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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Butch Jones met with the media on Monday to discuss this week’s game against Austin Peay, as well as his decision on naming the Vols’ starting quarterback.Head Coach Butch Jones
(Opening Statement)
“Good afternoon, I’m going to fill you in on a few different things in the program then answer any questions you may have. We had our mock game on Friday and I thought our players did a great job of really handling the game management situations that can occur, not just throughout the course of one game, but throughout the course of an entire football season. There are so many thing that go into it, with your hot hot box, with punts, punt returns, and kickoff and kickoff returns so I thought that was a valuable teaching tool. We gave our players Saturday and Sunday off to recover so they should be well rested and they should be anxious to start game week today.
“I think the big thing for us with this football team is paying attention to the small details. The small details that it takes to win football games. Our effort, our energy, our playing together. There was one defining moment, I thought, throughout the course of training camp, where our defense had great energy, and I think that was a byproduct of generating the most turnovers that we had generated in all of training camp and I think when you play with a high level of energy and intensity level, and relentlessness to attack the football then good things happen to you defensively, and I thought that was a great teaching tool for our players. It continues to be a common theme of investing in the right things. Now, the whole rhythm and routine is just beginning with school in session and game-week preparation.
“It’s really investing in victory. You win Saturdays by winning Monday through Friday. The way you prepare, the way you focus, the way you practice, those are all things we talk about playing winning football and that’s going to stem from our preparation. It’s staying ahead of the game academically. All those things go into it. It’s our habits. You either perform bad habits, or poor habits or good habits, and everything is habit-forming. It’s another evaluation tool, or evolution of Team 117, it’s how we handle game days.
“A couple things, the first two games, I always call them the game of the unknowns. You really don’t know what to expect. First of all, from your opponent. New coaching staff, new faces, new schemes, and then also from ourselves, focusing on what we do. There are a lot of things, a lot of players will be playing for the first time, we’re playing in front of 102,455 and so how are they really going to act. What happens with our leadership? Our play-making abilities? Everything is going to become new, and I’ll know a little bit more about where we’re at as a football team and as a football program after game one, but you have to be prepared for anything and everything and prepared, because like I said, the first two games are unknowns.
“Corey Vereen, Jacques Smith and Riyahd Jones will be out this game. We fully anticipate having Jacques Smith back for Western Kentucky. We moved Vincent Dallas from corner, back to wide receiver. Our starting quarterback for Austin Peay will be Justin Worley. It was a very, very tight race. I thought all four individuals did a great job. I thought they all really advanced their growth and development throughout the entire course of training camp but we just thought that Justin was just a little bit ahead of the other three individuals. I met with every sing quarterback individually, myself and Mike Bajakian, so we always believe in handling everything in-house, and I told them that everything is judged by your productivity so we will continue to really look at that position, and not just that positions, but every position on our football team.”
(On how to maintain competition at quarterback)
“Well, I think that stems from Justin. That’s on him. Any great competitor, you never look back behind you. You keep looking forward, you continue to progress and get better and better. Justin is extremely competitive. We don’t ever want to create a scenario where they’re always looking behind them but that’s the world that we live in, that’s football, that’s competition. We’re going to learn how to compete, not just on game day, but everything we do in our football program is based off of competition. We’ll compete today, on Monday, and that’s what our football program is all about.”
(On what separated Justin for him to earn the starting spot)
“It was an overall body of work. It was taking care of the football, and we charted anything and everything. We wanted to make the best educated decision for our football team and our football program, and it was taking care of the football. I think the game experience had a little bit to do with it as well. You couple that with an extremely young offensive football team. Yes, we have some veteran players up front, but everywhere else we’re young. I believe we have 54 career receiving yards from our starting wide receivers. I think the overall game experience and him taking care of the football, but I thought Nate Peterman did a tremendous job. Nate was the first one in today, at 7am, watching film. And I thought our true freshmen, both of them did an outstanding job. They’re behind, obviously, mentally and physically, and you can see a little bit of a -I don’t want to say a dropoff- but you could see a little bit once school started. They’re experiencing a full academic work load. They’re experiencing college life. They’re experiencing the game day rigors of what it is to be a quarterback at this level and any level in college, so I think all of that came into play.”
