University of Tennessee Athletics
#VolReport: 4th Quarter of the Season
November 10, 2015 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee enters the fourth quarter of its season this week when it hosts North Texas on Saturday for the Vols' 92nd Homecoming.
MORE FROM THE VOLS
Tennessee participated in the Beads of Courage program for the third consecutive year on Saturday. ...Read more
Tennessee punter Trevor Daniel has been named among the nominees for the Burlsworth Trophy. ...Read more
Everything you need to prepare for Saturday's homecoming game vs. North Texas ...Read more
SOUND BITES
- Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord
(On how opposing defenses have adjusted in the second half)
"I think teams in the second half have come out and said, 'Hey, we're going to blitz you to try to stop you.' And I think that's been a credit to us that [the opposing defense] doesn't just feel like they can sit there and play base defenses and stuff. Now, when they blitz, it puts everybody in a one-on-one situation. One missed block, one bad angle, whatever, can result in a bad play."
(On Von Pearson's recent production)
"We're glad that it has [been happening] because he's very deserving. He's been working hard, he's been patient when he hasn't gotten the ball -- he hasn't said a word. So it's been good for him to do that."
- Defensive coordinator John Jancek
(On Austin Smith's development)
"Austin's a tremendous talent. We try to work him in, in some pass rush. He's in our three-down package. He hasn't gotten many reps there, but Austin's got a bright future. I'm glad he's here. He's a great kid. He's working hard. You're going to hear his name a lot in the future."
(On being more competitive this season)
"When you look at us, I think you see a program that's on the rise. I think you see a program that's headed in the right direction. You see both sides of the ball and special teams making great progress. We've just got to keep pushing, keep doing what we're doing, and stick to the plan."
- Associate head coach Steve Stripling
(On Owen Williams)
"I think Owen is really doing a good job. He had a little something to prove on Saturday. He made some TFL's and was flying around. He got the attention of the other D-lineman. I think they were kind of following him that day. They were talking about how explosive he was out there."
(On the name of the Smurfs package)
"Because there's no 300 pound tackles out there. You're putting four athletic pass rushers out there. That's just the name we call that package."
- Offensive line coach Don Mahoney
(On the credit to the returning linemen and criticism)
"I think as a whole, all of us are able to deal with it, and our skin has gotten thicker, and we've been able to fight through things. The Kerbysons, Crowders, Kendricks that have had a chance to go through what we have experienced has allowed them to provide the leadership and I think we've been able to brush some things off and move forward and not hang on to things quite as long, and really block out some distractions."
- Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni
(On the wide receivers)
"What those kids have been doing has been remarkable. Those kids are warriors right now. I don't think anyone really realizes [what they've been doing.] To go all those plays with four, five guys -- four and a half really. Some guys playing on one leg out there. I was happy. Was it perfect? No. But we made a lot of plays when we had to. We were very good on third downs. We've been like that since Georgia. We've been really coming into our own, making plays when we have to."
UT (5-4, 3-3 SEC) is also coming off of a 27-24 win over South Carolina in which the Vols came up with big fourth-quarter stop to secure the victory. Finishing strong and maintaining focus for the entire game are Tennessee's main priorities entering each of these final three regular-season games.
"We are exciting to watch," Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek said. "The good thing is the last few games we found a way to win. That's really what we've concentrated on. Those last possessions in the final minutes of the ballgame, you have got to find a way to make a play and win the game. It was great to see us do that this week."
Malik Foreman's forced fumble with under a minute remaining played a major role in the win over Gamecocks. Jancek said that the coaches have stressed in practice that there are two or three plays that can really impact a game at any moment. Foreman punching the ball out of Jerell Adams' grasp was certainly was one of them.
"We have worked all year long at forcing turnovers, ball disruption, starting the mower, and to have it show up at that exact moment and Malik be able to deliver, it's big," Jancek said.
Pearson's Hard Work Paying Off
Senior receiver Von Pearson enjoyed the best game of his Vol career against South Carolina, setting new personal bests with eight catches and 121 yards. The highlight of his performance was a 37-yard touchdown catch down the left side of the field that gave UT a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
A few weeks ago, wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni said that he thought Pearson would have a good second half of the season.
