#VolReport: Vols Stay Resilient

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off the heartbreaking loss to Florida, the Vols are staying resilient in looking ahead to Saturday’s game vs. UTC. The Vols are hopeful of ending their three-game losing streak and are trying to return to the win column.

“(A win) would be tremendous,” said offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian. “Obviously we have been working week in and week out and not having the check mark in the win column the past few weeks has been a struggle but our guys have great perseverance, resiliency and they will keep fighting. We are going in and preparing to get that win and that will give us a lot of confidence.”

As Coach Jones has said, the Vols are focused on the process.

“Our guys are resilient,” added Bajakian. “That is part of Coach Jones’ program. We put these guys through a lot of adversity behinds the adversity that they experience on Saturday in a game. Whether it is in the weight room, whether it is in the meeting room, on the conditioning field, we make sure our guys can handle stress. They are put in stressful situations throughout the course of the season and we have to continue to handle that and rise up to the challenge.

GILLESPIE’S TAILBACK BREAKDOWN

As the Vols enter the midway point of their season, running backs coach Robert Gillespie says that his unit has seen their amount of contact in practice significantly decreased.

Freshman running back Jalen Hurd, because of his physicality, has worn a “non-contact” jersey in practice this week.

“Not only do we have to tell the defensive players to back off, we have to tell him,” Gillespie said of the physical freshman. “It’s him understanding that you’re wearing green and we’re doing that not only for those guys not to hit you, but don’t go hit them.

“He’s a physical kid, and we’ve got a big stretch that we’re about to go on here, and we have to smart as a staff, and one of the smart things was to just to put him in a different color jersey where he doesn’t take those big hits. Same thing with Marlin as he’s trying to bounce back and recover.”

Gillespie also said that while they are limiting Hurd’s contact, he is healthy and has still taken every rep in practice this week.

“He’s fine. This isn’t the first time he’s had to come play without (full contact),” he said. “He’s taken every rep, that green jersey’s just to let guys know not to hit him. It’s no different than guys in the NFL. They have a `no-hit’ policy on their backs. He’s a guy that played 50-something snaps last week, took some big hits, and as a precaution we just don’t want him to take those hits if he doesn’t have to take them in practice.”

Gillespie also said that he hopes to finally find a good time to insert freshman running back Derrell Scott into the running back rotation this week against Chattanooga.

“The game hasn’t presented itself for him to get in,” he said. “We have specific plays for different guys, and it just hasn’t been the time for him to be in and be ready to play yet. We’ll go into this week saying if the time presents itself, we’ll play him this week.”

SUTTON EARNS HIGH PRAISE ALL AROUND

In his second season as a start, sophomore Cameron Suttonhas proven himself to be one of the top defensive backs in the SEC. Already this season, Sutton leads the team with three interceptions and ranks second in the conference. He also ties the SEC lead in passes defended with seven.

Both defensive coordinator John Jancek and defensive backs coach Willie Martinez credit Sutton’s instincts for his ability to play as well as he does.

“He has great instincts,” Martinez said. “He’s got very good body control, good awareness. When playing the ball in the air, he’s able to adjust in the blind spot that we say all the time where to anticipate where the ball is coming, where to look, where not to look. That’s something that is hard to coach.

“It’s something you have to have. He has a great understanding. It goes back to what he has been able to do throughout his career, three-sport star, he understands all facets of the game and obviously his athleticism is really what separates him.”

Day in and day out, Sutton takes each practice for what it’s worth trying to get better, which he has. Sutton, less than halfway through the season, has one more pick than he had all of last season and is averaging close to one more tackle per game.

“I’m real proud of Cam,” Jancek said. “I love the way he works. He’s business like. He’s not a joker. He comes and he’s ready to work and gets better each and every week.”

In just the first few weeks, Martinez has seen Sutton transform into an improved player.

“He’s more vocal as a leader,” Martinez said. “Like some of the other guys, he understands the defense better, so he’s getting into plays and being productive because he has an idea of how to execute the defense.

