KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team returned to the practice at Haslam Field Monday, coming off of its second win over a ranked opponent this season.
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who became the first Tennessee head coach to defeat two ranked teams in his first season since Phillip Fulmer in 1993, reflected on the win over Kentucky and looked ahead to Saturday’s home finale against Missouri (3:30 p.m., CBS).
“We are playing against a really good football team,” Pruitt said. “They are very well coached and balanced offensively. It starts with their quarterback and up front they have a lot of experience.
“Missouri has really good tight ends and playmakers on the outside. They also play multiple running backs, take care of the football and make explosive plays. Defensively, they have been good against the run. They have good pass rushers and they give you multiple looks defensively.”
Standing out in Tennessee’s 24-7 win over the Wildcats was redshirt junior linebacker Darrell Taylor, who recorded four sacks. Taylor’s four-sack game was just the third performance of that variety in Tennessee history, as the Waverly, Va. native joined Reggie White (1983 vs. The Citadel) and Corey Miller (2013 at Kentucky).
For his showing, Taylor was named Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week and SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
“Darrell has ability,” Pruitt said. “We’ve been harping on him all year about consistency. He’s learning a new scheme and he’s got a lot thrown at him just like the other guys and he’s going to continue to improve in the duration of his career.”
Tennessee’s defense had a successful day as a whole, as well. The Vols held Kentucky to just seven points, the fewest points that a Tennessee team has allowed to an SEC opponent since 2008.
Senior Day
Tennessee will honor 13 seniors during its Senior Day festivities prior to Saturday’s game.
“If you look back there are some really good times for this group and some times they probably wish they had back,” Pruitt said. “In the last 11 months, these guys have really bought in and they have really tried to do what we’ve asked them to and we are thankful for that.
“Hopefully some of these guys behind them can follow their lead and the expectations and standards of how they went about their business.”
Injury Update
Pruitt said Monday that freshman defensive back Trevon Flowers should be back for the home matchup against Missouri. Flowers suffered a collarbone injury earlier this season.
Tickets Still Available
Tickets remain available for Saturday’s game versus Missouri at AllVols.com.
Tennessee Football Player Quotes (Nov. 12)
Junior Defensive Back Baylen Buchanan
On the defense’s performance against Kentucky:
“We knew we had to come in and execute. We knew it was going to be a physical game and we had to basically out-physical them and execute, and we did.”
On Drew Lock and what makes him tough to defend:
“He’s really talented. He knows how to get the ball to his players, they have a good RPO game as well. He’s a great athlete so we just have to do what we need to do to slow him down.”
On how much making a bowl game means to this team:
“After last year, it means a lot, especially to the players that were here last year. We know what it feels like to not go to a bowl game, but we’re just going to take it one game at a time and hopefully we make that goal.”
On Missouri’s running game:
“Every week it’s going to be about us. So were just going to have to get into the media rooms, figure out the game plans and just execute. When we’re playing at our best, I feel like we can stop anyone in this conference.”
Redshirt Junior Tight End Eli Wolf
On if the offense feeds off Darrell Taylor’s energy on defense:
“Absolutely. Complimentary football. When the defense is playing well, and special teams are playing well, it bleeds through to all phases of the ball.”
On the motivation coming out of the Charlotte game to answer the challenges that Kentucky presented:
“The whole team, we all understood where we were at after the Charlotte game and it’s not where we wanted to be as a team, and it’s going to take a lot more to win in the SEC.”
On how much this program has changed since they last played Missouri:
“Schematically, I would say there’s a lot that has changed. Myself, just confidence. I’ve started to understand what it takes giving week-in and week-out. I think other people are gaining a little bit of confidence in themselves, because we do have a pretty young team, and confidence is a big part.”
Senior Defensive End Kyle Phillips
On the journey of his senior class during his time here:
“Man, this class is one to remember for sure. We’ve been through a lot. A lot of coaching changes, a lot of good ups and downs. I’m glad to end on a positive note going into my last game at Neyland. We just came off a big win versus Kentucky, so we’re just very excited about the program and the future it holds.”
On his emotions playing his last game at Neyland Stadium:
“They’ll definitely be high. A lot of things have gone on and being able to play there one last time is just a privilege. All the greats that have played here, great things that the Tennessee football program has done, it’s just amazing to be on the field every Saturday and knowing this is my last game makes it even more special.”
On playing a full 60-minute game and how much of a priority that is for him:
“We played a great game on Saturday, but still there were a lot of mistakes, a lot of turnovers that we had that we’ve got to correct, and just mental mistakes. We have to make sure we clean that up moving forward for these last two games, so we can get to a bowl game.”
Junior Wide Receiver Marquez Callaway
On the development of Jarrett Guarantano:
“He has a big confidence boost. He has a lot more confidence than he used to. I know the players and coaches are on him to make sure he’s perfect. I know he strives to be perfect, but we try to help him any way we can, so his confidence level is boosted extremely.”
On developing consistency:
“I think we should lock in more, I think we should watch more film than we used to and have more consistency at practice. I think that’s what we lack on offense is, some days we’ll be great on offense and some days we’ll go three-and-out just like that. I think if we’re more consistent and execute more we’ll become a better offense. “
On if he felt he had more time to get open against Kentucky:
“Coach always tells us to run our routes as fast as we can, because the quarterback is always going through a lot. We try to help out where we can, and I know the line tries to do what they can. This week I know the line had a lot more on their plate and I think coaches challenged them a lot this past week in practice. I think they took on the challenge.”
Redshirt Sophomore Offensive Lineman Ryan Johnson
On keeping the home win streak against Kentucky alive:
“A win is always fun, especially at home. We had a great fan base out there. It was a really energetic game and it’s always great to have another win, so we’re going to focus on next week and try to get another one.”
On the confidence boost for the offensive line:
“I think we made a lot of steps forward as an offensive line and an offensive unit as a whole. There are still some things we have to work on, but we’re going to keep on working on our duty and protect the quarterback, block for the running backs and just keep doing our job day in and day out.”
On his thoughts on Missouri going into Saturday’s game:
“They’re good players, they’re solid players and they’re well-coached. But we’re good players, solid players and well-coached, so we’re going to watch the film and study their plays. We’re going to focus on what we do and focus on us. This game is about us, just like every other game has been and we’re going to focus on improving us and doing our job.”
Redshirt Junior Defensive Lineman Darrell Taylor
On developing consistency in his game:
“I think I just need to focus on the little things, studying film, practicing the way I’m supposed to practice and things like that. “
On what the team did schematically to open up his game:
“I think we rushed a lot and it gave up a lot of opportunities to make plays. Our coaches were making some great calls out there and we had fun along the way.”
On being the spark for the defensive line:
“I love it man, it’s fun. It’s fun being happy when someone is down and bringing them up for practice. I think it’s fun being that guy.”