University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Vol Report: UT Looking to Carry Momentum into Clash with Crimson Tide
October 15, 2019 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With a big test looming in Tuscaloosa this Saturday night, the Vols were back on the practice field this afternoon to continue preparation for their "Third Saturday in October" showdown with No. 1 Alabama.
A handful of players met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to recap last week's victory over Mississippi State and give their thoughts on this week's matchup with the Crimson Tide.
Senior linebacker Daniel Bituli attributed last weekend's dominant defensive performance against the Bulldogs to a great week of practice and preparation.
"We had a lot of guys take ownership this week," Bituli said. "It was something we really wanted to accomplish. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could go out there and execute the right way and we did that."
The Nashville native said the team will need to bring that same mentality into this week's practices in order to continue its positive momentum against arguably the top offense in the country.
"Don't beat yourself. Don't give them easy plays," Bituli said when asked about the keys to slowing down the Tide's high-powered offense.
"They're going to take what you give them just like any team in this league will, and that all starts with communication and how serious we take it in practice. The better we do in practice, the better we're going to do in the game. We just have to make sure we communicate as much as possible and start taking today seriously so we can win on Saturday."
Slowing Down the Tide
Alabama enters Saturday's clash with the No. 2 scoring offense in all of college football, averaging 51 points per game, due in large part to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and an extremely deep and talent receiving corps.
"They have a very good quarterback, probably a Heisman candidate, or all the awards you can give a quarterback," junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler said. "They have good receivers who have made plays in big games in the past. I think they have two pretty good tackles. So, those are probably the strengths of their offense, and they've learned to execute and that's what makes them good."
Redshirt senior outside linebacker Darrell Taylor complimented the Vols' much-improved front seven and harped on the importance of building off of last week's seven-sack performance in order to slow down Tagovailoa and the Bama attack.
"I think the defensive line has definitely taken some strides this year," Taylor said. "We're playing better each and every week. We've been stressing that we need to control the line of scrimmage up front. That's where it starts. I think those guys have definitely made great strides toward being successful each week."
Trey Smith Regaining Dominant Form
After battling back from blood clots for the second time, junior offensive lineman Trey Smith has been able to regain the form that earned him freshman All-America honors in 2017.
"Yes. I think so. That can definitely play toward it," Smith said when asked if his recent success had to do, in part, to knocking off the rust from not playing much last year and this offseason.
"Ultimately, it's just trusting the technique. A lot of times, it's hard to trust it," Smith said. "But at the end of the day, in terms of offensive line play, nothing I'm doing out there is natural.
"I'm not like a wide receiver where I can run a route, or I can outrun somebody. It's not really about that. There are so many unnatural nuances to the game that I have to learn, polish, in such a short time. I have to do it every day, week in and week out. Over time, it's more natural to get better at it."
Smith also spoke about the chemistry that he's developed with five-star freshman Wanya Morris. The duo has started the past four games together on the left side of UT's offensive line.
"Wanya is a young dude, a little goofy sometimes, but having a guy like that can make the game a bit refreshing," Smith said. "You see it from a different perspective than from when you were younger. His energy on the field, I feed off that. We feed off of each other and it's really good synergy we have together. I'm really happy he came here."
A handful of players met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to recap last week's victory over Mississippi State and give their thoughts on this week's matchup with the Crimson Tide.
Senior linebacker Daniel Bituli attributed last weekend's dominant defensive performance against the Bulldogs to a great week of practice and preparation.
"We had a lot of guys take ownership this week," Bituli said. "It was something we really wanted to accomplish. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could go out there and execute the right way and we did that."
The Nashville native said the team will need to bring that same mentality into this week's practices in order to continue its positive momentum against arguably the top offense in the country.
"Don't beat yourself. Don't give them easy plays," Bituli said when asked about the keys to slowing down the Tide's high-powered offense.
"They're going to take what you give them just like any team in this league will, and that all starts with communication and how serious we take it in practice. The better we do in practice, the better we're going to do in the game. We just have to make sure we communicate as much as possible and start taking today seriously so we can win on Saturday."
Slowing Down the Tide
Alabama enters Saturday's clash with the No. 2 scoring offense in all of college football, averaging 51 points per game, due in large part to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and an extremely deep and talent receiving corps.
"They have a very good quarterback, probably a Heisman candidate, or all the awards you can give a quarterback," junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler said. "They have good receivers who have made plays in big games in the past. I think they have two pretty good tackles. So, those are probably the strengths of their offense, and they've learned to execute and that's what makes them good."
Redshirt senior outside linebacker Darrell Taylor complimented the Vols' much-improved front seven and harped on the importance of building off of last week's seven-sack performance in order to slow down Tagovailoa and the Bama attack.
"I think the defensive line has definitely taken some strides this year," Taylor said. "We're playing better each and every week. We've been stressing that we need to control the line of scrimmage up front. That's where it starts. I think those guys have definitely made great strides toward being successful each week."
Trey Smith Regaining Dominant Form
After battling back from blood clots for the second time, junior offensive lineman Trey Smith has been able to regain the form that earned him freshman All-America honors in 2017.
"Yes. I think so. That can definitely play toward it," Smith said when asked if his recent success had to do, in part, to knocking off the rust from not playing much last year and this offseason.
"Ultimately, it's just trusting the technique. A lot of times, it's hard to trust it," Smith said. "But at the end of the day, in terms of offensive line play, nothing I'm doing out there is natural.
"I'm not like a wide receiver where I can run a route, or I can outrun somebody. It's not really about that. There are so many unnatural nuances to the game that I have to learn, polish, in such a short time. I have to do it every day, week in and week out. Over time, it's more natural to get better at it."
Smith also spoke about the chemistry that he's developed with five-star freshman Wanya Morris. The duo has started the past four games together on the left side of UT's offensive line.
"Wanya is a young dude, a little goofy sometimes, but having a guy like that can make the game a bit refreshing," Smith said. "You see it from a different perspective than from when you were younger. His energy on the field, I feed off that. We feed off of each other and it's really good synergy we have together. I'm really happy he came here."
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