“He’s not hesitant. He understands, way before the snap of the ball, what he needs to do and what to anticipate. He’s really athletic. He’s become more of a physical player. You can see that getting off blocks, making tackles and also holding onto his position when he’s playing one-on-one with wide receivers. He’s able to keep a body on a body and play physical.”

LEADERS EMERGING ON O-LINE

Over the past three games, Tennessee’s young offensive line has faced three top-level opponents, with two of those matchups coming on the road. While their struggles may be apparent, Offensive Line Coach Don Mahoney also sees positive areas of improvement among his group, both individually and has a cohesive working unit.

“As it should be, everything is pointed at them,” Mahoney said regarding the offense’s performance against Florida. “They have no choice. We have to step up, we have to play better, we have to do better and we will. They understand that and the leadership from Marcus Jackson has been outstanding and I expect that to continue.”

Jackson, who boasts the most career starts among the offensive line with 11, is sharing more reps this week with redshirt freshmen Brett Kendrick and Austin Sanders. For Mahoney, these two players in particular are adapting well to the offense’s needs and will be valuable assets for the line moving forward.

“Brett Kendrick and Austin Sanders have really made a lot of progress over the past couple of weeks,” Mahoney said. “Coach Jones talks a lot about individual improvement and where each guy needs to improve. It’s tough for them and I can’t say enough about those two guys in particular because a lot has been put on them in practice with what’s expected. ParticularlyBrett Kendrick, having started a game and then not starting, and with the way he responded, his future is extremely bright and he’s going to play a lot of football for us. His overall growing up and maturity is good to see and Austin Sanders is understanding it, as well.”

While one could point to the negatives for the O-line this year, Mahoney continues to look at the positive elements of each player’s growth, adding that the end goal is always part of a bigger picture for Team 118.

“Their work ethic and attitude has been fantastic,” Mahoney said. “The execution hasn’t been what it needs to be. There are the obvious negatives that come out of the game but it’s looking at the positives and these kids need that. There are some positives that need to be taken from this for them to grow and that is our job as coaches and teachers. It’s correcting mistakes but making them understand the positive results, as well.”

MIXON SET TO SEE MORE TIME

Coach Butch Jones announced on Tuesday that redshirt junior Owen Williams underwent surgery on his thumb and would miss this week’s game against Chattanooga. With that, freshman Dimarya Mixon is expected to see an increased role on the defensive line.

“It passes to (Mixon) that he is going to find meaningful reps Saturday so he needs to be ready and answer the challenge,” said defensive line coach Steve Stripling.

Mixon has seen action in all five games, making three tackles, and is expected to have a larger role with Williams out for the week.

“Dimarya looks good,” Stripling added about the 6-2, 282-pounder from Compton, Calif. “He is undersized as a lot of our guys are but you have to combat that with using great technique, great leverage and great effort.”

SOUND BITES

Here are sound bites from the assistant coaches after Wednesday’s practice:

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE BAJAKIAN

»(On Chattanooga)

“I’ll tell you what, (they’re) extremely well-coached. Extremely simple schematically. They don’t do a whole lot at all, but what they do, they do very, very well. They line up, they’re philosophy is they’re not going to make very many mistakes. They’re going to keep the ball in front of them; they’re going to play hard. I give their coaches a lot of credit. You’d think that with their simplicity, you could scheme them, but everything you devise, you realize they have an answer for.”

»(On Derrell Scott)

“Derrell is getting better and better every week. He has done a good job of picking up the nuances of the position. He will add an element of speed and quickness to the position for sure.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOHN JANCEK

»(On Derek Barnett)

“We said it right from the beginning; we noticed that Derek was extremely mature. Being a freshman, I think he’s put in a lot of good, hard work, and I think it’s showing. He stays after practice, he works hard. He works hard in the weight room, he just picks up on things really fast. He’s a smart player and that’s aided him in being able to contribute early and really improve each and every single week.”

