University of Tennessee Athletics
Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt Weekly Press Conference
September 17, 2018 | Football
Opening Statement:
"After watching this past week's game, when you look at it offensively, it's probably the best game we've played this year in terms of putting more plays together. It's the first time that we've made a lot of penalties, turned the ball over and put the ball on the ground on five different occasions. We had the penalties putting us in bad yardage on third downs, but we did put several plays together. As far as average yards per play, it was somewhere in the plus six range which is our best for the season. We've got to eliminate the penalties and take care of the football.
Â
"Defensively, we didn't get any turnovers. We did get a little more pressure on the quarterback. We're in the position to get turnovers, and we've just got to finish them. Special teams didn't really create a whole lot of advantage for us. We turned the ball over one time on special teams, so there are lots of things we need to improve on. We came out of the game relatively healthy, which is a good thing, so I think our guys are excited about our opponent this week.
Â
"We're very familiar with Coach Mullen and the guys on his staff. Their teams are always physical, they're tough, they're sound, they play hard, they're good in all three phases, so it's no different this year there. They've played really good defense and kept people out of the end zone. They've created a lot of turnovers. Offensively, they haven't turned the ball over much. I think they're plus five in three games. They can stretch the field. They've got good wide receivers, a quarterback with a big arm who can extend the plays and good runners who are good up front. We'll definitely have a challenge. They've got a really good returner, Freddie Swain, in the punt return game. We're excited about this week. I'm sure everybody associated with Tennessee and Florida is, and we're ready to get started."
Â
On the number of plays on offense when all 11 guys doing the right thing:
"More than we've had in the previous weeks, so there were times Saturday where we gained six or seven yards on offense, and we had three guys doing exactly what they were supposed to do. So imagine if we do exactly what we're supposed to do, what kind of success we'd have. We're still looking to put a string of plays together in a quarter, in a half and in a game."
Â
On competition in the secondary and if he sees improvement:
"I think it's hard to judge. There are guys that are running open, and maybe they didn't hit them. That happens against the best teams; it happens every week. When you play press coverage, there's going to be times where people are running down the field, so you've got to keep them cut off, and we've got to do a better job of doing that. I think our guys have worked hard to improve, and I think we'll see as the weeks come we'll see exactly how much we've improved."
Â
On Micah Abernathy and how he handles the challenges of shifting from safety to nickelback:
"I think he has experience. I think he's a smart guy. He's a guy that can play multiple spots, and he's been a guy that's picked the defense up the quickest and can make the calls, so that helps."
Â
On if Fulmer was asked to speak to the offensive linemen:
"Well, when I get ready to go somewhere, my granddad used to be a truck driver so he always knows the best routes. I think I'd be foolish if I didn't talk to Coach Fulmer about anything in the football program; not just the offensive line but anything. I'm asking him questions all the time."
Â
On Coach Fulmer meeting with players:
"He's met with players several times. If you look at every sports program at Tennessee right now, he's probably met with all of them. He's fired up about being here and the direction we are headed."
Â
On Josh Palmer's play:
"He's still learning how to play football. He hasn't played a whole lot, but he's getting better at his position. He's running routes a little smoother, a little cleaner. He's got to improve his blocking a little bit on the perimeter, but he has improved each week."
Â
On the Tennessee-Florida rivalry:
"When I was growing up, it was always the first big SEC game of the year. When I was growing up, I always loved to watch it – always a lot of passion with both fan bases, a lot of tradition. I'm thankful to have the chance to be a part of it."
Â
On preparing young players for the upcoming SEC stretch:
"It probably does matter who you play, but there's a big deal of things that we need to improve on that has nothing to do with who we're playing. It's about us and the things we can control."
Â
On preparing for Dan Mullen's offense:
"His offenses are always very physical. They're sound. They're very well coached. They give you different looks. If you look over the years, he adapts to the players that he has. He's very multiple. It's always tough to get them off the field on third downs. They've always been the team that runs the ball a lot on third downs. You have to be conscience of that. He will go for it on fourth down. Over the course of his career, they're tough to keep to field goals in the red area."
Â
On having comradery on the offensive line:
"There's going to be competition the entire year at every position. Those are the guys who probably perform the best during practice, and those are the guys we went with."
Â
On Darrin Kirkland Jr.'s injury:
"I think he just banged up his shoulder."
Â
On similarities between Florida and Tennessee's youth:
"I think their guys have done a really good job. What I see is what you've seen over the years. With a Mullen-coached offense and special teams and then Todd Grantham on defense, they're very well coached, and to me, they're probably ahead of where they should be."
Â
On getting Keller Chryst reps:
"The way the game went, I wanted to make sure we got Keller in there. I have confidence in Keller. We do two-minute drills all the time in practice, so I'm glad we got an opportunity to do it."
Â
On depth of the SEC:
"You can ask me in November, and I'll have a little better idea. I'm just really focused on who we've got this week, which is Florida. I haven't looked at a whole lot from the other teams."
