#21/19 Vols Looking to Play With "Relentless Effort" Saturday Afternoon vs. #1/1 Bulldogs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 21/19 Tennessee was back on the practice field Tuesday morning as it continues to prepare for its highly anticipated matchup with No. 1/1 Georgia on Saturday afternoon inside Neyland Stadium.

The top-ranked Bulldogs will present challenges all over the field with their physicality and athleticism, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Getting the run game back on track after a tough game at Missouri last week will be crucial for UT's offense.

"Really physical bunch. Not only those two guys but the entire group of linebackers," running backs coach Jerry Mack said. "They're active. They're athletic. They do a great job of flying to the football in pursuit. When they get there, they know how to finish plays. When you play a team like Georgia, one thing is it's going to be tough to get yards after contact because they're so physical."

Despite struggling to get the ground game going against the Tigers, the Big Orange enter Saturday's game ranked second in the SEC in rushing, averaging 213.3 yards per game, and are confident in their ability to return to form this weekend.

"We've had a lot of success here, not just this year, but in the past running the football," Mack said. "That's one game. Like we always tell players, you don't let one game define exactly what happened to you or who you are.

"We didn't have success for those three hours and some change that we were on the football field the other night. That doesn't mean that we still aren't a really good offense. That doesn't mean we're not a really good running back core. The way these guys prepare and the attitude that they approach in the building every day, that's something that we always take pride in. That's going to be no different this week."

Tennessee's defense will also look to wash away last weekend's performance and bounce back in a big way against the Dawgs this Saturday. Finding ways to affect quarterback Carson Beck will be a major priority and a tall task considering Georgia has been one of the nation's best at protecting the quarterback this year.

"I mean, they've only given up nine sacks through 10 games, I think," linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said. "One, I think their offensive line does a tremendous job. They have really good players up front. He's very good with the ball in-hand. He knows when to get rid of it, recognizes pressures, he's athletic enough to get out of the pocket and extend plays, which is something that teams are going to struggle with because of their athletes on the perimeter.

"When you go with the tight ends and the wideouts and even the running backs in the passing game, he's got some great outlets, but he can extend plays and he recognizes defenses' intentions pre-snap. I think it all starts with him. He's doing a really good job."

The Vols will look to build on last weekend's performance at Missouri, when they finished with eight tackles for loss and three sacks.

Above all else, the effort and strain from the defense will be vital to the team's success in slowing down the Bulldogs this weekend.

"We always – and I say we, us as a staff, starting with Coach Heupel – are always going to put a premium on max effort and playing with relentless effort because that's going to overcome some of the blocking, schemes, etc.," Jean-Mary said. "There's good coaches everywhere. They're going to diagnose what we're doing and they're going to obviously formulate some offenses to put us in bad situations. The way you overcome that is with relentless effort and a will that's going to keep you from getting blocked. I'm always going to believe that."

Videos, full transcripts of Mack and Jean-Mary's press conferences and select player quotes from Tuesday can be found below.

Running Backs Coach Jerry Mack

On what stands out in Georgia's defense…
"The number one thing that stands out is their ability to rotate so many different people at the line of scrimmage with their front seven. When you look at their defensive line, when you look at the linebacker core, the biggest thing is it is constant new bodies. As we go through all the film from the year, there is always a new body, new linebacker, new defensive lineman. They also do a really good job of shift blocks. Those guys do a good job at two-gapping, playing through the defender and making sure they shed and get to the ball carrier. The speed is something that jumps at you as well. Across the board all of those guys can run, so that is one of things I feel like stands out constantly against them."

On what stood out about the struggles in the run game and his message to his backs after watching last game's film…
"I think the biggest thing was the first quarter. When you look at it, we never really got into the rhythm of the game. I think we had three plays or so in the entire first quarter. By the time we got the ball, it might have been 11 minutes again in the second quarter. One thing is we just were never able to get into the true rhythm of the game from the running back position. I do think we have to continue to do a better job of pressing blocks, make sure we're reading like we should. Once again, that kind of falls into not being in the rhythm, not being able to take some of those hits and see those different techniques, and see that different wash of the defensive line that you can normally see throughout the course of the game. The biggest thing that we are going to say to the running backs is just to make sure that we continue to prepare the way we are supposed to. Do not let the one game affect the way we finish this season off. We have done some really good things this entire season. We got to make sure that we continue to be adamant about the way we prepare and all those different things. We're going to make a big emphasis on ball security. That is another thing we have to make sure we do. We fumbled the ball, put one on the ground the other day. We haven't done that the entire year. That's going to be another emphasis in practice."

