University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Eric Gray: "It's not a five-game fight, this is a 10-game fight."
November 03, 2020 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - After an open weekend, Tennessee football returned with practices on Sunday and Monday before taking Tuesday off for Election Day. Volunteer standouts running back Eric Gray, linebacker Henry To'o To'o and offensive guard Trey Smith discussed the team's mindset heading into Arkansas week and beginning the second half of the season.
Tennessee (2-3) returns to practice on Wednesday and will go through another workout on Thursday before traveling to Arkansas on Friday. Kickoff for the Razorbacks (2-3) and Vols is 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network.
Eric Gray, So., RB
On the biggest focus for the offense during the open week ...
"We really just wanted to go back to the basics and start over with just getting all the execution down. Make sure we're executing at a high level, make sure everyone knows what they're doing from the o-line to the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends. Everyone knows what they're doing in basic run game, basic pass game, different things like that."
On how he would evaluate the team's performance through five games and what areas the team needs to improve in …
"I think we've done a good job from the start. We just have to learn how to finish games. We've got to play 60 minutes every single game. But, like I said, it's not a five-game fight, this is a 10-game fight. We're here for the rest of the five games and we're going to go out there and play hard."
On if the experience of last year's turnaround can help them this season …
"Most definitely. We've been in this spot before, so we know the recipe to make that in season transition. I think there's a lot we can look at from last season and see where we were at after the little change in our team last year. The same thing happened this year. We had a sit down and talked about that this is our team and we have to go change the culture and we have to make this turnaround, and I think we're going to do it again."
On how he's seen the freshmen running backs develop this season …
"I think this week was a great week for them. Those guys that didn't really know everything, just to get back on track and give them more time to get better, give them more chances to perfect their craft, perfect their skills and learn what it takes to be great in college."
On if the preparation for Arkansas is different because they play them so infrequently and don't know their personnel as well …
"Well actually, coming from Memphis, a lot of guys go to Arkansas. So, I do know a couple of the guys that go there. But, watching them on film, they are a great team. They've got a lot of momentum. I think it's going to be a great matchup between us and Arkansas."
On why he thinks Arkansas is so much better this season than past years …
"I think they just play hard. Coach (Sam) Pittman, give a lot of credit to him for going over there as a first-year head coach and turning their program around. I think they've caught some momentum, and like I said, I think it's going to be a great matchup."
On creating more explosive plays …
"(I'm) definitely working on that. It's definitely stuck in my mind. You got to make big plays, and that's definitely what I worked on over the break, just focusing on making big plays, keeping my feet going, and I think those big plays are coming for sure."
On what freshman Dee Beckwith can provide to the running back room …
"He's a very hard worker. He's very coachable. He's a bigger back. He's a big guy that can definitely provide those hard-nosed yards that you need sometimes."
On the tone of the team meeting last week …
"The tone of that message was just, 'hey, look everybody, this is our team. We got to go out there and we got to play hard.' Everyone was just basically saying that everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to get on the same page and go out there and just have fun. It's fun when you win, and everyone wants to just go out there and win. It was just making sure that everyone was getting on the same page and saying, it's going to take hard work, but we know the recipe to do it."
Trey Smith, Sr., OL
On how the open week was able to benefit Tennessee …
"Your open week is really important not only for team development, but also for recovery. As a player, it's a great opportunity if you are banged up and bruised up to get that proper rest and time you need off. Anything that can make the team healthy, it helps us a lot."
On playing an opponent that Tennessee doesn't normally face …
"In terms of playing another SEC West team, it's always interesting because we're not familiar with them. At least personally I'm not, this will be my first time playing Arkansas. But at the end of the day, everyone in the SEC is pretty similar. You're going to have insane athletes at certain positions, especially defensive line. You're always going to have that freak of the week, that guy that you need to be prepared for. Defensively, a lot of the schemes they run are similar to a lot of our opponents, especially Missouri because their defensive coordinators have past connections."
On how the offensive line used the open date …
"This week was a perfect opportunity for a lot of the younger guys and guys who don't play as much to get the chance to present their skills and present their abilities. I think a lot of guys definitely shined through this week. It's a great opportunity, like I said earlier, for players who don't get the proper reps that they need to present their abilities on a stage in front of the coaches."
