#VolReport: Motivation Enough

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With bowl eligibility riding on their final game of the season, it’s only fitting that Tennessee should face their storied rival Vanderbilt as they look for win number six this Saturday. For many, this weekend bears a heavy importance, as the all-or-nothing circumstances surrounding this Vandy matchup could mean the end of their collegiate careers or a memorable, long-awaited bowl appearance.

Senior defensive tackle Jordan Williams recalled his last two games against Vanderbilt, both losses for the Vols, and is determined to go out with a win in his final game facing the Commodores.

“It’s definitely going to be a rivalry and a tough game,” Williams said. “Their program has improved and they’re a good opponent. We have a lot going on but we just have to focus on getting that next win. Win number six; that’s our main focus right now.”

Senior status is not the only crucial factor for Team 118 this week. The program is striving to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2010, and the Vols know they need to prepare for this game with just as hard – if not harder – than any week thus far.

“We should have enough motivation to win the game and to get win number six,” head coach Butch Jones said following Tuesday’s practice. “Our players know what is at stake. That doesn’t even need to be discussed.”

Defensive back Brian Randolph added that with the amount of importance placed upon Saturday’s game in Nashville, every player wants to performance to the best of their abilities not only for each other, but for the program and earning back the winning edge in the state of Tennessee.

“[Vanderbilt] came out to play and they got us the last two years,” Randolph said. “We’re just trying to worry about this year. We’re not trying to look back and cry over spilled milk. We come to play every week. We’re going to go out and play the best that we can.”

VOLS THINKING OF BERRY

Following the announcement that Eric Berry was having a mass in his chest tested for lymphoma, head coach Butch Jones and members of the Vols spoke about the their support for the VFL on Tuesday.

“Our thoughts and our prayers are with Eric and his entire family,” said Jones.

Jones said the program is still considering how they could honor Berry on Saturday, but haven’t made any final decisions.

“We are in the process of evaluating some things,” said Jones. “We will know a little bit more later in the week. We want to obviously respect Eric and his family. We have been in constant dialogue and communication.”

Eric’s freshmen twin brothers Elliott and Evan have continued to practice with the Vols and know the importance of the Tennessee family as a support system.

“Evan and Elliott, they are practicing, they are doing everything,” said Jones. “Vol for Life is all encompassing and it is very, very important to us and they are here going to classes and practicing and their teammates have been there for them. So it has been a family coming together.”

A pair of fellow Atlanta-area natives have Eric in their thoughts and prayers.

“One, as we all were, I was shocked,” said quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who grew up in Alpharetta. “I’ve been praying for their family, of course with Evan and Elliot, I’ve been discussing with them and just praying for them and praying for Eric. So, we wish him a speedy recovery and we hope for the best for him.”

Kennesaw native, junior Brian Randolph values Eric’s importance to the program.

“You can definitely feel it has a presence with the team and Coach Jones saw that,” said Randolph. “We all brought it up, had a couple of words about it and said a prayer for the Berry family.”

Playing safety, Randolph has long had his eye on Eric’s play on the field.

“I got to see some of his games and when I was in middle school at the time, I always watched Eric Berry,” Randolph said. “He’s been in my life for a long time, watching and looking up to him. That’s probably a big reason why I came to Tennessee was because of him.”

Dobbs admires Eric’s community involvement and knows their are many supporting him in his fight.

“I think he’s a great person,” said Dobbs. “He’s a high character guy and he shows that on and off the field. I know he does a lot of stuff around the community with his youth camps back in Georgia and here in Knoxville. So, very high character guy and definitely a guy we’re happy came from Tennessee.”

DOBBS READY TO SNAP AND CLEAR

Coming off of Saturday’s loss to Missouri, sophomore quarterback Josh Dobbs says he and the rest of the Volunteer offense are ready to get back on the field and shake off last week’s performance.

“It will be exciting,” he said. “Every time we step on the field, we try to have a great performance and show what we’ve got, so we’re excited to brush off last week’s loss and get back on the field and compete again and show what we can do on offense.”

The sophomore quarterback said that he and his teammates have adapted coach Butch Jones’ “snap and clear” mentality, and have focused all of their attention on this Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt.