(On if he was surprised the freshmen were able to work themselves into the competition)
“No. That’s the reason we recruited them. If you’re a quarterback, where else would you want to play quarterback than the University of Tennessee. It starts with Peyton Manning when you look at our tradition, so we expect to have the best of the best, and the way they performed is what we expect and now they have a lot of room for growth in all aspects but I like the progress that they’ve made so far.”
(On if he expects to play multiple quarterbacks on Saturday)
“We’ll see how the game goes. Right now Justin Worley is our starter, and he’s our starter. You get back to the question that was asked about looking over your shoulder. I don’t want our quarterbacks, if they make a mistake, looking over and wondering when they’re going to get the hook. That’s now how I believe in developing quarterbacks, but they do have to produce. We have to be patient, as well.”
(On if he’d like to redshirt at least one of the freshman quarterbacks)
“We have to play the best individual to lead us to victory. You know, perfect world, absolutely we’d like to redshirt one of those individuals, but it’s a long season and it gets back to the thing you guys probably get sick and tired of hearing me say, and it’s focusing on the process, winning the day. We have to win Monday in order to get to Tuesday and that’s kind of the program motto right now.”
(On Justin Worley’s leadership)
“He is progressing. He is a work in progress. He still has some improvement to go just like the rest of our football team is really learning leadership. Like a said to Justin yesterday, it is one thing to lead the team when things are going great. The mark of a great quarterback is leading your team to victory in the one-minute drill on the road and having that poise and that confidence that is takes to manage an entire offense. There is room for growth and development there just like every football player in our program right now. They have to learn how to lead when things go wrong, when we suffer adversity. I have said it, this football team is going to be defined by how we handle adversity and how we persevere. That is one of the things that we tried to accomplish during camp but you really never know until you get into the pressure of a real game and game situations.”
(On the importance of the leadership characteristics in a quarterback)
“Yes. He is the alpha male, he is the leader. When things start to go wrong or when things don’t go according the plan, which things rarely do go according to plan, all eyes look on the quarterback. The way they manage the huddle before we take the field, the way they control the line of scrimmage, that is what quarterbacks do, that is the job description of being a quarterback.”
(On Austin Peay)
“You try to do your research and watch as much film as possible. Spivey, the quarterback, he is a winner, they won a national championship, he threw for over 3000 yards, they are going to test our secondary, we fully anticipate that. Timmy Phillips, he is one of their running backs, I recruited Tim when I was at Central Michigan, very fittingly he was also named one of their team captains. Tim is very dynamic, he is elusive, he played for us as a true freshman on a football team that finished top-25 in the country and won a bowl game and upsetted a top-ranked opponent in Michigan State. So Tim is going to bring a lot of elusiveness. We have tried to do our research. But when you go into a first game the thing that really makes you uneasy is first of all turning the football over. The physicality of the game, so much throughout the course of training camp, you pick your spots, when you tackle live you are tackling by your defense, it is turnovers and it is special teams. So many different things. There will be a number of games this first week of the season that will come down to special teams and turnovers. So you really try to educate your players, trick plays and eye discipline, all the things that we have harped throughout the course of training camp really come into full play that first game.”
(On Marlin Lane)
“He did. Marlin really progressed throughout the course of training camp. He was slowed for about three days with a slight ankle injury but he is fine now. Rajion was just a model of consistency. I thought he really improved in his pass protection skills which he needed a lot of work on that area and I think he really did a great job of embracing that role. Just again, understanding the run reads. Does he still have a lot of work to do? Absolutely. But I just think it was a day to day level of consistency.”
(On the amount of running backs he will play)
“When you want to play with a level of physicality you also need running backs and right now Rajion Neal and Marlin Lanewill get the bulk of the carries. Tom Smith has come on a little bit, Alden Hill needs to be a special teams performer for us, get the tough yards for us. Those two will see the bulk of the carries. Tight end wise, that is another position that is a work in progress right now. Brendan Downs will get the bulk of the work there but we want to be able to get into some two tight end sets and some three tight end sets. So the development of the younger players at that position are going to be critical as well.”
