KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head coach Butch Jones met with the media on Wednesday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio for the final time this week before the Volunteers take on the UMass Minutemen on Saturday.

Jones said he is impressed with UMass’ efficiency on offense.

“We know that they can throw the football,” Jones said. “They have a very controlled passing game. (Andrew) Ford, their quarterback, is outstanding in the way he manages the game.”

Jones also commented on the Minutemen’s defensive schemes and ability to blitz while talking about UT’s mental preparedness.

“These are things we have to be prepared for mentally,” Jones said. “I thought we had a good start of the week, but today is critical in the evolution in getting ready for Saturday at 12:01 in Neyland Stadium.”

The game will be aired on SEC Network with Taylor Zarzour, Andre Ware and Olivia Harlan providing game coverage.

Vols Moving Forward, Looking Ahead to Saturday

As preparation continues for Saturday, Tennessee is relying on experience and leadership to help Team 121 grow, mature and learn from last week’s loss at Florida.

“It’s unfortunate, but you have to move on and you have to forget about it,” Jones said. “I liked our approach on Monday. You have to let it motivate you and we’re playing a good football team whose record is no indication of how good they are.”

UMass enters this weekend’s matchup with an 0-4 record while Tennessee is 2-1.

“When you’re at Tennessee, it doesn’t matter who your opponent is, you’re going to get their best effort,” Jones added. “I believe in our football team and I love our players. We have to get the small details corrected, and that has been ongoing this week.”

1967 National Champions To Be Honored 

The 1967 National Champion Tennessee football team will be honored at the end of the first quarter on Saturday as part of the 50th anniversary reunion weekend for the team. The 1967 Volunteers fell to UCLA in the season opener before winning nine straight, including victories over Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss. UT finished No. 2 in the final polls and was selected as the national champion by Litkenhous. Led by Head Coach Dough Dickey, the Vols earned a berth in the Orange Bowl and also won the SEC Championship with a perfect 6-0 mark in conference.

Vols Teaming Up with Curing Kids Cancer

For the third year in a row, the Tennessee Volunteers will team up with Curing Kids Cancer to promote that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month during their game on Saturday.

Teams from across the country will wear helmet stickers and wristbands while coaches wear wristbands, gold whistles and lanyards to represent their support for pediatric cancer awareness. Many of these teams are not only spreading awareness, they are helping their local children’s hospital receive funds to better provide innovative treatment at its pediatric cancer center.

Additional Quotes

Butch Jones, Head Coach

(Opening Statement)

“I’ll start off from an injury standpoint. The individuals that will be out for this game will be Evan Berry, Latrell Williams and Austin Smith. We got some great news today, Baylen Buchanan is going to be available. Baylen has done a really good job at getting himself back and ready to go. We will see how he looks today in practice. I really liked the way he ran around and did things yesterday in practice, so we are excited to get him going. Those will be the three individuals that will be out for this coming game.

“The more video that I watch on UMass, the more impressed I am. They are very efficient on offense. We know that they can throw the football. They have a very controlled passing game. (Andrew) Ford, their quarterback, is outstanding in the way he manages the game. He has a quick release. He is a NFL prospect and it shows. They have some really good wideouts. Their tight end is a very talented football player. They have a corner that will be one of the fastest corners we will face all year. Defensively, they pose many issues for opponents in terms of blitzes and schemes. These are things we have to be prepared for mentally. I thought we had a good start of the week, but today is critical in the evolution in getting ready for Saturday at 12:01 in Neyland Stadium.”

(On Todd Kelly Jr.’s injury status and the possibility of a redshirt)

“We are taking it one step at a time. Todd and I have spoken a lot and we would welcome him back with open arms into our football program. He has meant so much to us not only on the field, but also off the field. He has been a great representative of Tennessee football.”

(On Todd Kelly’s injury, possibly being season ending)

“As of right now, it’s ongoing with getting the second opinion and all of that stuff. I don’t want to speak too soon. It’s possible he could come back for a bowl game, so I don’t want to speak too early. With Cortez McDowell, we found out he could possibly return for the later part of the season or bowl game.”

(On coaching decisions affecting one possession games)

“There are a lot of variables that go into it with decisions, such as going for or it or focusing on field position and execution. I think it is a combination of a lot of different elements. We tell our team that a football game can come down to two or three plays. Unfortunately, no one knows what plays those will be. A season can come down to four to six plays, you just never know. I don’t believe that there are one or two plays that can cost you a football game, I think it is more of an accumulation of repetitions, whether is two to three or four to five that might be key turning points to the game. We always tell our players that we must play every play like it stands alone. You must have the mentality that this play could be the difference in winning or losing. There are no reset buttons; it’s not Madden out here. You have to take that approach to a play and we also take that approach to every situation in a game as well.”

(On the sledge hammer and how it is awarded)

“We need Trey to go back and earn that sledge hammer. That is something that has been a tradition here for a long time. It is awarded to the offensive lineman that meets certain criteria on the offensive front. I know that Trey was very proud to earn that. I did hear that he carried it around. What happens is, the player’s name goes on the sledge hammer then he has to bring it in the next week and try to earn it again. That’s something that has been going on in Tennessee football for many years. It has been one of our traditions.”

