Players didn’t want it to end, Jones said

Win or go home. That was the task at hand for Team 118 on Saturday night in Nashville. A win would mean postseason play, while a loss would send the Vols home early for the fourth consecutive year.

Butch Jones addressed this topic with his team prior to the game.

“They didn’t want it to end. We talked about our life expectancy and we were fighting to live two or three more weeks. I told them, we had a team meeting on Monday at 3:00 and it could be to go through our bowl schedule or it could be to say goodbye, and it kind of hit them. They said coach, we’re not saying goodbye. We don’t want to say goodbye yet. Again, this group has been resilient all year.”

Now Tennessee waits to learn of its bowl destination. CBS Sports predicts the Vols might face Notre Dame in the Belk Bowl.