#VolReport: Healing Time Benefits Vols

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When the Vols hit EverBank Field on Friday afternoon, it will be 34 days since they last played a football game. Those nearly five full weeks will be a major benefit to Team 118 as Butch Jones explained on Tuesday.

“Some individuals are still nursing some nagging injuries, where some other players have really benefitted from some time off,” Jones said as the Vols took the field for their second day of practice at the University of North Florida. “I do think, overall, our team speed has improved, but it’s a case-by-case situation.”

On offense, Jones pointed to the tailbacks gaining much needed rest which will have a major impact for Friday’s game.

“I think, first of all, our running back position,” said Jones. “Jalen Hurd continues to play more and more confidently. You can see the confidence, the speed, he’s able to play instinctfully now. Marlin Lane benefitted from some extra time off.”

Defensive coordinator John Jancek said the Vols youth and lack of experience throughout the year pushed the defense to the limits late in the regular-season. The time off has been a major plus for the Orange Swarm.

“Our lack of depth throughout the season and the volume of reps that the starters had to take, we certainly needed a bit of a breather,” said Jancek. “Once we completed that last ball game, I think they’ve done a good job of taking care of their bodies. They had a good practice yesterday. We just have to wrap it up here this last couple of opportunities to get ready for this bowl game.”

Both Jones and Jancek said that if the Vols had to play a game the week following their win at Vanderbilt on Nov. 29, junior linebacker and leader Curt Maggitt would not have been able to play.

“Curt Maggitt, if we had to play the game after Vanderbilt, he wouldn’t have been able to play,” said Jones. “So I think the extensive time he has had off has helped him. I think it’s been really beneficial for our entire team.”

Some players didn’t want to rest over Christmas break, but Jones made sure to put a stop to one of his wideouts aggressive nature — at least for a few days.

“Von Pearson is another individual,” said Jones, “we had to have a little talk, though, through the value of watching Twitter is he goes home for Christmas and works out and he’s running. So I was able to get to him and say `Rest your body.’ “

In addition to getting the extended rest for the players, offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian talked about how having a month to prepare for one opponent is a huge advantage when it comes to scheming.

“I wish I’d had a month to prepare for every game,” said Bajakian. “You can really get detailed and you can really rep a lot of the different looks that you anticipate seeing, whereas in the course of a game week, sometimes you’re crunched for time.

“You’re introducing concepts but you might not necessarily be able to rep them versus all of the possible looks. You need, again, a mature team in the course of a normal game week prep which can adjust and adapt. Well now, it’s just given us the advantage of being able to prepare for all of the different looks.”

ALPHA MALE DOBBS

Sophomore quarterback Joshua Dobbs infused the Vols late in the season as they finished 3-1 on the way to earning a bid to the TaxSlayer Bowl. Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian is happy with the leadership role Dobbs has taken on, knowing the job under center is his.

“He’s also taking command,” Bajakian said. “He has taken ownership of the leadership that is necessary to be the guy, the alpha male as we like to call him.”

Tennessee is averaging 35.0 points per game and racking up 424.3 yards of offense per game in his four starts. Overall, in Dobbs’ five games this season, he has compiled 1,470 total yards of offense (294.0 per game) and is responsible for 14 touchdowns (eight passing and six rushing). Dobbs has thrown just five turnovers.

“He’s done a good job of managing the offense and limiting the turnovers,” said Bajakian. “I think that’s key. Obviously, we are talking complementary football with offense, defense and special teams, playing the field position game and limiting turnovers. Obviously, we’re always going to improve upon that and any interception or any turnover is too many.”

BATTLE AT MIDDLE LINEBACKER

The starter at middle linebacker is still up for grabs as Friday nears. True freshman Jakob Johnson, who has started the last two games at the position at competing with sophomore Kenny Bynum. Both played high school ball in Jacksonville and will have chance to play in front of friends and family in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Johnson spent his senior year at Jean Ribault after moving to America from his native Stuttgart, Germany while Bynum is a Jacksonville native, attending Raines High School.

“They’ve competed well,” said Jancek. “They’ve pushed each other. They’re both in there doing the best that they can. I know they’re excited to be back in their home city and play in front of probably some friends and family.”

Jancek said both will see action.

“They’ll both play,” Jancek said. “It’ll just be a matter of how many plays in a row the offense can generate. Those will come into play during the game as far as how we sub.”