(On performance of the receiver group through three weeks)

“I really like their attitude and their mentality. I think that drive to get better each and every day is there. They communicate very well. They come out and they practice and they attack the day. I can see them progressing, and they’re all youngsters. They’re learning through trial and error, understanding what it is to play at an elite level and how you prepare yourself through the course of a week. There’s been so much that has gone into that. It is a very young room but a very talented room and I see a steady pace of confidence being born. I’ve really liked the way that group has progressed, but we can’t let youth be a crutch. Nobody cares about that. It comes down to the mental effort and the mental intensity, and you can’t beat yourself. It starts with missed splits and missed assignments. Playing receiver is one of the most difficult positions on the football field. Everyone thinks you just line up and go out there, and you run a rout and you catch a football. So much goes into it with pre-snap checklists and identifying the coverage. Is it free access cloud (coverage)? Is it bump and run? What’s my split in the run game? What’s my assignment in the pass game? Now I have to work a release at the line of scrimmage, or a second level release. Now I have to work a five-step slant or a 12-yard curl. Then I have to win in transition, then I have to catch the ball and then I have to turn into a runner after the catch. There’s so many things that go into the development of playing winning football at the receiver position. It’s really the ability to do two or three things at once.”

(On how he will handle UMass’s quick passing offense)

“It starts with the ability to challenge routs. Whether you’re in off coverage or press coverage, you have to have the ability to challenge routs. That’s something that we’ve worked very hard on this week. Obviously, it comes down to eye discipline. It comes down to your break and drive. It’s really going back and relying on your fundamentals and details. That’s an area that we have to improve upon. Then, your eye (discipline) is because double moves occur off of that. You have to have the ability to read splits of wideouts and read the hips or the hints that they give you that you study throughout the course of the week with your game study. There’s a lot that goes into it, but that’s an area that we have to take tremendous strides from last week to this week.”

(On decision not to use Ty Chandler on kickoff returns vs. Florida)

“Florida has not had one kick returned against them yet. We knew going into the game that they had a very talented kicker. I believe they’re No. 1 in the country in kickoff coverage because they haven’t had to cover a kick. We knew that he would kick it deep, so there were some things that went into that decision. He has gained valuable repetitions again this week. We have a number of guys that we feel very confident about in doing some different things in the return game.”

(On if Jarrett Guarantano will play against UMass)

“I think he has earned the right to play some. Every game is a mentality when you’re the No. 2 quarterback right now, but you’re one snap away from playing. It takes so much in preparation when you go into the game and you’re the No. 2 for that game because you have to have a starters’ mindset. You have to be mentally tough and you have to be ready because the difference is you never know when you’ll have to go into the game. Jarrett has worked very hard with that, but we need to get him involved in the offense this week. We would like to be able to have that opportunity to do that. Jarrett has had a very good week of preparation, and Quinten and I have been very proud of the way Jarrett has attacked this week.”

(On the team moving forward after the Florida loss Saturday)

“First of all, it’s a consistency in your approach. And I think that approach with everyone started in the locker room in Gainesville. You could see the hurt and you could see the disappointment, but you have to move on. It’s part of life and it’s unfortunate. Like I told you, we’re hurt. We suffered every emotion that you can. But you know what? It’s time to go, it’s go time. That’s what makes football. We live in a week-to-week season. We live in a week-to-week life. Every week is different, and I think what’s challenged in today’s world is the clutter and distractions of what’s out there. So when they come to the building, we have to make sure that they’re locked in and focused. You have to rely on the leadership of your older players and what they have experienced. It’s part of the growth and maturity of a long football season. There are natural adversities that occur. It’s unfortunate, but you have to move on and you have to forget about it. I liked our approach on Monday. You have to let it motivate you and we’re playing a good football team whose record is no indication of how good they are. And again, it’s respecting your opponent and understanding that when you’re at Tennessee, it doesn’t matter who your opponent is, you’re going to get their best effort. That’s part of your maturity of your football team as well. I believe in our football team and I love our players. We have to get the small details corrected, and that has been ongoing this week. If you’re a competitor, I can’t wait for 12:01 p.m. in Neyland Stadium on Saturday.”

(On the kickers’ confidence and knowing when who will play)

“I think it’s them trying to have a clearly defined and articulated job description as possible. We ask everyone else in our football program to compete, and our kickers are no different. It’s a body of work throughout the course of August and September, but also through your consistency in practice every single day. You’re earning the trust of your teammates. You’re earning the trust of your coaches by the way you produce in practice which obviously leads to being successful on game day. I think we have two very, very talented kickers. So I’ll sit down and meet with them at the end of the week and say, ‘This is kind of what we’re thinking.’ Every time we’re getting in scoring range I want them to have the mentality that they’re kicking. I think the competitive aspect has helped both of those individuals.”

-UT Athletics