{"id":5935,"date":"2020-09-29T17:01:57","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T21:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/?p=5935"},"modified":"2020-09-29T17:01:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T21:01:57","slug":"brandon-and-deandre-johnson-eager-for-home-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/2020\/09\/29\/brandon-and-deandre-johnson-eager-for-home-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon and Deandre Johnson Eager for Home Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UT Athletics<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week\u00a0Deandre Johnson<\/a>\u00a0and fellow senior wide receiver\u00a0Brandon Johnson<\/a>discussed game week preparation with media members on Tuesday as the Volunteers approach their home opener against Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon\u00a0ET. For Brandon, it will be his first outing at Neyland Stadium since Sept.14, 2019, against Chattanooga. In the game, he scooped up the ball after a punt block by\u00a0Tyler Byrd<\/a>\u00a0to score a 24-yard touchdown in UT’s 45-0 win.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brandon Johnson, R-Sr., WR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what it has been like to have a second consecutive year in the same offense…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been cool to have some normalcy. It\u2019s my second year with Coach (Jim) Chaney and we\u2019ve had quite a few offensive coordinators and different play-calling styles in this offense for a while now. It\u2019s been nice to have the same offensive coordinator for a couple of years now. We know what he wants to call. We\u2019re familiar with the game plan and the plays he likes to run. From a receiver\u2019s standpoint, it allows us to play a little faster and get things going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On having two key receptions in the win over South Carolina on Saturday…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels great knowing that I can help my team. That\u2019s really what it\u2019s all about. No more. No less. I just want to help my team win. That\u2019s the reason I\u2019m still here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how big it was to be able to focus on learning the offense during his redshirt year last season and then performing well in his first game back…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt felt great. It was kind of a sigh of relief knowing that I made the correct decision. It was a difficult decision to sit out and make my family go through it. I feel like it worked out for the best and I look forward to continuing to help my team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On if he envisioned having a big role this year…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, that\u2019s always something to envision. As a football player in any circumstance, you\u2019re always dreaming of making plays and being able to help your team. It\u2019s a blessing. I thank God that I\u2019m able to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his one-handed catch on a third down play Saturday…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was cool. I lost the ball for a little bit in the lights. I lost it for a second. It finally came back down, I found it and I was able to get a hand on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how he believes the team performed as a group on Saturday…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like we did some good things. We put some good things on tape during that game, but we\u2019re not satisfied at all. We know we can play a lot better than what we did, just breaking down the film and looking at it. We\u2019re hungry now. We\u2019re hungry to come back out and make a big improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On if he ever questioned whether redshirting was the right decision…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, it was always a tough decision. From a football player\u2019s perspective, it\u2019s hard to just watch your brothers go out there and play every Saturday. That was always hard. I feel like I leaned on God with this decision, God and my family. I can\u2019t have any regrets if I do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how far the program has come since 2017…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the proof is in the game that you all just saw. We have come a long way from the point. I feel like we\u2019re really close as a team and we really know how to play with one another. I think we look really, really good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his connection with Jarrett Guarantano\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great. I love JG. I couldn\u2019t have caught that ball if he hadn\u2019t placed it where he placed it. That was a perfectly thrown ball. I\u2019ve got all the faith in the world in JG. I\u2019m so proud of him and how far he\u2019s come from when we first got here. I can\u2019t wait to see him keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what he is expecting from the altered gameday atmosphere for the season\u2019s home-opener this Saturday\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt will definitely be different. It will be my first time ever playing in Neyland without all of the traditions, the things that we\u2019re so accustomed to and the things we love. At the end of the day, it\u2019s still about football and that\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on. We\u2019re focused on getting our second win of the season and that\u2019s the main goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how excited he is to play in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, even with limited fans…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re super excited, there is nothing like playing in Neyland, it\u2019ll definitely be different without all the fans, but there’s still nothing like playing in Neyland, and I am super excited for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how he thinks this program has learned how to win big games, especially in the second half…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just buy in to Coach Pruitt