(On the improvement of the offense)
“I would like to think fundamentally and technique wise. We haven’t been able to instal all the offense that we wanted to just because of the youth at the wide receiver position but also the inexperience at quarterback. We want to own something. You can put all these plays in but if you don’t execute it, it doesn’t matter and we don’t run a designer offense. We are going to be an execution based offense, it is mastering the fundamentals. That is what people don’t realize, you put in a slant route in. The slant route, you have to practice it versus free access, cover three off man, press man, inside technique press man, outside technique press man, cover two. So one route and you may say well that is a slant route, really there are four or five different and slight technique adjustments that have to be owned. You have to master the technique. That is why we talked to our players all training camp about not only owning your conditioning but owning your technique. Knowing the why, why do we do this, why do we need to do this, why do we need to stem the corner this way. Also understanding the reception areas. And them also understanding where they are at in the progression in the route. What happens with alot of young receivers is they may have a 15-yard dig route but they may run a 10-or-12-yard dig route. And they are saying Coach I was wide open, but you are number two or number three in the progression, that is why your route said 15-yards. It is a whole process of developing young wide receivers.”
(On the quarterbacks)
“They are all very similar. Justin is not going to give you the 15, 20, or 25 big splash play run but what he can do is he has really good pocket instincts and he can get you 4 or 5 or 6 yards in some design quarterback runs which we will have. Nate Peterman may be a little bit faster and then the true freshmen have some allusiveness to them and they can probably make more plays with their legs right now. We can’t let the mind tie the feet up. Everything is instincts and the pocket collapsing and all that. Justin can get us out of some problems but when we call quarterback runs, it is designed to get four or five runs.”
(On playing freshmen)
“It was a combination of both. We talk about how competition is extremely healthy and that is something that we have to continue to recruit here. Some of it was that is just where we are at with the program, it is what it is. Then some guys have done a great job and freshmen develop differently. I think this was a very talented incoming freshman class. We could play as little as 10 freshmen to as many as 15 or 16 true freshmen Saturday night. Do I like doing that? No, I like to have an older presence. When you look at our backend, every back-up in our secondary is either a true freshman or a walk-on. That is just where we are at in the program and that is why we have to continue to recruit and develop our current players.”
(On the secondary depth)
“Our secondary is either freshmen or a walk-on. That is just where we are at in the program and why we have to continue to recruit and develop our current players.”
(On using that many freshmen before)
“No.”
(On walk-ons in the secondary)
“I will tell you what. All three individuals have done a tremendous job and have earned the right to play. That is part of having a very successful program, is you have to have a very strong walk on program. Before we go recruit the next class, if there is an individual who is deserving to be put on scholarship, we will put them on scholarship. They have done a tremendous job. Reggie Juin is a great story. Here he was playing running back and he is now a backup corner in the SEC. He has done a tremendous job. Devaun Swafford is another individual that we have asked a lot of him. From playing corner, to playing nickel. He has great instincts, he is a great tackler and extremely athletic. But all of these individuals have done a great job for us.”
(On Curt Maggitt)
“There is a chance that he might play. We are going to take our time with him. We never want to rush anyone back from injury. He is going to practice this week, that will probably be a Friday decision on whether he will play against Austin Peay.”
(On being able to move Vincent Dallas back to receiver)
“I think it was a combination of both. The other individual when we talked about the walk-ons is Max Arnold. He has been an individual who has been extremely consistent for us. Not only on the back end of our defense but also on special teams. As a combination of Vincent does bring some experience to the wide receiver corps, and with the progression of the way Malik Foreman, Reggie Juin has progressed that has afforded us the little luxury that we did have to move him back to offense.”