On how he would evaluate his own performance through the first half of the season …
"I don't think I've played that well in terms of playing up to my abilities. I don't feel like I've really scratched the surface of it yet, which is frustrating. There are a lot of things that I can do better, but like I said the game isn't based on sympathy. You have to bring it every week. At the end of the day, I have to bring it every week and step my game up every week, which I feel like I've progressed in. But to be where I want to be, I still have a ways to go."
On what specifically the offensive line focused on during the open week …
"Fundamentals and finish. One thing you always want to do as an offensive line … you can harp on great fundamentals, you can harp on playing with great technique and proper execution, but at the end of the day, you're trying to finish someone through the ground. I think that's one thing that Coach (Will) Friend preached to us. Get low, drive, finish, get after guys and really sustain and finish blocks."
Henry To'o To'o, So., LB
On what he's seen from the defensive linemen …
"Coach Pruitt got them boys going. They got a lot of energy. Coach Pruitt has been doing a great job with them up front. They're all buying into it. They all love it. They just have to come together as one and just play."
On playing Arkansas for the first time …
"I feel like every single SEC team plays exactly the same. They do a lot of RPO's. They like getting the ball on the edge. So, it's pretty much nothing that we haven't seen throughout the season. Our coaches came up with a great game plan yesterday. Now we got to go throughout the week, find little tendencies of (Arkansas) and take it on from then to Saturday."
On improving Tennessee's tackling …
"We do a lot of drills, a lot of open-field tackles. Coach Pruitt is right, we did miss a lot of tackles in that game (against Alabama). This off week that we had was huge for us. We did a lot of tackling drills with the offensive guys, a lot of open-field tackles with them. We spent a lot of time in individual – trying to get that and making sure we don't overrun things. This week was huge for us."
On the importance of regrouping during the bye week to prepare for Arkansas …
"It was huge. We needed this week off and we needed it as a whole. Not only the defensive side, but the offensive side. We just needed to regroup, figure out our fundamentals. You go through the season, you go through a lot of games and you lose track of your fundamentals and what got you to the point where you're at. So it was huge for us this week."
On how he approaches being a leader on the team …
"It honestly comes with integrity; it comes with consistency. Being able to do the right things at all times. I don't have the right to yell at somebody and tell them that they're doing something wrong if I'm not doing it right. So, if I'm not doing it right, I don't have a right to yell at somebody. I take it upon myself to try to do it right all the time – to try to put the extra work in, to try to put the extra time in so that I can lead these guys in the right way. So that I can try to navigate where I defense is supposed to be and how we're supposed to play. It's little things that I need to fix. I just try to motivate our guys. We know how we can be. We know our top tier. I just try my best to be able to get our guys going."
On what he learned from the 2019 season turnaround that can help with this season …
"We've been down and out before. We've been counted out before. We know what it takes to get back. We know what it takes to be (back) from our lowest point. Coach Pruitt harps on us all the time, 'We're going to find a way.' No matter what it is, no matter how we're looking, how we're doing, we're going to find a way to come out with the results that we want."
On how he thinks he has played and improvements he focused on during the bye week …
"I kind of expect a lot out of myself. I always evaluate the bad things in a game, no matter how much good I do. I try to look at the bad, to learn from it, to grow from it. So, through these past five games, I felt like I didn't really exceed where I wanted to be. I didn't really do the things on the field that I wanted to do. This week made me focus on obviously tackling, making calls, getting calls in faster to the guys. That's probably a huge part I see of my game that I need help on."
On the NCAA's decision to give student-athletes off for Voting Day …
"I respect it. It gives everybody a chance to be able to use their right to vote. I think it's huge not only for a lot of players in the NCAA. We just have to take advantage of it as players and use our right."
On what Tennessee can do to improve during the second half of games …
"Execution. Creating turnovers. There's a lot of opportunity out there for us to create turnovers, to create strip fumbles, catch interceptions and being able to execute the game plan. Not having a lot of mental errors and just coming out and playing clean football. As long as you play clean football and give your all, that is something we're trying to harp on the rest of this season."
On how UT can improve its defensive coverage …
"Back to the fundamentals. Not going to lie to you, we did it in camp and kind of strayed away from it as the season went on. We just got to be able to practice the fundamentals over and over and over again, no matter how stressful it can be. Fundamentals will take you a long way – that's what got us to where we are. We just gotta harp on it. We have to have in-depth practices with it. If the coaches aren't harping on it, we gotta do it as players. So, that's something we have to execute on."