On his thoughts on Dylan Sampson bumping into Joe Milton III for the fumble…
"I think it's both parties. One thing we talked about with Dylan Sampson at the running back position is we always want to take accountability and see what we could have done better before we start looking into what actually happened on the play. I think the biggest thing was we were playing up tempo, so we are trying to get lined up extremely fast. The second thing is Dylan was a little bit too tight to the quarterback. One thing we always talk about is our alignment in the backfield. That is where everything starts at, being aligned in the right position. We as a running back group have to make sure our distance between us and the quarterback is spot on. Then there are some things from a fundamental standpoint. Just the mesh and doing things like we always do in practice from the first day that we have to continue to clean up on."

On if the pride the guys have in the run game is down a little bit after the Missouri game…
"I really don't. We have had a lot of success here, not just this year, but in the past running the football. That's one game. Like we always tell players, you do not let one game define exactly what happened to you or who you are. We didn't have success for those three hours and some change that we were on the football field the other night. That doesn't mean that we still aren't a really good offense. That doesn't mean we're not a really good running back core. The way these guys prepare and the attitude that they approach in the building every day, that's something that we always take pride in. That's going to be no different this week. We have to put that away. Put it in the bank, use it for later. Just never forget that situation that happened so it doesn't happen again. We're going to reset and refocus this week."

On what he sees from Georgia's Raylen Wilson and CJ Allen…
"Really physical. Really physical bunch. Not only those two guys but the entire group of linebackers. They're active. They're athletic. They do a great job of flying to the football in pursuit. When they get there, they know how to finish plays. When you play a team like Georgia, one thing is it going to be tough to get yards after contact because they're so physical. They're so strong. That's going to be a great challenge to guys like Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson to make sure that they have pad level. Making sure that they are continuing to drive their feet on contact. Those linebackers at Georgia, they don't want to give you anything. They're stingy. We have to do a great job at matching that intensity. You stick one of them in, they all look about the same. They're all flying around."

On how to maximize the yards on each carry against Georgia…
"We talked a lot in the running back room this week about draining everything we can out of running the football and not minimizing plays. That means if a play is blocked off for about five yards, we need to try to get eight, nine or 10 yards out of it. If it's two or three yards, we need to get four or five. Trying to maximize every potential carry, that means in the backfield and also on the perimeter. We've done some things in the past here where we threw the ball or pitched the ball to the outside. We have to make sure that we stay out of these situations where it's going to be third-and-one or third-and-two. We would love for the running back to do a great job of finishing through contact and making sure that we are getting a first down as opposed to a third down."

On how he and Jaylen Wright handled his turnover on Saturday against Missouri…
"We have great confidence in Jaylen. He hasn't fumbled the entire year. It really wasn't a situation where it was egregious how he went about fumbling. He was a little off balance and he was trying to get to what we call the arm bar where you get two hands on the ball and come down with it. The second guy came in late and might have put a helmet on it, it's kind of hard to tell from the coach's view in the film. It wasn't a situation where he didn't have really good ball security. He has to do a better job of squeezing the ball when he gets in that position. On the first play of the second half, he comes out and there's some miscommunication that goes on. Obviously, he could have caught the ball, and he shouldn't have been on the ground. You have to learn how to reset, and I thought he did a good job. As the course of the game unfolded, Dylan Sampson got in a rhythm. He had a couple of good runs. At the very back end of the game, it was cold. It felt like we were going like we always do, go with the hot hand. That's the only reason."

On pre-snap movement by the defensive line…
"A lot of that is on the quarterback position making sure he gives the offensive line time to go ahead and ID the fronts like you're supposed to. A big part of it is on the quarterback, but in the running back position we have to make sure when they do stem, we understand how the fits change a little bit. We have to understand how the protection might change some if they do decide to stem. More about understanding when we start a drive. When there's a potential clock stoppage, sometimes we have to make sure that we see the movement and stay on alert on our pre-snap keys."

On if there is anything Jabari Small can do to increase his yards per carry…
"It's really been situational. Jabari is a really dynamic football player. He hasn't had some of the explosive runs that he's had in the past, and that's not really because of him being less of a player, injury or anything like that. It's about the opportunity when he gets in the game for whatever reason. He's been put in situations where it's a little bit more of third-and-one or third-and-two. Obviously, in those situations, you want to run the ball in between the tackles a little bit more. He hasn't been able to pop one or more of those explosive runs that he's had in the past. It's not anything to do with him, it's really just about the situation that he's been put into."

On playing Georgia at home…
"I think anytime we get a chance to play in Neyland Stadium it's a great opportunity for us. Our crowd does a good job of being loud when the opponent is in a third-down position. Now, they understand how to be somewhat quiet when we have the ball to make sure that we can communicate the way we need to. I think our guys really enjoy playing at home. I think that's an extra energy boost for those guys. We have not played an SEC game here in a couple of weeks. They're going to be fired up to go out there. Our crowd is going to be juiced. The players are obviously going to be excited to get back at home."

