Butch Jones and a trio of players spoke with reporters on Monday
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Team 120 kicked off Florida week on Monday as Butch Jones and a trio of Vols spoke to reporters at the Ray & Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Defensive standouts Corey Vereen and Micah Abernathy followed Coach Jones at the podium and tight end Jason Croom rounded out the day’s media session.
No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) and No. 19 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC) meet for the 46th time on Saturday, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium. The game will air on CBS with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce calling the action. ESPN College GameDay will also be on hand that morning, broadcasting live from Rocky Top from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. It is the second time that GameDay has covered a UT game this season and the first time the pregame show has visited Knoxville since 2012.
The Gators head into Saturday’s game boasting one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Fresh off a 32-0 shutout of North Texas on Saturday, UF now allows a measly 4.7 points per contest. Florida’s 42.3 rush yards allowed and 87.3 pass yards allowed per game each rank first in the SEC and second in the nation.
Jones addressed Florida’s stout defense, offered some injury updates, and recapped Saturday’s win over Ohio during his opening statement on Monday.
Butch Jones | Head Coach | 4th Season
“It’s good to see everyone. Kind of a recap from last week and then moving forward, there were a lot of positive things. We are 3-0 as we start SEC play this Saturday. I really think the Ohio game was won in the red zone with our red zone efficiency. Offensively, we were 4-for-4 in scoring touchdowns. Defensively, we forced them to kick field goals, so that was great to see. I thought we had some individuals step up and perform very well. I thought Derek Barnett played one of his most complete games so far this year.
“In terms of generalities of the team, I thought overall as a group and collective unit that we were sloppy. This football team needs to be more detailed-orientated and take pride in doing the small things exceptionally well… When you go back and review the video, you see a lot of good things. When all 11 individuals work together, we are a pretty good football team. We are an explosive football team in all three phases. We have had way too many individual breakdowns, whether it is an assignment, a fundamental or technique. That really hinders the execution of a play in all three phases.
“We always talk about the ball being our dreams, goals and aspirations. We put too many balls on the ground. That is obviously going to be a point of emphasis like it is each and every week. We had way too many penalties. That is what I mean by the small details. We have to get better in a hurry in the small details, but the exciting thing is that it’s all correctable. Everyone in our football family has to take ownership of it. We have to have the discipline to execute. We have to value the football. We can’t be a team that hurts ourselves.
“If you look at past successes in our program, we haven’t turned the football over, had few penalties, played winning special teams and played field position. That has won us a lot of football games. It’s won us nine in a row here. When we don’t follow that formula, it puts us in conflict. We have to start doing the little things. It starts with us as coaches and then our players. We are a veteran team, and they are players that have followed that formula in the past. We will get it right. We are going to be challenged by a very dynamic and explosive football team that is coming in here.
“Before I talk about Florida, Chance Hall will be at practice, and we fully anticipate him being ready to go. Jalen Reeves-Maybin will be at practice, and we fully anticipate him being ready to go. Cameron Sutton has a fractured ankle. As I stated on Saturday, he will be out for an extended period of time. There is no timeframe for which he will return. Quart’e Sapp had an ACL injury and will be lost for the season. We are now very limited on special teams. We are going to need some youngsters, who play sparingly, to step up and embrace their role and do their job because the expectations on our special teams will not change no matter who is on the field. We have great confidence that some individuals will step up.
“We are playing a Florida football team that has great team speed and has playmakers all over the field. What can I say about them defensively? This is probably the best defense we faced since I have been here. They make you earn everything that you get. I have never heard of a team holding another team to 53 yards on defense. Again, we talk about doing your job and playing complementary football. That is what they are doing right now. They have held all of their opponents under 200 yards. I believe they lead the nation in total defense, scoring defense, sacks and opponent completion percentage. I believe they are plus-15 in sack differential. They’ve had 16 sacks in three games and have only given up one on offense. I think Antonio Callaway is as good of a receiver as we have in our conference and in the country. I think he is a first-round NFL draft pick. He can impact the game and change it immediately whenever he has his hands on the ball.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for us. We have to have a great week of preparation. I have a tremendous amount of respect for their football team. Defensively, they are going to make you earn every yard that you get. Offensively, it’s the same thing. They play with a physical style of play. Their run game is big and physical. They play three running backs, and they will get after it. They do a great job of involving their tight ends and receivers in the play-action game. They are a very good football team. There is a reason why they were champions in our division last year. We have to make tremendous strides moving forward. We are all looking forward to this week of preparation and playing the game on Saturday.”
Corey Vereen | Defensive Lineman | Senior | Winter Garden, Fla.
Tennessee emerged from Saturday’s game against Ohio with a 28-19 win and a 3-0 record, but the Vols did sustain some notable injuries within the defensive unit that will affect the team moving forward. Already without linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. and defensive lineman LaTroy Lewis going into the Ohio game, defensive back Cameron Sutton, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and linebacker Quart’e Sapp all left the game due to injury. On Monday, Corey Vereennoted that while the injuries are disappointing, Team 120 must treat them as opportunities rather than losses.
“We know that when one guy goes down, Coach Jones says we have to step up to the plate. We know guys who don’t always get to play may have a significant role later in the season. It sucks to see those guys go down but its an opportunity for other guys to step up.”
Micah Abernathy | Defensive Back | Sophomore | Atlanta
The Tennessee-Florida rivalry has become one of the most famous in the SEC and Micah Abernathy can already sense the energy and anticipation surrounding this weekend’s game. With a CBS broadcasting the game as its Game of the Week and ESPN College GameDay broadcasting live from campus earlier that morning, Vols vs. Gators has established itself as one of the marquee matchups of the young college football season.
“This is definitely something you dream about as a kid. Playing a game like this in the SEC, I played video games with this game in it. But in the moment it doesnt feel to big for anyone, we just take it one day at a time.”
Jason Croom | Tight End | Senior | Norcross, Ga.
The Vols are 3-0 to begin a season for the first time since 2004, but the wins have not come easy. UT battled to an overtime victory over Appalachian State in the opener, overcame a 14 point deficit against Virginia Tech, and withstood a pesky Ohio squad last week. Still, Tennessee’s record is unblemished headed into the Florida game for the first time since 2012 and Jason Croom believes Team 120 is close to piecing it all together.
“You get glimpses of it and we are putting everything together. We are right where we need to be, and we keep working on things to improve and fix because we are never satisfied.”