On working with the linebacker group during bye week …
"The young players are doing a great job with buying into what the coaches are telling them, buying into what the older guys are trying to teach them. Like we said the whole time, the bye weeks are huge for fundamentals. The younger guys are doing a great job, especially on the d-line, the outside linebackers and the DBs and especially at the inside linebacker position. They're doing a great job."
Tennessee (2-3) returns to practice on Wednesday and will go through another workout on Thursday before traveling to Arkansas on Friday. Kickoff for the Razorbacks (2-3) and Vols is 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network.
Eric Gray, So., RB
On the biggest focus for the offense during the open week ...
"We really just wanted to go back to the basics and start over with just getting all the execution down. Make sure we're executing at a high level, make sure everyone knows what they're doing from the o-line to the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends. Everyone knows what they're doing in basic run game, basic pass game, different things like that."
On how he would evaluate the team's performance through five games and what areas the team needs to improve in …
"I think we've done a good job from the start. We just have to learn how to finish games. We've got to play 60 minutes every single game. But, like I said, it's not a five-game fight, this is a 10-game fight. We're here for the rest of the five games and we're going to go out there and play hard."
On if the experience of last year's turnaround can help them this season …
"Most definitely. We've been in this spot before, so we know the recipe to make that in season transition. I think there's a lot we can look at from last season and see where we were at after the little change in our team last year. The same thing happened this year. We had a sit down and talked about that this is our team and we have to go change the culture and we have to make this turnaround, and I think we're going to do it again."
On how he's seen the freshmen running backs develop this season …
"I think this week was a great week for them. Those guys that didn't really know everything, just to get back on track and give them more time to get better, give them more chances to perfect their craft, perfect their skills and learn what it takes to be great in college."
On if the preparation for Arkansas is different because they play them so infrequently and don't know their personnel as well …
"Well actually, coming from Memphis, a lot of guys go to Arkansas. So, I do know a couple of the guys that go there. But, watching them on film, they are a great team. They've got a lot of momentum. I think it's going to be a great matchup between us and Arkansas."
On why he thinks Arkansas is so much better this season than past years …
"I think they just play hard. Coach (Sam) Pittman, give a lot of credit to him for going over there as a first-year head coach and turning their program around. I think they've caught some momentum, and like I said, I think it's going to be a great matchup."
On creating more explosive plays …
"(I'm) definitely working on that. It's definitely stuck in my mind. You got to make big plays, and that's definitely what I worked on over the break, just focusing on making big plays, keeping my feet going, and I think those big plays are coming for sure."
On what freshman Dee Beckwith can provide to the running back room …
"He's a very hard worker. He's very coachable. He's a bigger back. He's a big guy that can definitely provide those hard-nosed yards that you need sometimes."
On the tone of the team meeting last week …
"The tone of that message was just, 'hey, look everybody, this is our team. We got to go out there and we got to play hard.' Everyone was just basically saying that everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to get on the same page and go out there and just have fun. It's fun when you win, and everyone wants to just go out there and win. It was just making sure that everyone was getting on the same page and saying, it's going to take hard work, but we know the recipe to do it."
Trey Smith, Sr., OL
On how the open week was able to benefit Tennessee …
"Your open week is really important not only for team development, but also for recovery. As a player, it's a great opportunity if you are banged up and bruised up to get that proper rest and time you need off. Anything that can make the team healthy, it helps us a lot."
On playing an opponent that Tennessee doesn't normally face …
"In terms of playing another SEC West team, it's always interesting because we're not familiar with them. At least personally I'm not, this will be my first time playing Arkansas. But at the end of the day, everyone in the SEC is pretty similar. You're going to have insane athletes at certain positions, especially defensive line. You're always going to have that freak of the week, that guy that you need to be prepared for. Defensively, a lot of the schemes they run are similar to a lot of our opponents, especially Missouri because their defensive coordinators have past connections."
On how the offensive line used the open date …
"This week was a perfect opportunity for a lot of the younger guys and guys who don't play as much to get the chance to present their skills and present their abilities. I think a lot of guys definitely shined through this week. It's a great opportunity, like I said earlier, for players who don't get the proper reps that they need to present their abilities on a stage in front of the coaches."
On how he would evaluate his own performance through the first half of the season …
"I don't think I've played that well in terms of playing up to my abilities. I don't feel like I've really scratched the surface of it yet, which is frustrating. There are a lot of things that I can do better, but like I said the game isn't based on sympathy. You have to bring it every week. At the end of the day, I have to bring it every week and step my game up every week, which I feel like I've progressed in. But to be where I want to be, I still have a ways to go."