READY FOR TWO QBs

On Monday, Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis said the Hawkeyes will play two quarterbacks in Friday’s TaxSlayer Bowl. Junior Jake Rudock and sophomore C.J. Beathard will share time at least in the first and second quarters Davis told the media. A starter has not been announced , and Davis said the decision will be made by head coach Kirk Ferentz.

How does Iowa’s dual-quarterback system impact the Vols’ preparation on defense? Head coach Butch Jones said the Vols game plan won’t change much based on who is under center for the Hawkeyes.

“We will be prepared for both,” said Jones. “Again, they are going to run what they run and there is a reason why they have been successful. They have systems in place. They are an older veteran football team so their players they are able to redshirt their players and their players grow up in their systems.”

Rudock has a 14-10 record as a starter and has started the last seven games for Iowa. In Beathard’s only start on Sept. 27, the Hawkeyes beat Purdue, 24-10.

SOUND BITES

Here are sound bites from Team 118

HEAD COACH BUTCH JONES

»(On offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian)

“That’s the mark of a very good football coach is being able to adapt and adjust. Football is sudden change, we always say football is life, just sped up faster. So the ability to put your players in positions to make plays and play off of the skill sets of your players, I think he’s done a great job. When you look at the revolving door with the injury situation and replacing a lot of the productivity from last year’s offense, we’re up in just about every single offensive category. We’ve taken care of the football for the most part, we’ve done a very good job. And it’s not just him, it’s our entire coaching staff, and our offensive staff works well together, just like our defensive staff works well together. I think our players have done a tremendous job and we’ve said it and the Iowa game is no different, we have to be a team that overachieves. We’re not going to beat you on talent alone. We’re not a program that can just show up, I don’t think anybody can just show up. We have to earn everything we get and our players and coaches have done a tremendous job.”

»(On SEC pride)

“I feel pride in everything we do, especially for the University of Tennessee, but we’re part of the best conference in all of college football. Obviously, you look at the conference and how they do in bowl games as well.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE BAJAKIAN

»(On the offensive unit responding despite thinned numbers)

“Yeah, we always talk about offense, defense and special teams playing complementary football. The same thing applies within the offensive unit. We need to play complementary football. If it means maybe the tight ends taking more reps or more of those backup guys taking more reps, all season long they’ve been rolling in at different positions and have done a good job. They’re stepping up.

»(On the importance of having Von Pearson back)

“Von is just one of the many guys who have benefitted from the 12 or 13 practices, whatever, that we’ve had at this point. Again, working on their skillset, refining their craft, but also understanding how to prepare to play in a bowl game. It’s different. The installation process is more drawn out like Spring football in that you need to sustain over the course of the entire preparation and our guys are understanding that as we head into the bowl game finally in the next few days. The game plan is in. Now it’s just a matter of refining all of the little things and that’s part of the maturity that comes along with making a bowl game and continuing to progress like that.”

»(On the balance of preparation for the bowl)

“Well, you have to have a little fun, that’s for sure. Your bowl experience, in general, is going to incorporate that. It’s always a challenge to keep the guys focused for such a long period of time. I think it was beneficial to have a break in there for Christmas, send the guys home and then come back and get refocused. But our team has responded in a very mature manner.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOHN JANCEK

»(On checking the emotions of players during a bowl game)

“That’s the case all year. We want to make sure we play a disciplined style of football, but yet we want to be aggressive, be physical.There’s a fine line each and every week you take the field. You have to make sure you have your emotions in check as a player. I think it’s a reflection of your leadership on your team and the maturity level of your team. We haven’t had any issues this year and I don’t anticipate having any in the bowl game.”

»(On Iowa’s offensive tackle Brandon Scherff’s relentlessness)

“The first thing that jumped out to me is how athletic he is and how quick his feet are and how he can get out and pull on the perimeter and get onto a safety or linebacker that is probably more athletic and continue to block them throughout the entire play. He plays with a relentless, physical attitude. You can tell those guys up front are all well-coached and that’s the strength of their offense, their offensive line.”

»(On defensive lineman Derek Barnett)

“Derek had a fantastic year. The thing that really showed is his improvement throughout the year. He came in and certainly we liked him as a player. We had no idea he was going to turn out the way he did. That’s to Derek’s credit. He’s very intelligent. He’s a mature young man. He picks up things well. I think his level of consistency and the improvement that he showed throughout the course of the season was really most impressive.”