(On protecting the young cornerbacks)
“It is a combination. We have to do some different things to protect him. But I said the mark of playing great defense is how our front seven plays. We have to be able to generate a pass rush with a four down rush. Having to play fire zone coverage and playing underneath cover zones in order to have a five and six man pressure on the quarterback. We have to be able to generate pressure with a four man rush. Anytime you are having to put five or six individuals to rush the quarterback you are putting your secondary in a bind. You are putting them in some compromising positions. We have to do a great job up front.”
(On special teams)
“I will know a little bit more after the game Saturday. We practiced every single special teams unit, we practice in practice every day. We have done an inordinate amount of live repetitions. A lot of people don’t like to practice special teams live, we have practiced every unit live, including hands and onside. We have so many young individuals playing those special teams we won’t really know until they face game speed action Saturday night. That is one of those things I mentioned earlier is the game of unknowns. Really it occurs in the special teams game in the first game of the season.”
(On the kicking game)
“Right now I would say Mike Palardy has a full grasp of both positions. He is earned the right to handle all of the duties.”
(On Michael Palardy)
“He has responded. The big thing that we have challenged Mike with is a high level of consistency. Consistency and performance. That is what you want out of your kicking game. When we call for a ball to be placed in a certain area whether kickoff or punt, it has to be placed in that area. That is a byproduct of playing great special teams. A lot of people don’t realize it’s about your kick location. A lot of times, from a coverage standpoint you are trying to eliminate a third of the field. Your kick placements are at a premium. He is going to have to perform well for us. George Bullock started performing slow a little bit with the sore leg. He will be back in practice today, but again those spots are going to be ongoing in terms of competition again as well along with Brodus. We will continue, like our quarterback and every position, to really compete at the kicking spots.
(On Austin Peay)
“I do know they are going to be well coached. Coach Cannon does a great job and I have a lot of friends in the business that know him. They will be prepared. I have been on the other side. They are coming in here with the mindset that they are coming in to win. You are going to get their best effort. I have prepared a football team on the other side. What we have to do is concern ourselves with our performance and being mentally and physically ready to play. I already talked about Timmy Phillips, about their quarterback. They have a gifted defensive end that is on the Senior Bowl watch list. They play with a lot of energy. We have to be prepared to play. This team is not good enough just to show up. We have to be prepared each and every week. That is why we have to teach our players really what game week means. How do you prepare yourself to play at a very high standard. Not just physically, its mentally. Doing the extra film study, taking care of your bodies. It is supposed to be 92 degrees Saturday. Hydration that begins today. Taking pride in your preparation in everything that you do.”
(On game week)
“I was a little bit grumpier. My mind has been racing. I woke up about three times in the middle of the night last night worried about the first day nuances. Having 11 men on the field. Getting your extra point team on. Getting your offense off the field. The transitions, the special teams, game management type situations. That is what I pride myself in the game management things that come throughout the course of a game. You can definitely feel the energy and excitement but I get more nervous in preparation Monday through Friday then I do on game day. To me that is when you prepare to win, that is when you deserve to win. Your preparation throughout the course of the entire week.”
(On personally being ready for game week)
“I have had about six different trainers from the places I have been calling me to check on me and all that. It is making sure that every small detail is looked into, is practiced, is rehearsed, is talked about and making sure our team is ready for anything and everything. I think the big thing for us is, I want to see this team play relentless. I want to see this football team play with great energy. I think that is the first step of becoming a better football team, we have to play with great energy. We have to play with a collective energy, a collective toughness, amongst ourselves. Offense, defense, special teams, having a sideline ready to go. Not false or fake energy, but passion for what you are doing. It is like I told our football team. I don’t like emotional football teams, I don’t like emotional people. If you show me an emotional football team, I will show you a football team that is up and down. They don’t have a consistency in their performance. I want a football team that is relentless and passionate about playing football at the University of Tennessee. I am anxious to see that Saturday night.”