On what specifically the offensive line focused on during the open week …
"Fundamentals and finish. One thing you always want to do as an offensive line … you can harp on great fundamentals, you can harp on playing with great technique and proper execution, but at the end of the day, you're trying to finish someone through the ground. I think that's one thing that Coach (Will) Friend preached to us. Get low, drive, finish, get after guys and really sustain and finish blocks."
Henry To'o To'o, So., LB
On what he's seen from the defensive linemen …
"Coach Pruitt got them boys going. They got a lot of energy. Coach Pruitt has been doing a great job with them up front. They're all buying into it. They all love it. They just have to come together as one and just play."
On playing Arkansas for the first time …
"I feel like every single SEC team plays exactly the same. They do a lot of RPO's. They like getting the ball on the edge. So, it's pretty much nothing that we haven't seen throughout the season. Our coaches came up with a great game plan yesterday. Now we got to go throughout the week, find little tendencies of (Arkansas) and take it on from then to Saturday."
On improving Tennessee's tackling …
"We do a lot of drills, a lot of open-field tackles. Coach Pruitt is right, we did miss a lot of tackles in that game (against Alabama). This off week that we had was huge for us. We did a lot of tackling drills with the offensive guys, a lot of open-field tackles with them. We spent a lot of time in individual – trying to get that and making sure we don't overrun things. This week was huge for us."
On the importance of regrouping during the bye week to prepare for Arkansas …
"It was huge. We needed this week off and we needed it as a whole. Not only the defensive side, but the offensive side. We just needed to regroup, figure out our fundamentals. You go through the season, you go through a lot of games and you lose track of your fundamentals and what got you to the point where you're at. So it was huge for us this week."
On how he approaches being a leader on the team …
"It honestly comes with integrity; it comes with consistency. Being able to do the right things at all times. I don't have the right to yell at somebody and tell them that they're doing something wrong if I'm not doing it right. So, if I'm not doing it right, I don't have a right to yell at somebody. I take it upon myself to try to do it right all the time – to try to put the extra work in, to try to put the extra time in so that I can lead these guys in the right way. So that I can try to navigate where I defense is supposed to be and how we're supposed to play. It's little things that I need to fix. I just try to motivate our guys. We know how we can be. We know our top tier. I just try my best to be able to get our guys going."
On what he learned from the 2019 season turnaround that can help with this season …
"We've been down and out before. We've been counted out before. We know what it takes to get back. We know what it takes to be (back) from our lowest point. Coach Pruitt harps on us all the time, 'We're going to find a way.' No matter what it is, no matter how we're looking, how we're doing, we're going to find a way to come out with the results that we want."
On how he thinks he has played and improvements he focused on during the bye week …
"I kind of expect a lot out of myself. I always evaluate the bad things in a game, no matter how much good I do. I try to look at the bad, to learn from it, to grow from it. So, through these past five games, I felt like I didn't really exceed where I wanted to be. I didn't really do the things on the field that I wanted to do. This week made me focus on obviously tackling, making calls, getting calls in faster to the guys. That's probably a huge part I see of my game that I need help on."
On the NCAA's decision to give student-athletes off for Voting Day …
"I respect it. It gives everybody a chance to be able to use their right to vote. I think it's huge not only for a lot of players in the NCAA. We just have to take advantage of it as players and use our right."
On what Tennessee can do to improve during the second half of games …
"Execution. Creating turnovers. There's a lot of opportunity out there for us to create turnovers, to create strip fumbles, catch interceptions and being able to execute the game plan. Not having a lot of mental errors and just coming out and playing clean football. As long as you play clean football and give your all, that is something we're trying to harp on the rest of this season."
On how UT can improve its defensive coverage …
"Back to the fundamentals. Not going to lie to you, we did it in camp and kind of strayed away from it as the season went on. We just got to be able to practice the fundamentals over and over and over again, no matter how stressful it can be. Fundamentals will take you a long way – that's what got us to where we are. We just gotta harp on it. We have to have in-depth practices with it. If the coaches aren't harping on it, we gotta do it as players. So, that's something we have to execute on."
On working with the linebacker group during bye week …
"The young players are doing a great job with buying into what the coaches are telling them, buying into what the older guys are trying to teach them. Like we said the whole time, the bye weeks are huge for fundamentals. The younger guys are doing a great job, especially on the d-line, the outside linebackers and the DBs and especially at the inside linebacker position. They're doing a great job."
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