»(On Maggitt’s recent strong play)

“Curt had a big sack in the last ballgame. He was actually trying to force a fumble. I don’t know if you guys happened to see that, but he was doing a really good job of trying to force the fumble, trying to get the ball out. He plays outside linebacker for us, he’s defensive end, he’s active, and when you watch him on film, he’s got energy, he plays hard, he’s an unselfish player. So I’m pleased with Curt.”

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH WILLIE MARTINEZ

»(On LaDarrell McNeil)

“LaDarrell has been a very physical player. He has been more consistent in understanding what to do. You can see that. He’s reacting quicker. He’s not hesitant. He’s always been a physical player. He’s a guy who has an unbelievable impact on our defense from his physicality and the way he plays the game form a speed standout, always around the football and plays with a lot of passion.”

»(On the playmaking ability of the defensive backs)

“That’s something that we love. You have to be able to create turnovers. You can’t give up touchdowns. As a coach that’s really what you want. I think the competition has really improved us. The ability to play some other guys, or at least have guys in a position to play, has really elevated everybody’s game.”

DEFENSIVE LINE COACH STEVE STRIPLING

»(On having Trevarris Saulsberry back)

“It really helps. First of all he is a big body, a 300-pounder, his presence. It helps in the rotation numbers and getting in there when you get in the extended drives. So It is a real plus to have him out there.”

»(On Jordan Williams)

“Jordan Williams played his best game last Saturday. In Jordan’s case, for a long time, we were searching for the right tempo to come off the ball, manage his techniques and those kinds of things. Sometimes he was coming off too hard, sometimes he was not coming off enough. I think last week he finally hit that blend, that is something we had been working on.”

»(On Derek Barnett)

“It is pretty unbelievable to be honest with you. I believe when I first went back an really got a chance to start working with him, his greatest quality is he is just resilient. Nothing affects him, he never gets too high or too low. You can yell at him, you can pat him on the rear end, it doesn’t matter. He is the same guy every snap and I think that is a great quality.”

TIGHT ENDS COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR MARK ELDER

»(On Aaron Medley)

“Aaron’s been kicking with a lot of confidence, doing well. His kickoffs have been more consistent. He had a good day the other day, as far as field goals. I’d still like to see, you’re always looking for more and more consistency and so forth. But he’s been consistent in practice, and we’re starting to see that on game day.”

»(On competition at kickoff returner)

“Every day, there’s positions that are up for grabs every single week, and that’s no different. We’re always in competition around here trying to find the best guys, and the guys that are going to help us win ball games, so as far as that’s concerned, every position, there’s competition for.”

RUNNING BACKS COACH ROBERT GILLESPIE

»(On Derrell Scott)

“He’s got really good feet. He’s a very quick guy. Good vision. Runs hard. But that’s just in practice, hopefully this week we can get him some game reps and you guys will be able to see what kind of back he is.”

»(On the running backs practice this week

“Jalen’s had a good week of practice. So has Devrin, so has Derrell and Justus Pickett and all those guys, so all those guys are taking advantage of getting more reps this week.”

OFFENSIVE LINE COACH DON MAHONEY

»(On continuing to develop his freshmen offensive linemen)

“We’re going to keep driving and going. I think there is a point in time where freshmen hit a so-called `wall’ that you have to work through. It’s also like rookies in the NFL where they hit that certain point. I don’t see signs of that from Jashon [Robertson] and Coleman [Thomas] but you have to be aware of it. You have to keep redefining things for them so they completely understand and they thoroughly understand situational football, down and distance, defensive alignments and so forth.”

»(On executing play calls at the line of scrimmage)

“It starts with the center, making his initial call, and the guards have to pass it out to the tackles. Therefore, we’re all on the same page. Any time the center makes one call, we all follow suit. If two are blocking one way and three are blocking the other way, we’re blocking two separate fronts. It all starts with him taking charge with it and the guards have got to echo it. The minute you assume one thing, that’s when things go wrong.”