#VolReport: Much Respect For OU

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee offense has been preparing all week for the challenges that the Oklahoma defense will present. From their quickness to their size, the Vols have been focusing on key factors in preparation for a top-5 team in the nation.

“They’re a great program,” offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said. “They’re the model of consistency that we would like to be. Coach Stoops has done a great job building that from the foundation up. They have a lot of talent. They play hard. Offensively, they have a lot of talent. You’re playing one of the best programs in the nation.

“They’re very talented in every way. Their backend with their ability to cover and their front plays an aggressive style of football. They present a challenge. We need to step up to it.”

Team 118 is used to a quick, fast-moving offense and will try to take advantage of their own speed against a strong defense while putting to use good technique.

“We’ve even emphasized playing with tempo,” Bajakian said. “We need to make sure we clean up the little things like technique and being assignment sound. Schematically, they create a lot of one-on-one matchups, so we’re focusing on making sure we play with great technique and great tempo.”

The Sooners will be the biggest team, defensively, that the Vols have faced from a size standpoint. Bajakian realizes that will be challenge and present mismatches that will be inevitable.

“They’re very big with good length across the board and up front even their secondary,” Bajakian said. “One of their corners is 6’2″ and the other is 5’11” so they create some mismatches in terms of their size.”

“When you play guys at that height, you have to play with great pad level. We’ve emphasized that to be relevant with guys of their stature.”

Moving the chains is also a focus for the Vols as they prepare move their group of running backs and receivers down the field for first downs.

“We’ve been able to overcome a lack of efficiency on first down with second down productivity,” Bajakian said. “Obviously, we’ve been productive over the course of the first two games with third down efficiency We need to improve first efficiency, and that’s always been a focus.”

Despite a new defense to prepare for, Bajakian sees the positives that the Tennessee offense has going into the game, such as having a strong group to go against press coverage.

“We didn’t really see much press coverage against Arkansas State nor Utah state, but we anticipate we’ll see a little more at Oklahoma,” said Bajakian “Our guys have pretty good size and physicality themselves with Marquez [North], Jason [Croom] and Josh [Smith], and even Alton [Howard] plays very strong. We always challenge those guys when we have one-on-one matchups we need to win those one-on-one battles.”

Bajakian also credits having an offensive line that although is young, has the mentality to persevere and will take the field with a chip on their shoulders, ready to play.

“They may not be the most talented group. They may not be the most athletic group or the biggest guys but our guys have a lot of grit, a lot of toughness. That’s the foundation of our program.”

LOWEST, QUICKEST MAN WINS

In preparing the Vols defensive unit for Oklahoma’s offensive line matchup, arguably their biggest (literal) obstacle of the season, Defensive Coordinator John Jancek is putting faith in his squads maturity, speed and consistent focus on the key to winning every battle – leverage.

“We talk about two points of leverage in the game of football,” Jancek said. “One thing we’ve heard since we’ve all been playing is, the low man wins. The second point of leverage is hand placement. Inside hands win. We have to do a good job at those points and just keep fighting.”

One could make a comparison of the Oklahoma game to Tennessee’s road trip to Oregon last year, which presented the Vols with similar size and speed differentials between offensive and defensive fronts. With the Sooners’ size and tempo in mind, Jancek reiterated the resilience of this year’s young group and noted that even with little experience, they’ve already proven they can adjust on the fly.

“I feel good about our guys,” Jancek said. “Last week, I was proud of them. Arkansas State came out and took the ball down the field on us. They took it and scored and our guys didn’t even flinch. There was no bad body language, they weren’t complaining and they were focused. They said, `Coach, we’ll get this thing calmed down. Tell us what we need to do.’ We made some adjustments and went out and did our job.”

One big advantage Jancek sees for his defense this week is speed. But with speed comes a trade off in size and stature, which can be a tough balance to maintain. In the rebuilding process to establish a winning program again at Tennessee, it’s a necessary step which Jancek remains excited to witness.

“We’re building a program, we’re building an identity and a culture on defense and that takes time,” Jancek added. “We’ve got good young players in our program but when you look at Oklahoma, they’ve been redshirted and they’re juniors or seniors and they’re 22-year-old men. They’ve been in that program and that’s what I want here. I want to be going to war with some redshirt juniors and seniors on the line of scrimmage. We’re not there yet but we’re working toward that.

“We have great kids, we have a great coaching staff and Tennessee is a fantastic place. It’s a matter of time, we just have to go out there and do what we can do right now at this stage.”

ELDER ON WOLF

In the Arkansas State game, freshman tight end Ethan Wolf took a hit resulting in a bruised knee. As of Monday’s press conference, Wolf was questionable according to head coach Butch Jones. However, with three practices into the week, things are looking good for his return to the field.

“Ethan is doing great,” tight ends coach Mark Elder said. “He is doing really well. I think that Ethan will be ready to go (this weekend.)”

Wolf, one of Tennessee’s true freshman starters has continued to improve and showcased it prior to his injury in last week’s game.

