KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones spoke to reporters at Wednesday’s press conference in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio. The Vols will hold their third practice of the week on Wednesday as they continue prep for their annual rivalry game against No. 1 Alabama.

The Volunteers head to Tuscaloosa on Saturday to face the top-ranked Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The historic “Third Saturday of October” matchup marks the 100th meeting between the two programs, dating back to 1901.

During today’s presser, Jones spoke about the talent the Crimson Tide’s offense has in sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts and junior running back Damien Harris.

“I think with Jalen, he can beat you in every aspect,” Jones said. “He is very comfortable in the pocket. He does a good job with RPOs and pushing the ball down the field. He can make big splash plays down the field when the pocket collapses.

“Damien Harris continues to get better. I think he is averaging over nine yards per rushing attempt.”

Jones also discussed the positives and leadership he’s seen in Tennessee’s redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano after his first-career start against South Carolina last week.

“He was able to get us a couple third downs with his legs,” Jones said. “His energy, and the way he approached his leadership, it was the quarterback characteristics that we talk about all the time, the intangibles. Those are things to build upon. I thought the command of the throw game early (was strong).”

Offensive Line Continues Work on Small Details

Overall discipline has been stressed as a key component of the Vols’ success as the coaching staff has demanded nothing less in practices this week.

“It’s those small things that we talk about that lead to playing winning football or losing football games,” Jones said. “It’s being locked in and being focused, and you have to continue to demand it in everything that you do in practice.”

Jones expressed that discipline, the ability to execute and the ability to focus and communicate effectively will allow Tennessee’s offensive line to avoid pre-snap penalties.

QUOTES

Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones

Opening statement:

“To start out from an injury front, Jakob Johnson has practiced all week. He will play. Evan Berry has been practicing. I would list him right now as questionable for the game. Justin Martin will be at practice today. We are excited to see what he can do for us. Cheyenne Labruzza will be out for the remainder of the season as he will undergo surgery next week.”

On Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Damien Harris:

“I think with Jalen, he can beat you in every aspect. He has really improved his throw game. He is very comfortable in the pocket. He does a good job with RPOs and pushing the ball down the field. He can make big splash plays down the field when the pocket collapses. As a defense you have to transition from being in coverage and come back and tackle in the open field. That’s what makes him so challenging. He can make all the throws but when he runs the football, with his strength and athleticism, he turns into a running back. It’s a great challenge defensively in terms of containing and leveraging the football. Damien Harris continues to get better. I think he is averaging over nine yards per rushing attempt. I think the most impressive thing however, is his play on special teams. They start three running backs on punt return, and they are their top running backs. So, their running backs not only bring value to their offense, but to their special teams as well.”

On status of redshirt sophomore defensive end Darrell Taylor and freshman defensive lineman Deandre Johnson:

“Deandre Johnson is another individual who is questionable, so we’ll see where he’s at in practice today. Darrell Taylor will remain suspended indefinitely at this point in time. He is doing the necessary steps and making great progress in those areas, but he’ll still remain suspended for this game.”

On status of depth at safety position:

“Evan Berry worked at the safety position yesterday – so it’s great to have him back on the field. We have to be patient as well that we don’t give him too much from that standpoint. Theo Jackson is an individual who continues to gain valuable repetitions, and then it’s moving some other people around whether it’s Rashaan Gaulden or what have you. So, again, that’s a position that we’re very limited in from a depth standpoint.”

On injury to freshman defensive back Cheyenne Labruzza and the status of sophomore wide receiver Marquez Callaway:

“Marquez is fine. It was just one of those things, he landed on a football, so he’s fine. Cheyenne will be a knee (injury).”

On how offensive line communication needs to improve to avoid pre-snap penalties:

“It starts with focus and discipline in the small details. Being locked in, whether it’s the quarterback at the line of scrimmage letting them know what cadence we’re on. Also, it’s just the overall discipline. We stress it every day in practice, our players understand it. It’s just that focus. It’s the attention to detail. It’s those small things that we talk about that lead to playing winning football or losing football games. It’s being locked in and being focused, and you have to continue to demand it in everything that you do in practice, in individual drills. There’s no magic formula for it, it just comes down to discipline, the ability to execute, the ability to focus and communicate effectively.”

On positives to take away from freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano’s performance against South Carolina:

“I thought particularly in the first quarter, he was able to give us some yards whether it was a play action pass or a drop back pass on first and 10, and being able to make something out of it to keep us on schedule to make it second and 6, second and 8, as opposed to second and 15. He was able to get us a couple third downs with his legs. His energy, and the way he approached his leadership, it was the quarterback characteristics that we talk about all the time, the intangibles. Those are things to build upon. I thought the command of the throw game early (was strong). But also, there were some things – and he’d be the first to tell you – with the end of the game situations, we have to improve on the decision making process and our reads. Those are all growing pains of playing a young quarterback, but there were a lot of things to build upon from that game.”

On sophomore wide receiver Tyler Byrd:

“I think Tyler just needs to work on consistency and performance. He and I talk all the time, just being able to do it on a consistent basis on the practice field. He’s come out this week and he’s worked very hard. Again, he’s just going through that stage of his career right now and the stage of small details and he’s working very hard. He’s working to correct some of those, and we need Tyler Byrd to step up and make some plays for us. He has played in some meaningful games for us last year. The one thing that is invaluable is experience, so he’s working very hard.”

On junior wide receiver Jauan Jennings:

“I don’t see Jauan Jennings being back this season.”

On sophomore running back Carlin Fils-Aime:

“Right now he’s questionable as well, so we will know a little bit more in practice today.”

On the offensive line:

“No, today’s another big practice day for us so we’ll continue to evaluate. That’s a position that’s challenged by depth. We’ll continue to move individuals around because of necessity and need, but again we have another couple days of practice and we’ll continue to evaluate.”

On redshirt freshman offensive linemen Ryan Johnson:

“Ryan works very hard every day. The one thing about him is he’s very consistent. He’s going to come to work every single day and it’s important to him. He continues to get better and better, so we’ve been very encouraged by what we see out of him in practice.”

-UT Athletics