Â
On Jarrett Guarantano's role as a manager or playmaker in the offense:
"When you talk about quarterback, the most important thing is managing the offense and being efficient at running the offense. You have to make sure you're in the right plays, manage the shot clock and make sure that we get out checks operated and communicated. I think he has done a great job of getting the ball out of his hand. I think he is a playmaker."
Â
On the blocking by the wide receivers so far:
"Our guys have played hard on the perimeter, and I think they have improved every week. Coach Johnson does a good job of addressing that. That is part of being a complete player. There is more to it than just catching balls and running routes, and I think our guys have worked hard to do that."
Â
On Will Ignont's progression and development since the staff arrived:
"Will is a sharp guy and has a good understanding of what we are trying to get done. He just needs to an opportunity to play. He is working hard to create that for himself."
Â
On if he thinks Trey Smith is at 100 percent after missing the offseason:
"Physically, I think he is 100 percent. Each week, you prepare for what your opponent has done, but you lay a foundation during spring ball and some of fall camp. He didn't have a chance to do that, so there are certain things that have come up in each game that he probably hasn't seen before or hasn't seen in practice. There are things where you have to just kind of fall back to your foundations. He has set in the meetings and watched the tape, but he hasn't experienced it. He will continue to improve the more he plays. But yeah, I would say he is healthy."
Â
On getting after Deandre Johnson on the sideline:
"I think Deandre has a really bright future. He is a guy that can rush the quarterback and play on the edge. I have a lot of confidence in him. We had 12 men on the field, and he wasn't on 'No. 1 Dime Rabbits.' It's like I told him on the sideline when we were talking: 'Just look at me when we are talking.' He is going to be a really good player for us."
Â
On if he has a preference on what time to play:
"Just whenever. We have no control over that. I am just glad I get an opportunity to coach in games like this. If we were going to play at noon or midnight or 6 a.m., that would be ok with me."
Â
On looking to take advantage of RPOs:
"The RPO stuff is tough to defend, and there is good and bad with it. If people are out numbering you in the box, it at least gives you answers outside. At the same time, we had an RPO called on Saturday that Jarrett handed the ball off, which he should have, but the wide receivers were running RPOs, so a guy guarding the receiver came up and made the tackle. It was about an eight-yard gain, but had we been blocking him, it might have been a 20 or 25-yard gain. You could look at it on the other hand. You could be blocking the guy and say the look they gave us was something that had more guys than our offensive line could block. You want to have an answer there. There is good and bad with it. The big thing is, if you run RPOs and the receivers clear when the ball is handed off, they have to turn and become blockers in a hurry."
"After watching this past week's game, when you look at it offensively, it's probably the best game we've played this year in terms of putting more plays together. It's the first time that we've made a lot of penalties, turned the ball over and put the ball on the ground on five different occasions. We had the penalties putting us in bad yardage on third downs, but we did put several plays together. As far as average yards per play, it was somewhere in the plus six range which is our best for the season. We've got to eliminate the penalties and take care of the football.
Â
"Defensively, we didn't get any turnovers. We did get a little more pressure on the quarterback. We're in the position to get turnovers, and we've just got to finish them. Special teams didn't really create a whole lot of advantage for us. We turned the ball over one time on special teams, so there are lots of things we need to improve on. We came out of the game relatively healthy, which is a good thing, so I think our guys are excited about our opponent this week.
Â
"We're very familiar with Coach Mullen and the guys on his staff. Their teams are always physical, they're tough, they're sound, they play hard, they're good in all three phases, so it's no different this year there. They've played really good defense and kept people out of the end zone. They've created a lot of turnovers. Offensively, they haven't turned the ball over much. I think they're plus five in three games. They can stretch the field. They've got good wide receivers, a quarterback with a big arm who can extend the plays and good runners who are good up front. We'll definitely have a challenge. They've got a really good returner, Freddie Swain, in the punt return game. We're excited about this week. I'm sure everybody associated with Tennessee and Florida is, and we're ready to get started."
Â
On the number of plays on offense when all 11 guys doing the right thing:
"More than we've had in the previous weeks, so there were times Saturday where we gained six or seven yards on offense, and we had three guys doing exactly what they were supposed to do. So imagine if we do exactly what we're supposed to do, what kind of success we'd have. We're still looking to put a string of plays together in a quarter, in a half and in a game."
Â
On competition in the secondary and if he sees improvement:
"I think it's hard to judge. There are guys that are running open, and maybe they didn't hit them. That happens against the best teams; it happens every week. When you play press coverage, there's going to be times where people are running down the field, so you've got to keep them cut off, and we've got to do a better job of doing that. I think our guys have worked hard to improve, and I think we'll see as the weeks come we'll see exactly how much we've improved."
Â
On Micah Abernathy and how he handles the challenges of shifting from safety to nickelback:
"I think he has experience. I think he's a smart guy. He's a guy that can play multiple spots, and he's been a guy that's picked the defense up the quickest and can make the calls, so that helps."
Â
On if Fulmer was asked to speak to the offensive linemen:
"Well, when I get ready to go somewhere, my granddad used to be a truck driver so he always knows the best routes. I think I'd be foolish if I didn't talk to Coach Fulmer about anything in the football program; not just the offensive line but anything. I'm asking him questions all the time."