“It’s always easy to come back. We talk about a snap and clear mentality, positive or negative,” he said. “Positive gain, negative gain, positive play, negative play – snap and clear – because what you did on the last game won’t affect what you do in the next game. So we’ve just got to come out and continue to prepare, continue to get ready for Saturday. We’ve got a big game ahead of us with Vanderbilt, big rival, so very excited.”

Dobbs says the offense has been working on setting the tone early in the game, and hopes to start quickly against Vanderbilt and put points on the board early.

“Not only myself, but as a team, we’ve just got to start faster,” he said. “We had good field position for most of the night (against Missouri), especially in the first half, so when we’ve got good field position like that, we’ve got to do a better job of putting the ball in the end zone instead of settling for field goals. So that’s something that’s a point of emphasis, it’s always been a point of emphasis, but we’ll definitely improve on that going forward.”

SOUND BITES

Here are sound bites from #Team118:

FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK JALEN HURD

»(On the impact of the freshmen class)

“That’s all we talked about. We tried to come in here and make a statement and try to help this team just as much as we can. The freshmen, we’re just tried to push everybody and to play our role in trying to help these seniors get to a bowl game.”

»(On if any extra motivation is needed this week)

“No. No motivation. We’re showing up and we’re going to work every minute of this week. You know, it’s live or die, and we’re laying it all on the line.”

SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK JOSHUA DOBBS

»(On the offense’s mentality)

“We still did good things out there, it’s not like we played bad all game. We still had explosive plays, we still moved the ball well, we just didn’t finish. So, as an offense, our heads are up. We’re still excited. We’re still excited for the next game. We know we can put up points and move the ball on any defense, so we’re excited to show what we’ve got this Saturday.”

» (On the tight ends)

“Our tight ends do a lot of good things, so I can’t say that I like them passing or blocking, because I know they’re going to do a good job. When they’re blocking, they’ve protected me very well throughout the season, and then when they’re out in pass routes, they’ve done a good job in making plays. So, which ever one they’re in, they always do a good job of executing what they’re doing on that play.”

JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK BRIAN RANDOLPH

»(On what freshman defensive back Todd Kelly Jr. needs to work on)

“For a freshman, he’s definitely got it all. We all can work on some things but there’s nothing really that I can point out. He’s a good communicator, a good tackler and has good speed. I think he’s pretty much an all-around safety.”

»(On entering the game in the third quarter against Missouri)

“It was definitely something different. It got me out of my routine a little bit but I think the coaching staff did a great job. They had me warming up on the bike and as we ran plays on defense, I would sprint on the bike just to the game reps, stay warm, stay lose and stay into the game.”

FRESHMAN PLACEKICKER AARON MEDLEY

»(On how quickly his freshman season has gone by)

“It’s been fun and it’s been a great experience. In Neyland, running out of the `T’ for the first time and all of the home games, it’s gone fast. I wish I could do it over again and take some of those kicks back but it’s all a learning process.”

»(On his progress with directional kicking on kickoffs)

“I’ve come a long way, I think. I’m coming through the ball a little more. I still have some things to correct obviously from last game but we’ll get it done.”

SENIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN JORDAN WILLIAMS

»(On the passion of Tennessee football fans)

“The thing is, Tennessee fans are some of the most loyal fans in the nation. These last few years haven’t been the best, but they’ve stood by us the whole way and I appreciate them.”

»(On what the Vanderbilt game means to mid-state players)

“I’m sure it is [big] for anybody going back to their hometown and the area where they came from. I know for me, going back to Gainesville, Florida was a big deal for me and I’m sure it’s a big deal for those guys. It’s cool, especially for a young guy, going back home and seeing your friends in the stands, as well as having them see you and all that you’ve accomplished.”

FRESHMAN TIGHT END ETHAN WOLF

»(On following quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ leadership)

“It’s very easy. You know, he’s taken over the spot of Worley as far as being a leader on the practice field and on the game field. It’s easy for us as an offense, I feel, to follow Josh because we know what he’s capable of and he’s going to make mistakes, we all make mistakes, but he’s going to…you know he’s going to make up for it on the next play.”

»(On the mentality this week)

“We’re all prepared and we know what we need to do. We’ve got to win the week with preparation. We talk about winning the game on Tuesday, then getting rewarded on Saturday, so we’re working hard throughout the week to be ready for this weekend.”