Linebackers Coach Brian Jean-Mary

On why the defensive in-game adjustments didn't work against Missouri during the second half...
"It obviously always starts with us as coaches. The adjustments that we thought we needed , we didn't get them done at the level we needed to. With the players, I thought going into game 10, we were great at pre-snap communication, that's one of the reasons that we felt we started playing better on defense. I thought that didn't go well, particularly in the second half as far as recognizing formations and being able to adjust to them. We have to get better at that and that's at all three levels, from the d-line, linebackers and secondary, where we weren't on the same page a couple of times. We've got to give Missouri credit, they were able to take advantage of it when we weren't as sound assignment wise as we needed to be."

On why teams struggle to pressure Georgia QB Carson Beck...
"I mean, they've only given up nine sacks through 10 games, I think. One, I think their offensive line does a tremendous job. They have really good players up front. He's very good with the ball in-hand. He knows when to get rid of it, recognizes pressures, he's athletic enough to get out of the pocket and extend plays, which is something that teams are going to struggle with because of their athletes on the perimeter. When you go with the tight ends and the wideouts and even the running backs in the passing game, he's got some great outlets, but he can extend plays and he recognizes defenses' intentions pre-snap. I think it all starts with him. He's doing a really good job."

On what the linebackers need to take away from their shortcomings against Missouri...
"It goes back to what we said, we're multiple on defense and it comes back to pre-snap communication. There were a couple of times where we lost leverage based off of what we were doing and it put us in bad situations to make those plays out on the perimeter. It's still not an excuse. When we got out there, we did not make the plays. We missed way too many tackles out on the perimeter when we got there. Whether we were in bad position or not, our job is to get the guy on the ground. We did a poor job as second-level defenders getting those guys on the ground before they got to first downs. Whether it had been second and long or third down, we did a poor job there. It comes back to the pre-snap communication. It comes back to being in the right position. At the end of the day, we have to tackle better when we get out there."

On Tennessee's previous success in defending Georgia TE Brock Bowers…
"To me, he's one of the better tight ends. I've been doing this for a long time, he's one of the better tight ends I've seen in person and on video. The natural pass-catching ability, the ability to separate is as good as most wide receivers. I'm not going to sit here and say that we designed the defense to try and slow him down, I don't think anybody can. I think the targets come as the offense sees to target him. Georgia has won two National Championships for a reason, because they adjust to what defenses are doing. I give them all the credit in the world. (He) came back against Ole Miss last week and was able to catch a touchdown pass and didn't look like he skipped a beat. If you ask anybody on our defense, we know how talented he is, and our hope is to contain him. I would never sit here and say we were able to stop him. I think that's a credit to what Georgia does. They're going to take what defenses are giving them and they feel like they have talented players at a bunch of different spots that they can attack defenses in different ways."

On how Elijah Herring played against Missouri...
"He was part of the problem. He wasn't the only problem, I would say that. We always start with what we can do better and I'm always going to start with what I can do better. That's why I keep mentioning the pre-snap communication. When you have young, inexperienced guys at certain positions, you have to be able to help them. Our veteran guys have to be able to recognize the formations, alert them, help them with checks and those things. And that's not letting them off the hook at all, but we didn't do that as a whole team. I think that was part of the struggle with us on defense. Obviously, Elijah did not tackle well, especially in space. We always re-evaluate everything that we're doing, starting with us as coaches, how can we make it easier for them? What can we do better to put them in a better position to be successful? He understood some of the mistakes that he made and some of the miscues that led to big plays. I expect him to come back and bounce back in a really big way this week."

On if Tennessee put less players in the box and if Missouri had exotic looks that disrupted Tennessee's defensive pre-snap communication…
"No. And I give Coach (Eliah) Drinkwitz and that offensive staff all the credit in the world, too. I'm not going to take away from what they did because they did put us in some situations where we lost leverage and we felt like we didn't get an extra hat to the run game. Like I said, we're multiple, we do a lot on defense. We've played with light boxes before, where guys have to end up beating a block because the numbers don't always match up. We're not always just an eight-man or a seven-man front, where we bring an extra guy in. We feel like that's one of the reasons we've had a little bit of success this year is because we've been multiple, and we've been able to stop the run with lighter boxes. I don't think Missouri did anything out of the ordinary, exotic. They did put stress on us as far as the formations and getting adjusted to them. It's nothing that we haven't seen, we just didn't adjust to them as fast and as effective as we have in the past."

