Brandon Johnson, WR – Sr.
On what takeaways he had after watching film from the Georgia game…
“It’s always frustrating when a lot of the wounds that we had were self-inflicted. We didn’t play the way we know we can play and the way we hoped to play. It’s always frustrating, but we take it, make corrections and move forward.”
On the challenges for a receiver when the run game is struggling…
“Just from a broad football standpoint, you want to be able to do both because if you can run the ball well, it will open up the pass game. If you can pass the ball well, it will open up the running game. It’s kind of hard when one of them isn’t clicking. It makes it difficult for everything else to move forward like it’s supposed to. It was difficult to watch and look back on and see all of the mistakes that we made, because a lot of them were self-inflicted. It’s frustrating, but at the same time we’re just looking forward to next week and coming back out and proving ourselves again.”
On how a team can keep its composure while the other team has momentum…
“That’s something that Coach Pruitt always talks about, keeping composure and not necessarily looking at the scoreboard, but just continuing to play our game. In order for you to come back on a team like that or come back when things aren’t necessarily coming your way, you need to have composure. You need to be able to keep that composure. It’s disappointing, but we’re looking forward to next week.”
On his big catch from this past weekend and what confidence that can give him ahead of the Kentucky game…
“I was just trying to make a play for my team. I held onto the ball. Obviously, I was pretty excited. I just wanted to bring that momentum. I feel like that was a good momentum boost for us. The next play led to Josh’s (Palmer) touchdown. I was happy I could make that play for the team.”
On what conversations Coach Pruitt has had with the team about mental health this season…
“Coach Pruitt definitely has hit on mental health, especially with what’s going on right now. There’s a lot going on in our country right now with COVID-19 and social injustice issues. He’s told us often that he’s available to us. If we need anything, if we feel like things aren’t right mentally, we have an outlet and we have people to go to and talk to. Coach Pruitt has definitely made than an emphasis. He let us know that he’s here for us.”
On how big of a priority getting off the line of scrimmage when facing press coverage is for the wide receivers…
“It’s a big priority, simply because of the league that we’re in. We’re in the SEC, so we see a lot of press man-to-man and a lot of different things like that. It’s imperative that we’re able to get off of press coverage and be able to do it quickly. I feel like we’ve done a decent job at it. There’s always room for improvement and we know exactly what we need to do. We’re going to continue to improve.”
On the conversations the wide receivers have amongst each other and Jarrett Guarantano after a turnover, to get back on track…
“They’re encouraging. A lot of things happen in the heat of the game. There’s no time for heavy criticism. That’s time to make sure everybody is feeling right mentally. Those are all uplifting conversations and pats on the back to say, ‘We’ve got your back. Keep your head up.’”
On what he’s seen from the Kentucky defense during preparation this week…
“They’ve got a lot of athletes on the defense. They’ve got a really good defense and we look forward to the matchup. This is the SEC, so nobody is an easy game or anything like that. Everybody is a difficult team to play. Kentucky has a great defense with great athletes, and we look forward to the challenge.”
On what it’s like to watch Josh Palmer perform on Saturdays…
“It’s awesome. He works hard every day. To see him have success out there on the field and see him make plays that he makes in practice all the time, it’s great. You can’t ask for anything else. It’s awesome to watch him do that. I’m really happy for him.”
-UT Athetics
