same during his relocation to backup quarterback.
Each morning when the Vols hit Haslam Field for practice, Simms trotted out with the mentality that he may be the starting quarterback and prepared like he was. And he knows what that's like. Simms started his first eight games at Tennessee.
Simms, who enrolled at Tennessee in spring 2010 after spending two seasons at Louisville and another at El Camino (Calif.) Junior College, knows something about playing difficult competition. Among those eight starts last year were games against Oregon, Florida and Alabama as well as trips to LSU, Georgia and South Carolina. A 2-6 start and limited offensive production led coaches to call on the freshman Bray. Still, taking snaps in hostile environments with high stakes won't be new for Simms.
"We're pretty confident with Matt," said sophomore center James Stone. "He does well at practice, and he was able to get a lot of experience last year."
One of the most memorable experiences -- and most difficult -- came against LSU.
Simms ran for a 3-yard touchdown to give Tennessee a 14-10 lead with 11:34 left in the game at a rocking Tiger Stadium. Then he handed things over to his defense.
The Tigers had second-and-goal from the 1 when quarterback Jordan Jefferson was stopped on a keeper for no gain with 28 seconds to play. The Tigers lacked urgency in getting off the third down play, and Jefferson was surprised when the ball was snapped over his head. With no time on the clock, Tennessee appeared to have upset No. 12 LSU at home.
Upon review, however, the Vols had 13 men on the field when the ball was snapped. LSU got an untimed play, and running back Stevan Ridley capped a dominant day with one more yard and the winning touchdown. Tennessee lost 16-14.
The Vols were in disbelief, and it started a four-game losing streak that resulted in Simms losing his starting job at quarterback.
"It was definitely tough last year, but it doesn't take much to motivate me," Simms said. "I'm looking forward to continuing to play football my senior year and enjoy it as much as I can."
A year later, Simms gets another shot at the Tigers.
"I don't know who it was, but I did an interview during the summer and they asked me who I'd love to go against and I said LSU," Simms said. "I got what I wished for."
Nobody wished for Bray's injury. But nobody's moping, either.
"It's a big loss and we want to support Tyler, but we also want to be able to support Matt as he transitions in and gets the team ready as we go in and play this week," said Stone, who noted he has been spending extra time snapping the ball to the new quarterback.
Simms came off the practice field Tuesday as Tennessee's starting quarterback again. He was businesslike with his words.
"It was a good first day, just getting used to being a starter again just in time for the No. 1 team in the nation," Simms said. "It's hands-down a totally different world. As a whole team in general, we're 100 times better than we were a year ago."
Dooley added, however, that the task of keeping that mental edge now falls on Simms.
"You're presented with a set of circumstances every day and you can't change what has happened in the past," Dooley said. "You can't worry about what might happen. You have to deal with the circumstances you are presented with and go after it the best you can. That is all you can do and never lose faith in the end of the story."
