University of Tennessee Athletics
Outback Bowl Day 3: Keeping The Focus
December 28, 2015 | Football
TAMPA, Fla. -- Monday's practice was Tennessee's first in pads since arriving in Tampa on Dec. 26. Team 119's lifespan has five days remaining and the seniors and the leaders on this team are looking to close the season with a victory.
Defensive coordinator John Jancek said that one of the strengths of the Vols' defense has been its ability to adjust. If an opposing team's play is successful against against Tennessee, it will not work a second time. Jancek credited the defense's maturity and growth to its leaders and the way they have been able to balance discipline with individuality.
"I think part of our culture and what we have been able to accomplish on defense is that everyone has a mutual respect for each other," Jancek said. "Randy (Brian Randolph) has a unique personality. Curt Maggitt has a unique personality. (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) is in there and he's a little bit quite but has a lot of influence in his own way. The guys really respect that and that's what we want to do as coaches. We want to respect that, their personalities and the things that they like to do."
Randolph, Maggitt and Reeves-Maybin have the respect of their teammates and have been instrumental in the Vols' balance of hard work and having fun with the game they love.
"They've worked, they've gotten better and that's really what I care about," Jancek said. "If we can have some fun in between all of that, that's great."
SEEKING #9
Clarksville native Jalen Reeves-Maybin is well aware of the recent history of Tennessee football and what winning a ninth game would mean for the program. Tennessee hasn't won as many as nine games in a season since the 2007 campaign -- when Reeves-Maybin was just 12 years old.
"It's important to finish strong," said Reeves-Maybin, who leads the Vols with 99 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss. "We haven't had nine wins in a long time around here. It's something that we owe to the program and we will come out and give our best performance on the first."
That 2007 season also happens to be the last one where the Vols played in the Outback Bowl as they defeated Wisconsin, 21-17 to finish the season 10-4 overall.
Reeves-Maybin said the Vols have had keen attention to the task at hand on the trip to Tampa -- returning to Knoxville with a win.
"Everybody has been focused like it has been during the season," said Reeves-Maybin. "We have been going out and having great practices. We are focused on each other, focused on getting that win on (January) first."
RANDOLPH'S UNIQUE STYLE
Brian Randolph's unique, self-taught bowling style was the talk of Splitsville on Sunday night at the Outback Bowl's team function for both Tennessee and Northwestern.
Here's a video of Randolph's bowling form:
.@Randyboy37! pic.twitter.com/kzX9Pttg2A
-- Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 28, 2015
Kyler Kerbyson recalled when he and Randolph took a bowling class together as freshmen.
"He's been doing that for a while," Kerbyson said. "He did it in class and I'm pretty sure he got an A. It worked out. He is a pretty good bowler with that technique. He gets a few spares and sometimes a strike."
Over the years, Randolph has balanced his fun-loving personality with a serious work ethic and high IQ, making him a favorite teammate and respected team leader.
"Randolph is a crazy dude, he has a wild personality," Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "On the field he's actually more calm, he gets everyone settled down. He's really smart, I guess he decides to let loose sometimes."
Defensive coordinator John Jancek has credited Randolph for stepping up as a leader on the field. It's Randolph who sets the DBs before plays, making adjustments on the fly.
Randolph will become Tennessee's all-time leader in games played when he takes the field for the Outback Bowl on Friday. His experience and standout play have made him one of the most-respected voices on defense. Kerbyson said that when the DBs are tested on Fridays, they swarm to Randolph with questions.
The fifth-year senior's smarts both on the field and in the classroom have made him a crafty veteran who keeps his teammates uptempo with his personality.
"That guy wouldn't even have to study for a test and he'd get in the 90s," Kerbyson said.
SPECIAL VISITORS
The Vols welcomed some special visitors to Monday's practice at the University of Tampa.
Prior to the start of practice, head coach Butch Jones spent time with several members of the military including a Tennessee alum, Major General Stephen A. Clark. Clark and his family chatted with Jones about the Outback Bowl and the Vols' preparation.
Clark graduated from UT-Knoxville in 1986 with a bachelors degree in political science. Clark is the Director for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments (J8), Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is responsible for USSOCOM's program analysis, evaluation, strategic acquisition resource oversight and cost analysis. He has had 14 military assignments since he was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program in 1986 from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
All-American and 1998 National Champion Cosey Coleman was also at practice and visited with the Vols' offensive linemen following practice. Coleman played 35 games with the Vols and earned All-SEC honors in 1998 and 1999.
Coleman went on to be a second-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000 and played six seasons in the NFL with the Bucs and Browns.