"He has kind of put the throttle down on his work habits," Azzanni said. "I think any time you are a senior, you start to realize the end is near, 'Oh my goodness, here we go.' It's neat to see the fruits of his labor. I'm still expecting him to keep going."
With the exception of a 45-yard reception against Bowling Green in the season opener, Pearson has been a reliable target on short to intermediate throws all season. He came up with a pair of big gains against South Carolina. In addition to his 37-yard touchdown, Pearson also hauled in a 30-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs in the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-10 to put the Vols at the Gamecocks' 13-yard line and set up Aaron Medley's go-ahead field goal.
Azzanni added that Pearson's elevated play in games is a reflection of his standout play in practices, which has also earned him playing time and his quarterback's trust on Saturdays.
Moving The Chains
In converting 9-of-18 third downs on Saturday against South Carolina, the Tennessee offense recorded its fourth straight game with a third-down conversion rate of 50 percent or better. Those key pick-ups have allowed the Vols to sustain drives and put points on the board, as evidenced by two key third-down conversions that led to touchdowns in UT's first two drives against South Carolina, not to mention a 30-yard pass completion from Joshua Dobbs to Von Pearson that converted 3rd-and-10 on UT's go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
"We've been pretty good on third down this year and we've been good on 3rd and long, which is a low percentage -- usually -- of success," said offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. "I just think that we've had some really good stuff for our guys to execute and they've done a great job of executing it."
Five of Tennessee's nine third-down conversions against the Gamecocks came on 3rd-and-7 or longer. In fact, three of those plays were among UT's most explosive. Aside from the aforementioned completion to Pearson, tight end Ethan Wolfe made a 23-yard catch on 3rd-and-9 in the third quarter -- a play which help set up Alvin Kamara's 11-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-goal two plays later.
"We work extremely hard as a staff and as players in practice on third downs," noted wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni. "I mean we work really hard on that. We toil over it every day. We're in there hours upon hours upon hours as a staff going over every nook and cranny of third down. We want to make it a priority and I think it's showing."
Tennessee's recent success on third down has pushed its season-long third-down conversion percentage to 45.8. That figure ranks second in the SEC and is only 0.6 percent behind Arkansas' league-leading 46.4.
Barnett Busting Out
Over his last four games, sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett has recorded five sacks and six tackles for loss.
This is despite the fact that Barnett has been seeing a lot more attention from opposing offenses with Curt Maggitt on the sideline. Since getting healthy, it hasn't mattered.
"He's getting that edge back," said associate head coach and defensive line coach Steve Stripling. "I think these next three weeks will be critical. Today in practice, we kind of have a preset rotation in practice, he wouldn't let them take him out of the game. Guys go running out there and he's just like `I'm not coming off' and they turn around. I think he's getting back to the point where he is feeling good. He's anxious to keep competing."
Early in the season Barnett had to play through injuries. He only recorded one sack in the first five games, although it came in a 15 tackle game against Oklahoma.
"That second year gets challenging, it's a different world," Stripling said. "He's fighting through injury and he has the maturity to keep plugging. It's good to see Derek back, he's got some of his personality back."
Having a fully healthy Barnett on one side has made things a lot easier for the rest of the defensive line.
"I think they absolutely feed off that," Stripling said. "I think the guys played with a pretty good presence last week."
It shows in the statistics. Corey Vereen recorded two of the team's five sacks against Alabama. Since then, the team has collected nine hurries and three sacks against South Carolina and Kentucky.
Two More Black Stripes Removed
The Vols celebrated two players getting the black helmet stripes removed on Tuesday. Quay Picou and Stephen Griffin were honored by their teammates after practice.
➖ off for @qpicou9! #EarningStripes pic.twitter.com/jIGPN7tmcF
-- Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 10, 2015
➖ coming off for @Cover9_! #EarningStripes pic.twitter.com/kA3laJZBFq
-- Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 10, 2015