On the balance in terms of coaching effort, energy, focus compared with actual scheme…
"It always starts with that. I always say, I'm an old school guy. I still remember the Ravens teams from when Ray Lewis was there, and they had one of the best defenses in the world. I tell these guys the story all the time, I sat and watched a clinic with Marvin Lewis and he went over what was supposed to happen on tape, what gaps and what responsibilities guys are supposed to have on defense. When I turned on that tape, it looked nothing like that, but when the ball was snapped, they had 11 guys going to the ball with extreme effort and playing with relentless effort and that made up for it. We always, and I say we, us as a staff, starting with Coach Heupel, are always going to put a premium on max effort and playing with relentless effort because that's going to overcome some of the blocking, schemes, etc. There's good coaches everywhere. They're going to diagnose what we're doing and they're going to obviously formulate some offenses to put us in bad situations. The way you overcome that is with relentless effort and a will that's going to keep you from getting blocked. I'm always going to believe that."

On Georgia's running backs…
"Very, very talented group. Thought they probably had one of their better performances. I know they had been banged up. They've had a couple of different guys in the backfield. I thought they played a complete game last week against Ole Miss, and I thought Kendall Milton really looked like he's starting to bounce back. I know he was a little dinged up. He had some really explosive runs. I've been saying since last year, I think the Daijun Edwards kid doesn't get enough credit for how well he runs the ball. You can tell there's a high trust factor with him. They put him in at critical situations and he does an unbelievable job of one cut, making the first guy miss. I think they've had a high standard at running back these last couple of years and I don't see any difference this year."

On if pre-snap communication is easier to execute at home…
"It's funny that you ask that question because it's literally when we're on defense it's louder at home. When you're on the road, it's quieter on the road so it should be opposite. It should be opposite that pre-snap communication should be better on the road. I'm wanting to make sure I answer this the right way, because we still want our crowd to be very, very loud when their offense is out there. It's one of those things where I think the chaos that's at Neyland, I think it stresses the offense some, too. So, the pre-snap communication is still at a high level at home, and we have to go a little bit above and beyond to get that communication, and I think that might make us better. Where, when it's on the road, and their crowd does a good job of staying a little more quiet when the offense is out there, we have to still do a great job. It's one of those things where, and maybe because of the intensity of the situation at home, we do a better job, but we still need to a better job on the road. I don't know if that answers your question."

Senior C Cooper Mays

On opponents stemming pre-snap this season...
"We haven't seen it as much this year, I wouldn't say while I've been playing. Over the last few years, it's kind of been a common theme that everybody does. I don't know if everyone faces it or if it's just us, but it's just something you have to be locked into and really focused on doing the right things at the right time. That falls into it."

On what this rivalry means to him…
"It's a big-time game for us, for both sides. Tennessee is working to put our program back on top and this is one of our big stepping stones, getting a win over them. I have gotten a win over all the big three other than Georgia, so trying to put that together."

On watching the film after the loss to Missouri...
"It wasn't fun. It wasn't where we wanted to be or where we needed to be, but it's life. It's football. Things aren't going to go your way every time. You just have to regroup, refocus, and see what you can get better at. Put something better out on the film."

RS-Junior DL Bryson Eason

On if they want to prove anything about their rushing defense after their performance last week…
"Yes, of course we do. Starting out moving forward, in the game with whatever opportunity we have as a defensive line we want to win the line of scrimmage and make it easier for those guys in the box. We want to be disruptive up there in the line of scrimmage and do our job to help everybody else out. Get back to where we started, and just get back to it."

On the communication of the defense on the road versus at home…
"Of course it's different. When we're here at home in Neyland, there's a lot of noise and a lot of things going on. For some guys in the room and some guys on the defensive line, we love the atmosphere and we love to be out there in the middle of the chaos. We just have to dial in and lock into the signals, calls and little things like that. The majority of the guys, we love it, just hearing the noise and the crowd being loud. It's a great feeling. I think most of the guys would prefer to hear that and have all of that going on at home than it be kind of dull when we are on the road."

On what type of players Georgia has…
"They have some big dudes. They're a well-coached group. That's what we've been hearing all week; they are good and coached up. We are just trying to get prepared for those guys, attack them before they can attack us, get them on different levels and little things like that."

Sophomore WR Squirrel White

On how beneficial it is to have the crowd advantage when playing an opponent like Georgia…
"It's real big. They're the number one team in the country, so just having our fans there, ready to be loud and support us is a key factor."

On Georgia's defense…
"They're very tough. They rally to the ball quick. They play some good coverages. Their defensive line is pretty good. We just have to come out and just play our game at the best level."

On Dee Williams' progression offensively…
"Pretty good. Dee, he's amazing with the ball, learning the slot position, he's been good. Pretty solid."

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