Quarterback Joshua Dobbs, defensive end Derek Barnett and defensive back Todd Kelly Jr. spoke with the media on Tuesday

Sept. 27, 2016

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Three members of Team 120 spoke to reporters on Tuesdayof Georgia Week as defensive back Todd Kelly Jr., defensive end Derek Barnett and quarterback Joshua Dobbs met the media at the Ray & Lucy Hand Digital Studio.

No. 11 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) meets No. 25 Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) for the 46th time on Saturday when the SEC East rivals face off at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce calling the action.

Tennessee is 4-0 for the first time since 2003 and is seeking its third consecutive victory over a ranked opponent, dating to 2015. Saturday marks the first meeting between the Vols and Bulldogs as ranked foes since 2006 when 13th-ranked Tennessee picked up a 51-33 victory at No. 10 Georgia. That game also marks the last time that UT came away with a win at Sanford Stadium.

The Volunteers earned their signature win of 2015 last season against the Bulldogs. In a game that bore many of the same characteristics as last Saturday’s comeback win over Florida, Tennessee found itself trailing 24-3 to No. 19 UGA late in the third quarter. What followed was a furious rally that saw the Vols score 28 straight points en route to a 38-31 victory. Dobbs accounted for five total touchdowns in the win, passing for 312 and three scores and rushing for 118 and two more.

Check out some of Tuesday’s most notable sound bites as Kelly, Barnett and Dobbs discussed their preparation for Saturday.

Todd Kelly Jr. | Defensive Back | Junior | Knoxville, Tenn.

Todd Kelly Jr. has seven career interceptions in his 30 games with the Vols, but all of them seem to come in big games and big moments. Kelly has two interceptions against Oklahoma, two vs. Vanderbilt, one vs. Georgia and two against Florida, including a big one on Saturday. After Jauan Jennings scored on a long pass to go ahead 24-21, Kelly picked off Austin Appleby on the first play of the ensuing Gators possession. The turnover led to another Vols touchdown that put UT out of reach.

“Coach (Willie) Martinez teased me and called me ‘Johnny on the spot’ when we were watching film, but I feel that God has blessed me to be in the right place at the right time. It all has to do with the front end, the defensive line getting back there, getting pressure on the quarterback. Because without them, the quarterback can sit back there and tap the football all day until his receivers are open. All credit to the defensive line.”

Derek Barnett | Defensive End | Junior | Nashville, Tenn.

SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Derek Barnett praised the efforts of his fellow defensive linemen during last week’s win over Florida, citing the position group’s depth as a key element in their success and focus for preparing for Georgia. When asked during Tuesday’s media session, Barnett said the rotation of reps against the Gators helped him ‘feel fresh’ through the end of the game, ultimately resulting in two sacks and three tackles for loss for the junior defensive end.

“I think the rotation helped all of us up front. We were just feeding off of each other and the guys inside were getting great push. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Corey] Vereen was playing good and we had a good rotation going on so we stayed fresh. It helps all of us play at eye-level. Honestly, you’re not going to be fresh in any game you play, but I was more fresh [against Florida] than in past case scenarios.”

Joshua Dobbs | Quarterback | Senior | Alpharetta, Ga.

Saturday’s comeback win over Florida has drawn comparisons to the Vols’ thrilling 38-31 win over Georgia at home in 2015. That game also featured a dramatic comeback against a ranked SEC foe. Joshua Dobbs spoke about some of the similarities between those two big wins.

“They were very similar games. It was eerily similar. I was talking to Jarrett (Guarantano) in the fourth quarter when the game was kind of sealed. He asked, ‘How does this game feel compared to Georgia?’ I said that it felt exactly the same, just the way the whole game evolved where we were driving the ball and not finishing in the red zone, doing uncharacteristic things, not executing. We got some momentum going in at halftime and carried that momentum through the second half. You don’t really know what to expect going into each game. Just prepare to execute at a high level and we are expecting a dogfight coming into this weekend, especially on the road. Anytime you go on the road in the SEC, you have to be ready to play a full 60-minute game and we will be ready to do that.”

More Sound Bites

Defensive back Todd Kelly Jr.
(On needing to correct the team’s propensity for slow starts)

“I feel like we haven’t really started the way we wanted to in any of our games. Going into this game we want to play 60 minutes of football, that’s what the game is all about. Not just playing one half, the second half, first half, but playing a full game. We know we haven’t played our best football yet. That’s something we are really looking forward to; seeing what it’s like when we do play 60 minutes of Tennessee Football. So we are really focused this week on coming out, starting fast and playing our style of play.”

Defensive end Derek Barnett
(On what he sees from Georgia’s offense and quarterback Jacob Eason)

“I don’t think he looks like a freshman quarterback. He has a good arm and he’s confident. He has taken some big hits and he’s gotten right back up. They have a good offensive line and they’ve got two or three good running backs. So, it’s going to be a good ballgame for us and I’m excited to see how we play them.”

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs
(On how much Josh Malone has improved this season)

“He has made huge strides. I guess the numbers show it. That’s kind of what we expect him to do. Just seeing his progress, whether it is in an individual throwing session or during practice, he has definitely raised the play of the whole receiver group. They have guys like Jauan Jennings making crazy plays as well and Tyler Byrd had a great game as well. Various guys are stepping up and that’s what we need as the season progresses.