and what he is telling us, we put on more steam that is what we do. And if it is not going our way, Coach Pruitt always tells us to find a way to win, no matter what it is or what the score says you got to find a way to win. I think as a team we are really buying into that, and that is how we have come out on top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On if he thinks there was a moment when everything clicked, and they started buying in or if it is just maturity over time…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it happens over time and (with) maturity. As you guys saw the last half of last season we started to pick things up, it takes time but as a whole once you start buying in you start to see success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the biggest difference in a road game in a normal season vs. a year like this season in a pandemic…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say all the health precautions we have to take, so everything around the complex with social distancing and wearing your mask and things of that nature it\u2019s all the same thing on the road. It does kind of slow things down from an operating standpoint, and moving around from point A to point B, but it\u2019s do-able, although it still kind of slows things down a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what his thoughts are on the SEC transfer rule being discussed that would allow an in-conference transfer to play immediately especially with the Cade May situation…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really know too much about what was going on with that, but all I do know is we support Cade Mays 100 percent and we want him here with us playing as soon as possible, so I don\u2019t know if we can get that done, but it needs to happen so we are behind Cade 100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what the buildup was like before the game Saturday and his emotions before and after the game and how he felt to be a big part of winning the game…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always those pregame jitters and ready to be out there on the field, but I was super excited because it has been a long time since I\u2019ve played, and I couldn\u2019t wait to get out there. For postgame, it was joy and happiness, just knowing I was able to contribute and help my team win, so it was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the potential he sees from the offensive line this season…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sky’s the limit for our offensive line group right now. I got 100-percent faith in them and they look good every day in practice and at game time and we have a line full of leaders. They know what they\u2019re doing and the oldest guys can be looked up to and looked towards, and we try to match their energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On who handled the pregame speech and what that was like for him…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was Coach Pruitt, he knows how to get everyone going. He\u2019s really good at it, so that is why I want to hear him before every game; he gets me going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how much Tee Martin has been an influence on him even when he redshirted last season…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTee is a great coach and he has been nothing but supportive of me through last year when I wasn\u2019t playing and has never treated me different. He is a great coach and I love him and I just appreciate everything he has taught me from football, and even just regular life; he is a great coach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deandre Johnson, Sr., OLB<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what it\u2019s like to have a big performance like he did against South Carolina\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt definitely was great. I felt great out there, but I couldn\u2019t of done it without my teammates. Hats off to the front seven, they allowed me to play great and I\u2019m just thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On his decision to move back into the dorms this summer\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, that was a move I made over the summer, but I\u2019m out now. For the summer, I just wanted to focus on my body, focus on understanding the scheme more, so moving back to the dorms, it kind of settled me in, it got me back grounded and I\u2019m thankful. It helped out in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the confidence level of the team heading into the Missouri game\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest things we focused on this offseason was just coming together as a unit. Guys are just buying in to the program, buying in to what Coach Pruitt is saying every day and it\u2019s just coming to light. These guys are working hard, busting their tails off and we just want to win, so it\u2019s coming to light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the play of fellow outside linebacker Kivon Bennett\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKivon is a guy that comes in every day (and) busts his tail. Without him, I wouldn\u2019t have nearly as much production as I did. He\u2019s a guy that wreaks havoc on the other side, so we\u2019re kind of building a little duo here. We got some young guys that have stepped up in the back end, so we\u2019re just trying to become a force in this conference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the differences between Missouri and South Carolina\u2019s offense and the challenge they present\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast week was kind of a downhill attacking rushing (style). This week, kind of more zone, a lot of quarterback reads, so we just got to be disciplined off the edge. Make sure we\u2019re looking at the right things as a defense and just running to the ball. We got to run to the ball a little better this week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how the young guys have pushed the older guys and how they played on Saturday night\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh man, those guys have just come in and done everything the coaches and their teammates have asked from