(On who the third quarterback would be)
“Right now we will make that determination as this week goes on. I will tell you this, it is going to be a true freshman. That is the thing, with true freshmen they are getting better. It is them learning how to manage the distractions and clutter. What is important to them. How do you prepare, how do you go about your daily business, the daily grind of a college football season, the scrutiny that you are under? All of those things. Getting to bed at 11 o’clock. I don’t know if I was ever to bed before 11 in college, but you have to have eight hours sleep. The nutrition, getting in and studying film. The best quarterbacks that I have been around they have spiral notebooks filled up for just one week of preparation. Being able to handle it as quickly as it comes. Stimulus. Response. Stimulus. Response. Being able to play the game very fast.”
(On where the assistant coaches will be on game day)
“We have worked together so much as a coaching staff, there is an art to it with the coaches up in the box. With different people I talk to and speak to on the phones and that overall communication. What happens and the speed of the game we have, for instance we even practiced 10 men on the field for an extra point/field goal. What do you do, do you take a delay of game or do you take a timeout. Now in the game situations, I always like to have a timeout in my back pocket at the end of the game because of the 10-second run off rule. I don’t like to waste my timeouts. Teaching your players how many timeouts you have in a one minute drill and if you take a sack do you take the timeout there. All the little game management things that go into it. And we worked very extensively on that throughout the course of training camp. When the pressure goes up and there are people in the stands, a lot of times individuals act differently. That is why we try to practice the way we have. But I will know more about this football team Saturday night.”
(On the team’s football IQ)
“I think we have come a long way, but I still think we are a work in progress. We still have a long ways to go. Again it’s the why. We do this because of this. This is why we do it. And then they are understanding it and taking the teaching to the field. Most everyone has been to our practices so over the course of training camp you saw the amount of teaching that went into the game management situations. Little things like one -minute offense and all you need is a first down and then you can take a knee and run the clock out. We have a down call. If that running back gets that first down, he takes a knee, he doesn’t score. We are in victory formation and in my first year at Central Michigan, we were up and we were on the road and all we needed to do was run the clock out. Our running back kept running and almost fumbled the ball. That is where that was created. We now have a down call. You learn from your past experiences. All those things you practice, at some point in time throughout the course of the year, those will all come into play. ”
(On pass rush)
“They have all been out at some point of time, but the standard and expectation never change. It doesn’t matter whether it is number one, two or three, the standard and expectation about the way that we are going to play football here will never change. So it is what it is. We have to continue to develop our pass rush, there are so many things about hands, hand-to-hand combat. Using your feet. Working the edges of the defender. Keeping your points on the quarterback with your rush lanes. We will continue to develop that. Does it hurt us with a few of those individuals out, yes. But the way I look at it, it is an opportunity for everyone else. It is a great opportunity for Corey Miller. A senior. Now is your time. Take advantage of it in terms of opportunities for everyone. Jordan Williams is another individual. He has worked extremely hard in the offseason in training camp. Now is your time, go assert yourself. Go take advantage of all of your hard work. I look at it like that.”
(On the Tennessee Traditions)
“It is the pride of who we are. That is Tennessee. Running Through the T is Tennessee. The Vol Walk is Tennessee. We can’t lose sight of the task at hand and that is Austin Peay. Those traditions are who we are. At the end of the day it is about performing and winning football games. And playing football and understanding what it takes to play winning football. That is why this week of preparation is critical. These players will understand. They will get presented today the Big Three to winning. They will understand the Big Three. We will talk about it all week long. Again, the greatest teams I have been around, their week of preparation is unmatched. Position groups getting together, watching film study together, talking about the game, living the game. You got to live it. Every day. That is a big part of the evolution of our football team. In teaching the older players, this is our standard and expectation in taking pride in our performance off the field in terms of your preparation.”
Junior Quarterback Justin Worley
(On being told he was the starter)
“It was an individual meeting with him (Coach Jones) and our offensive coordinator Coach Jake (Bajakian). He (Jones) basically said `You’re our guy going into Week One.’ He told me that he didn’t want me to have any worries, looking over my shoulder, or things like that about playing the position. Basically, he told me to take the control of this team, this is your team, and take this opportunity and run with it.
(On if he had a sense of relief from being named starter)
“A little bit, yes ma’am. I guess just knowing officially that I’m the starter, there is a sense of relief. It’s an honor and a privilege to play quarterback here.”