Â
On Coach Fulmer meeting with players:
"He's met with players several times. If you look at every sports program at Tennessee right now, he's probably met with all of them. He's fired up about being here and the direction we are headed."
Â
On Josh Palmer's play:
"He's still learning how to play football. He hasn't played a whole lot, but he's getting better at his position. He's running routes a little smoother, a little cleaner. He's got to improve his blocking a little bit on the perimeter, but he has improved each week."
Â
On the Tennessee-Florida rivalry:
"When I was growing up, it was always the first big SEC game of the year. When I was growing up, I always loved to watch it – always a lot of passion with both fan bases, a lot of tradition. I'm thankful to have the chance to be a part of it."
Â
On preparing young players for the upcoming SEC stretch:
"It probably does matter who you play, but there's a big deal of things that we need to improve on that has nothing to do with who we're playing. It's about us and the things we can control."
Â
On preparing for Dan Mullen's offense:
"His offenses are always very physical. They're sound. They're very well coached. They give you different looks. If you look over the years, he adapts to the players that he has. He's very multiple. It's always tough to get them off the field on third downs. They've always been the team that runs the ball a lot on third downs. You have to be conscience of that. He will go for it on fourth down. Over the course of his career, they're tough to keep to field goals in the red area."
Â
On having comradery on the offensive line:
"There's going to be competition the entire year at every position. Those are the guys who probably perform the best during practice, and those are the guys we went with."
Â
On Darrin Kirkland Jr.'s injury:
"I think he just banged up his shoulder."
Â
On similarities between Florida and Tennessee's youth:
"I think their guys have done a really good job. What I see is what you've seen over the years. With a Mullen-coached offense and special teams and then Todd Grantham on defense, they're very well coached, and to me, they're probably ahead of where they should be."
Â
On getting Keller Chryst reps:
"The way the game went, I wanted to make sure we got Keller in there. I have confidence in Keller. We do two-minute drills all the time in practice, so I'm glad we got an opportunity to do it."
Â
On depth of the SEC:
"You can ask me in November, and I'll have a little better idea. I'm just really focused on who we've got this week, which is Florida. I haven't looked at a whole lot from the other teams."
Â
On Jarrett Guarantano's role as a manager or playmaker in the offense:
"When you talk about quarterback, the most important thing is managing the offense and being efficient at running the offense. You have to make sure you're in the right plays, manage the shot clock and make sure that we get out checks operated and communicated. I think he has done a great job of getting the ball out of his hand. I think he is a playmaker."
Â
On the blocking by the wide receivers so far:
"Our guys have played hard on the perimeter, and I think they have improved every week. Coach Johnson does a good job of addressing that. That is part of being a complete player. There is more to it than just catching balls and running routes, and I think our guys have worked hard to do that."
Â
On Will Ignont's progression and development since the staff arrived:
"Will is a sharp guy and has a good understanding of what we are trying to get done. He just needs to an opportunity to play. He is working hard to create that for himself."
Â
On if he thinks Trey Smith is at 100 percent after missing the offseason:
"Physically, I think he is 100 percent. Each week, you prepare for what your opponent has done, but you lay a foundation during spring ball and some of fall camp. He didn't have a chance to do that, so there are certain things that have come up in each game that he probably hasn't seen before or hasn't seen in practice. There are things where you have to just kind of fall back to your foundations. He has set in the meetings and watched the tape, but he hasn't experienced it. He will continue to improve the more he plays. But yeah, I would say he is healthy."
Â
On getting after Deandre Johnson on the sideline:
"I think Deandre has a really bright future. He is a guy that can rush the quarterback and play on the edge. I have a lot of confidence in him. We had 12 men on the field, and he wasn't on 'No. 1 Dime Rabbits.' It's like I told him on the sideline when we were talking: 'Just look at me when we are talking.' He is going to be a really good player for us."
Â
On if he has a preference on what time to play:
"Just whenever. We have no control over that. I am just glad I get an opportunity to coach in games like this. If we were going to play at noon or midnight or 6 a.m., that would be ok with me."
Â
On looking to take advantage of RPOs:
"The RPO stuff is tough to defend, and there is good and bad with it. If people are out numbering you in the box, it at least gives you answers outside. At the same time, we had an RPO called on Saturday that Jarrett handed the ball off, which he should have, but the wide receivers were running RPOs, so a guy guarding the receiver came up and made the tackle. It was about an eight-yard gain, but had we been blocking him, it might have been a 20 or 25-yard gain. You could look at it on the other hand. You could be blocking the guy and say the look they gave us was something that had more guys than our offensive line could block. You want to have an answer there. There is good and bad with it. The big thing is, if you run RPOs and the receivers clear when the ball is handed off, they have to turn and become blockers in a hurry."
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ FootballFB | Tyre West Media Availability (10.14.25)
Tuesday, October 14
FB | Daevin Hobbs Media Availability (10.14.25)
Tuesday, October 14
FB | Mike Matthews Media Availability (10.14.25)
Tuesday, October 14
FB | De'Rail Sims Press Conference (10.14.25)
Tuesday, October 14