them. They have definitely pushed us. As a unit, we\u2019re just coming together and those guys have been working hard, so I\u2019m glad to see that they\u2019re doing good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On why moving into the dorms helped him and how he\u2019s carried that over back to living off campus\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell the biggest thing was I didn\u2019t have to pay rent, so that was a big lift off my shoulders. I was just able to focus on myself and just kind of dial in and just settle down. I had a lot of things going on around me, so it just helped me settle down. Like I said, I\u2019m just more focused. Now that I\u2019m back off, I kind of used some of the things that I learned in the summer, they\u2019re helping me now. I\u2019m just even keeled right now, just focused on the things that I need to be focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On being named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt great, but I know that there are many more games to go, many more, tougher opponents to face. It\u2019s something that I\u2019m glad I got it, but I want more man. This group wants more, and this team wants more wins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the specific areas of his game his focused on in the offseason and if any of the coaches have reminded him to stay grounded and motivated\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo answer your first question, to be an elite pass rusher, the first thing you have to have is ball get off. So, getting off that pill, that\u2019s one of the things I focused on this offseason. And, just watching film and noticing some of the offensive linemen\u2019s sets, just being better at reading that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd to answer the second one, yeah, there\u2019s been coaches reminding me, but I\u2019m on myself man. I reminded myself that I can\u2019t get bigheaded and I\u2019m just focused.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what he focused on during the offseason that has helped him step up\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest things, I had to focus on was understanding why we call certain plays, what we\u2019re trying to give the offense and what scheme we\u2019re trying to accomplish with that play called \u2013 just figuring that out, it\u2019s helped me big time. About the second week of fall camp I started to get in the groove and from there on out I haven\u2019t looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On how the defensive unit has come together\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou see guys playing way faster now. Everybody understands why they\u2019re doing what they\u2019re doing and when you look to the left and look to the right, you just know that guy is going to get his job done. It makes it easier on yourself; everybody is playing fast, everybody is playing smarter and we want to just keep being aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what\u2019s helped his development and what he sees for the team as the season continues\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m very thankful. I had to focus on keeping my body right and staying socially distant and staying out of harm\u2019s way of that virus. Now, that we\u2019re getting everybody back, and we\u2019re getting back to full strength, this team could be dangerous. This defense could be dangerous. We\u2019re looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On returning to Neyland Stadium for the home opener\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to be different for us, but I just want to thank the fans. They\u2019re sticking with us through all this. We\u2019re just happy to get back in front of our fans and to get ready to play football in Neyland. I\u2019m so excited. It\u2019s been a long time coming. Those people (the fans) have been working as hard as us to make sure they\u2019re staying safe so I can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what\u2019s the biggest difference between his freshman year and now\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first thing to start with \u2013 my body. I\u2019m about 15 to 20 pounds heavier than I was then. I\u2019m playing stronger. And mentally, I know everything I\u2019m supposed to be doing now and I\u2019m comfortable with the scheme, so that\u2019s helped a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the younger outside linebackers on the team\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest thing is the work ethic. Those guys have just come in \u2013 they ask questions every day. You see it in their eyes that they\u2019re trying to get better. I\u2019m just excited with that. As a group, we have to get better with reading stances, staying lower in our stances, reading blocks. So I\u2019d say as a group, we have to get better. I wouldn\u2019t point anyone out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On what he\u2019s learned from Darrell Taylor\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost definitely, learning how to get off the ball for sure. That guy there \u2013 his get off is amazing. Just learning how to use my hands and playing smart. It was just kind of sitting down and just learning the game from was very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UT Athletics KNOXVILLE, Tenn. \u2013\u00a0Reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week\u00a0Deandre Johnson\u00a0and fellow senior wide receiver\u00a0Brandon Johnsondiscussed game week preparation with media members on Tuesday as the Volunteers approach their home opener against Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon\u00a0ET. For Brandon, it will be his first outing at Neyland Stadium since Sept.14, 2019, against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennessee-vols-football"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/files\/2020\/09\/unnamed-5.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5935"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5937,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5935\/revisions\/5937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.volnation.com\/freaknotes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}