(On if he expected to be named starter this morning)
“He (Coach Jones) officially broke it to me last night, so I guess after hearing that, yeah. I felt like I had done enough to win the spot, and I guess taking most of the “1” reps kind of gave me an idea of what the news was going to be.”
(On how to keep the starting job)
“Just going in and managing the offense as well as I can, and doing everything they ask me to do. A lot of it is protecting the football and running the up-tempo offense, so just being able to do that as best as I can.”
(On being louder)
“I wouldn’t say it’s that hard for me, but I think he (Coach Jones) wants a little more. Just continually learning how to lead, and how each guy responds to different styles of leadership, whether or not you need to get on them hard or just coach them, so just continually learning about each and every one of my teammates.”
(On playing in his first college game)
“I was shocked that I was playing because I thought going into that season, I had the mindset that I would be redshirted. Playing against Alabama when I came in was a little bit of a shock, but then I had to adjust pretty quick going into the next week.”
(On initial thoughts when told he was going into Alabama game)
“I was a little shocked that they were going to put me in, especially in that situation. When I walked out there, I thought `I haven’t played football against anyone other than my own team in a year.’ It was a good feeling to be out there.”
(On first play being from 1 yard line)
“The first play we ran power and fumbled, and then the next drive we started on the one yard line going out.” (On if he’d prepared the freshman quarterbacks for what lay ahead)
“We haven’t really talked about that a whole lot. I guess through the grind of camp we’ve been trying to go each and every day and focus on what we can do. We haven’t really talked about the future, and what they can expect when they play.”
(On preparing in the offseason to be the starter)
“Yesterday I met with the running backs, and we watched some film together of Austin Peay. I guess it’s just doing little things like that and talking with different position groups and really getting to know each and every guy individually. I think that helped in being able to lead them, teach them, and being someone that they can follow.”
(On how confident he was that he’d be the starter)
“Nobody knew until the official statement was made. With everybody getting 1’s reps here and there, it was still very competitive until Coach Jones made the decision.”
(On preparation outside of practice)
“A lot of it’s film work, a lot of it’s talking to the guys, especially about the opponent and what they’re seeing, wideouts and what they’re seeing from corners and DB’s, offensive line and what their seeing from the fronts and defensive linemen, as well what we’re watching. It’s just being on the same page as everybody as a whole group.”
(On the speed of the offense)
“I think we’ve definitely made strides in our speed of play. We hit a little lull about 2 weeks into camp were we had a lot of new installs and things like that where we definitely had to slow things down and maybe teach a little more but I think we’re definitely a faster team than you saw Orange and White game.
(On how he has improved)
“My leadership is the main thing and also understanding of game situations and the offense as a whole”
(On the freshmen receivers)
“They made huge strides come practice one to however many fall camp practices we had and even going into this game week. I’m excited to see what they can do on the field in a live situation under the lights. I think they’ll be able to perform well.Josh Smith is a smart guy, Pig Howard is a playmaker inside – a little quick twitch guy. Marquez North is a big target. He go up and get a ball and can break away from people.”
(On Marquez North being ahead of the other freshmen)
“Yea, I feel that way. I don’t know what it is that sets him apart other than his physical skill set. He had a very very strong fall camp.”
(On how practice changes now that he’s the starter)
“I guess it’s just preparation for the game now. Both Coach Jones and Coach Jake told me, `don’t hold back now’. I guess maybe during fall camp there were times where I was extra careful with the football, trying not to make that mistake or whatever. But they told me don’t worry about making that mistake. Go out, play your hardest and perform as well as you can.”
(On the offensive line and the protection he receives.)
“I have the utmost faith in the offensive line and our running backs in protection as well as running the football. Knowing that those guys have the game experience that they do, it gives me some confidence going into the game.”
(On staying out of third and long)
“Yea, for sure you always want to stay out of third and long. First and second down are going to be huge for us – gaining positive yards in four downs on first down. If we don’t convert on first down and second down at least having a third and medium or a third short situation which are pretty good in terms of converting.”