“He did a nice job and caught a hand full of balls in the game thus far,” Elder said. “He blocked pretty well. He is coming along and still progressing. He is doing a really nice job of taking the coaching and getting better with technique day-by-day.”

If Wolf remains questionable against Oklahoma, the Vols have different options to go with to replace him. The Tennessee depth chart names either Alex Ellis or Daniel Helm as the next in line.

Elder has seen progression with Helm at the position, including his ability to be a better blocker.

“Coming in from high school Daniel was a wide receiver and a linebacker,” Elder said. “His physicality is a linebacker but there wasn’t a whole lot of blocking. He has been steadily increasing his ability to block to be a true wide tight end. That is where I think he has made the biggest stride. There wasn’t much asked of him to do that until he stepped foot on this campus. He is continuing to get better in that regard.”

Helm has improved at blocking from better technique learned since joining the program.

“Sustaining his leg drive, having better foot work and those types of things are improving as he is going. There are still a couple of technique things he needs to clean up on and he knows that. Not that any of the guys have arrived in that regard. He has made a lot of strides in technique.”

MARTINEZ RETURNS TO NORMAN

Tennessee’s trip to Oklahoma will be a homecoming of sorts for one Vol assistant. Willie Martinez spent two seasons as secondary coach for Bob Stoops in 2010-11.

“It will be a lot of mixed emotions from the standpoint that we (my wife, children and I) made a lot of great friends there the two years that we were there,” Martinez said. “Not that we are going back to see those friends so to speak, but we will see some. Obviously there are a lot of great memories there during the two years we were there. To be a part of that outstanding program like Oklahoma was special for our family.”

Among those memories were back-to-back bowl wins in the Fiesta Bowl and Insight Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl coming on the heels of the 2010 Big 12 Championship.

Experiencing the environment in Norman on the home sideline has Martinez ready for what he will face on the visiting sideline. Watching film of the current Sooner squad has helped him send the message to his players that the environment is not the only thing they have to prepare for.

“They are extremely talented and well coached,” Martinez said. “We will have to go in there with the mindset of being very focused and execute what we have to do on every play. They are going to be ready. They do a great job at playing team football. They are solid on offense, defense and special teams. That starts with the head coach.”

SOUND BITES

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

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE BAJAKIAN

»(On Justin Worley’s play)

“I like the way he’s playing football right now. He’s been very decisive and very assertive with the football making quick decisions. His rhythm has been good. He’s taking command. He needs to continue to play his best football as he’s been doing.”

»(On the improvement in the red zone)

“I think guys are getting more comfortable. The timing and the rhythm has been good, particularly between Justin [Worley] and Marquez [North]. And all those guys have done a great job going up and making plays.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOHN JANCEK

»(On Todd Kelly Jr. earning more playing time)

“Todd has performed at a really high level. He has to learn to strain more and keep working his craft in practice. Todd is really smart, and I think that’s the thing that has allowed him to get more playing time. He’s been able to grasp some pretty high level things and execute them. Does he make mistakes? Yes, but for the most part, he’s in good position.”

»(On the difference between prepping for Oklahoma and Oregon last year)

“Oklahoma will tempo you. They’ll be fast-paced but they’re so much bigger up front [than Oregon]. Those guys up front have been there a long time. About eight of the ten are redshirt juniors and seniors and they’ve got a lot of experience. They’re big, they’re athletic and we’re going to have to play great football for four quarters.”

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH WILLIE MARTINEZ

»(On the difference from Oregon last year to now)

“It’s a different year, it’s a different group, it’s a new team. It’s a different offense that we’re going against in terms of our scheme. The similarities are that they are great programs and they are very successful at winning at home and they’ve won a lot of championships.”

»(On playing at Oklahoma)

“It’s very similar to being in this league. It’s great fans, there will be a lot of energy, it’s loud, something that they’ll see every week in the SEC.”

»(On preparing for the environment)

“We’ve been practicing staying calm, staying in the moment. They understand how important it is to just focus in the moment and not get ahead of themselves. It’s going to be a different venue, the first time away from home, so we really don’t know how they’re going to react, but we’re preparing them and the older guys are doing that too.”

TIGHT ENDS COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR

» (On competition with place kicking)

“As with everything competition is always on-going here at Tennessee. That is with place kicking, kick return, punt return, kick off, punting and everything that we are doing. It is always going to be competition and the guy that is performing the best is the guy that is going to be out there.”

» (On other games helping prepare the team for Oklahoma)

“It is a similar scheme (to Utah State) where you see a bare front, two outside backers and the ability for those guys to come. There is a little bit different blocking schemes with every front. You are going to slightly change up your blocking scheme. That was a positive for us to already have a run through of that with a little bit different front. So we have practices those things,made those calls and made adjustments. Obviously there is going to be wrinkles with every game plan we have.Things we are going to do different against these guys on what we want to do against them from scheme to just change ups trying to get the personnel that you want and so forth.”