KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee (3-6, SEC) concludes its 2020 regular season on Saturday at Neyland Stadium against No. 5/6/5 Texas A&M (7-1, SEC) with a noon ET kickoff on ESPN. Volunteer seniors Trey Smith (OL) and Matthew Butler (DL), talked with media members on Tuesday about some of their most memorable moments representing the Orange and White and their outlook for their matchup with the Aggies.
Trey Smith – SR – OL
On how much bigger Saturday’s game feels with Texas A&M aiming to reach the College Football Playoff…
“This game this weekend is going to be an extremely big deal. You saw what happened in the Florida vs. LSU game this past weekend. Anything can change. I know (Texas) A&M knows that as well. They’ll be coming in and playing with their best ‘A’ game to put on a great performance. In the same breath, we have to come prepared because they’re one of the top five teams in the country. They’re a very talented group, especially on the defensive line. Facing them is going to be a great challenge for us. It’s something that we have to be prepared for.”
On what areas he believes he has improved in this season…
“That’s pretty simple. If you look at my medical situation, which is one of the main factors of why I returned, I think I’ve definitely nullified any issues with that. I’ve been practicing more. Obviously, I’m playing a full season without any major injuries or issues. My medical situation is absolutely perfect and clear. I think I’ve improved my stock and have taken those ‘what ifs’ off the table even more with NFL teams in the future.”
On how he would describe his Tennessee career…
“I would definitely describe my career as tough. From a personal standpoint and the things I’ve had to go through, the expectations every season. Sometimes we meet them. Sometimes we don’t. That’s obviously tough to go through, as well. I think just being resilient and going through a lot of different things. I know that Riley Locklear and I would always talk about how, when we first stepped on campus, we had a different o-line coach. We had coaching changes, as well. It hasn’t always been perfect, but at the end of the day, I love this university. I love this program. I’ve tried to fight every day for it, tried to be the best person I can be for it and trying to be the best player I can be for it. It’s not always an easy situation, but it’s something that I’m willing to fight for every day and I have fought for it every day. Going forward, we have to keep fighting to make this place better.”
On what he wants his legacy to be…
“I want people to think that I’m a guy who cared about his university, cared about playing football here and loves this school. He didn’t let adversity stop him from becoming what he’s going to be one day. When I say that, I mean being successful, having a football career, receive my degree as I already did and also play on the next level. At the end of the day, last year and even two years ago, nobody thought that I would be standing at this podium. Nobody thought that I would still be talked about. Nobody thought that I’d still be playing football. (It’s about) bringing that level of toughness every day, not really caring what other people say, but just coming to work, believing in God, believing in myself and believing in what I’m supposed to be.”
On who he looked up to when he was a freshman in 2017…
“That’s an easy question. Without a doubt, Jashon Robertson really showed me the ropes. He really taught me most of what I know, in terms of how to play, work ethic and how to be that guy. I would say Brett Kendrick was pretty influential as well. Playing next to him, being my tackle for the majority of the 2017 season, I relied on both of those guys as veterans on both sides of me, at the time. They mentored me on how to play, what the play is, how we’re going to do certain things, what’s required in certain situations and how we’re going to be successful. Big kudos to Jashon. He was actually in town a few weeks ago, so it was awesome to catch back up with him.”
On his favorite Tennessee memories…
“I would say my first game ever here, when we played Georgia Tech. That was really cool. I think we went into overtime. Winning that game in the fashion that we did, that was a really cool moment for me, especially being a freshman. I think we were the second game to be played in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That was a really cool moment. I can’t really narrow it down to two. I’ll probably say three. Beating Auburn on the road in 2018, a game nobody expected us to win and then also winning the South Carolina game last year in that fashion. That was a ton of fun.”
Matthew Butler – SR – DL
On what he’s taking away from the adversity of the last several months…
“It’s all about resiliency. In life, you go through your ups – sometimes your ups last for a long time. You go through your downs – sometimes your downs last a long time. You just thank the lord that you are able to make it through, be resilient through these tough times and keep your mind on right. Everything in life is a lesson.”
On his improvement over the last couple weeks and Senior Day…
“As far as my numbers and everything, I like balling. We all like balling, we all try to improve week by week. You look at the film and you say, ‘darn, I missed with that move’ or ‘darn, I could have came out my hips better on that.’ You have to practice and when you work on it, it translates to Saturdays and you make some plays. This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to tie some things together and showcase some of the skills I knew I had. As far as Senior Day, coming back and the last game in Neyland and all that, I’ve definitely thought about it, I’m not going to sit here and say I that I haven’t thought about it. I just don’t really know exactly what I’m going to do. Today is Tuesday the 15th and I have a good while to figure that out. When it comes down to it, I’m trying to play really well in this game on Saturday and if we have another opportunity to play a football game then play really well in that. Get two wins and make it happen.”
On playing a team with a potential College Football Playoff spot…
“I don’t really think that them fighting for a College Football Playoff spot makes it more challenging. I believe that at the beginning of the year they felt like they were a good team like we thought we were a good team. They go into every game thinking lets win so we can accomplish whatever goal that any team may have. We are approaching this like we would any week in terms of mental preparation, excellent physical preparation, great recovery, great nutrition habits, knowing our opponent and going out there and playing to the best of our ability.”
On what he’s seen from Texas A&M on film…
“They have a talented offensive line. They work together; they’re one unit; they’re pretty disciplined; they don’t give up too many tendencies as far as their personal techniques. Even in these two or three days we’ve been able to pick up on how they play and what they do. They play pretty well or they wouldn’t be having the success that they are having and it is going to be a formidable opponent and an excellent challenge.”
On his favorite moments at Tennessee…
“One that comes to my mind is my first game here at the university versus Georgia Tech down in the Mercedes Benz Dome when they first opened it. I think we were like the first or second team to play in there. It was a really big game; it was an excellent game actually. You have moments like getting your first tackle, which was, I believe, the next game after Georgia Tech. You have moments like getting your first sack which was last year against Mississippi State. And you have all the wins that you get either on the road or in Neyland like beating Auburn on the road my sophomore year or securing a bowl game last year against Missouri. Those are all excellent memories and things that I will take with me for the rest of my career and life.”
-UT Athletics