(On Cam Sutton)
“Yea, Cam had a great fall camp. I think 6 or 7 interceptions. Just always around the football making plays. When [Sapp] said that, I can agree with that statement.”
(On Brian Randolph being back)
“Yea, Brian has a great aspect to the secondary. He’s a physical guy, makes plays, and is good in coverage as well. He’s progressed well from his injury and should be ready to go.”
(On if he was too careful because he thought the starting job was his to lose)
“I wouldn’t say I was just going in trying not to lose it. I was going in trying to progress as well as I could in my understanding of the offense and management of the game. Here and there maybe I wouldn’t make the throw into double coverage and check it down, just trying to be smart – trying to play smart football that’s all I meant by saying that. I didn’t try to force throws.”
(On running as a quarterback in high school)
“My senior year we did, more so than the year before. So I did run the ball a little bit.”
Senior Linebacker Dontavis Sapp
(On being eager for his first start)
“I wouldn’t call it eager. I’m just ready for the opportunity to go out there and play once again. Getting to start is even better.”
(On if camp was different going through as a starter)
“Not really. The 1’s and 2’s pretty much got the same amount of reps. This camp it just means that I went in earlier.”
(On the secondary being ready)
“I think it’s kind of tough to say right now but I think we prepared enough. Especially Cam Sutton. They guy always comes in and works hard. He’s always asking what can he do better. Did I get the call playing linebacker that he makes to me. He work’s hard I think he’ll be ready.”
(On the unknown elements and how the team will do of Saturday)
“That’s tough to say. Not there to play yet. We’ll see. I really can’t say. We watch a lot of film on these guys. Both teams. I guess we’ll see Saturday.”
Junior Offensive Lineman Antonio Richardson
(On if they were shocked to be named starters)
“I was shocked (laughing). I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but it’s good to know.”
(On how eager he is to get the season started)
“We’re very eager. A lot of young players, we’re just really ready to get out there and show them what we can do. We’re not going to take any opponent lightly. Austin Peay, whoever it may be, we’re just going to go out there with aspirations of winning and see what we can do to win some.”
(On if he liked what he saw from the team in camp)
“I did. I felt like every day we came out to work. The player staff, we promised coach that we’d have no bad practices and I felt like we kept our promise. So, I felt pretty confident coming out of camp.”
(On Coach Jones not wanting them to be emotional players)
“The biggest thing to coach, he said, “I don’t want you playing with emotion, but I want you playing with passion.” Basically he’s saying he wants us to be consistent. He thinks that emotional teams are up and down up and down, so he just wants a team that’s like a McDonald’s team like he would say. A team that’s going to be consistent.”
(On what makes him confident that Marquez North and Cameron Sutton can come in and contribute right away)
“Just their maturity overall. They come in every day to work. Especially, me I get to see Marquez (North) every day. So, seeing his worker’s mentality come in every day, getting in the film room, that’s looking good.”
(On if the offensive line set a goal of how many yards rushing they will get this season)
“We really haven’t. We really just said that we’re going to go out there and do our best. We feel like we’ve got some talented running backs. We’re just going to go out there and do our job and let the stats take care of themselves.”
(On how Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane have progressed)
“I feel like they’ve progressed really well. Rajion, going to the sixth game of the season, he was like the leading rusher in the SEC before he hurt himself. So, I am really confident with him back there. He’s matured a lot especially.”
(On difference between freshman quarterbacks)
“Riley Ferguson has gotten some reps with the ones a few times. He is really loud and commanding in the huddle. That is the thing that he has improved on the most.”
(On what you are looking forward to most)
“I think we are just looking forward to winning. The biggest thing is that we haven’t won much in the past few years, and it is a new era now. We have been focusing on our effort. That is what you will see a lot more out of this team this year is effort.”
(On what you now about Austin Peay)
“We know they have a new coaching staff, and we have been watching film of them from last year, but we know we are going to be ready for whatever. We know their base front is a “BEAR,” and they extend to a “BEAR” front a lot. We don’t know what to expect, but we will be ready.”
Senior Offensive Lineman Ja’Wuan James
(On if they were surprised that Justin Worley was named the starter)
“It really doesn’t matter to us. As offensive linemen our job is to rush the ball and protect the quarterback. So, whoever’s behind us, we’re going to block for them.”
(On if he saw that Worley stood out and carried himself as a starter)
“No, it’s pretty close between everybody. Everybody’s bringing different things to the table quarterback wise, but like I said, whoever’s back there this year, they’re going to be protected.”
(On if they have helped Worley become more vocal)
“Yeah because he’s back there trying to call the plays and stuff like that. So, he’s just got to say it a little louder because coach is playing all the baby noises and stuff like that on the speakers and we’re going to be out there in front of 100,000 so he’s just got to speak a little louder.”
(On what makes them confident that Marquez North and Cameron Sutton can come in and contribute right away)
“I’d say the same thing about Marquez (North). You can tell the difference in his maturity level and some of the other freshmen. That’s why their giving him this opportunity and we need him to step up right now. He’s done a good job asking question if he needs something and just really buying in.”
(On if the offensive line set a goal of how many yards rushing they will get this season)
“The only goals we really set are, we have three of them: to play tough, to play smart, and then to play physical. Those are our three goals and Coach Mo (Mahoney) said anything else, we take care of that.”
(On how Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane have progressed)
“Yeah and Marlin as well. Marlin’s been doing a lot better and Rajion, but I feel like we’ve got a group of guys behind us that are going to do well this season. So, it’s up to us to make sure they do well.”
(On going from one of the worst to best offensive line in the conference)
“It feels like yesterday, which you know, that’s what we learn from. I feel like that’s why we’re here right now where we are because everyone in our room just constantly works. We never get too down on ourselves. We never get too high either. We just come to work every day and we listen to our coaches and take everything they have to say.”
(On being a senior)
“I’m definitely proud of everybody in the room: Zach Fulton, James Stone, Tiny, myself, and even the younger guys. I’m proud of everybody that stuck through it and kept working. We were trying to reach goals, and we were able to reach them.”
(On looking back at first game of career)
“It was crazy. I remember running through the T. I felt kind of lost just looking up at the fireworks and stuff like that. I was a nervous wreck. It was against UT Martin, but I was good after the first play.”
(On advice for freshman)
“I am excited for them. I know I was nervous back then, but at the same time I was excited. I had guys like Chris Walker andNick Reveiz that inspired me to go out there and play confident. I have talked to several of them saying go out there and play confident and prepare. If you prepare well, you can go out there and be confident.”
(On confidence in being able to run the ball)
“I feel confident, and the type of formations that we are running, if they have nine in the box, we are going to hit somebody with a bubble, or we are going to spread them out. If there is nine in the box, then it is our job to get that nine in the box. I feel confident in all five guys and tight ends can do it.”
(On advice to Justin Worley being the alpha male in the huddle)
“He is a junior now so it is his job to be that alpha male now. Like you said, I was soft spoken. I was just listening to the leaders and things like that, but he need to be more of a leader, and he has done that more this summer and at camp. He has done a better job of being more vocal and taking control of the offense.”
(On needing quarterback leadership)
“It gives us confidence because we have confidence in him now. You see him getting confidence in himself out there playing. He is starting to play with a little bit of swag, and he is feeling himself.”
(On difference between freshman quarterbacks)
“Riley has a great arm, and he takes control. I told him that reminded me of Tyler Bray as a freshman. Joshua Dobbs as well, he is a smart kid, and he knows the offense, and he has a great arm. Every time he is in the game, Coach Jones says its live. He will scramble n the pocket, and he is pretty fast.”
(On what you are looking forward to most)
“I am definitely looking forward to winning as well. Also a line, just dominating and taking control of the line of scrimmage. We have five guys that are ready to go do that game in and game out.”
(On what you now about Austin Peay)
“They are excited. They are coming in here and playing in front of 100,000. They have a new coaching staff so I know they are excited. We have to be ready.”
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