KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the Vols look to bounce back from their first loss of the 2024 campaign, No. 8/9 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) has turned the page to Saturday’s 7 p.m. ET home contest against rival Florida (3-2, 1-1 SEC) – the first of a four-game homestand inside Neyland Stadium. Preparation for the Gators continued Tuesday with practice in full pads on Haslam Field.
A common message shared early in the week has been to ‘flush’ the results of the Arkansas game, to learn from the tape and gear up for Florida. In his comments to media on Tuesday, secondary coach Willie Martinez described the team’s mentality heading into the matchup with the Gators.
“It’s really the next play is the most important play,” Martinez explained. “We already know what the results are. We’re moving forward. We want to get this bad taste out of our mouths, and we are just moving on because we have a great opponent in Florida. They have a lot of really good players. This is a great league. It’s the best league in the country. The next team is the most important team … that’s how they look at it.”
Running backs coach De’Rail Sims echoed the sentiment and applauded his room’s mindset and sense of urgency through two days of practice this week.
“They’ve been in the right frame of mind,” Sims said. “They came out yesterday and did a phenomenal job in the meetings. They came out today and did a really good job of attacking practice. It’s been really good from the mindset standpoint, their energy and sense of urgency, too.”
Full comments from Martinez and Sims can be viewed below, along with select quotes from sophomore linebacker Arion Carter, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins and redshirt junior defensive back Andre Turrentine. Topics of conversation included focal points for Florida prep, keys for facing multiple Gator quarterbacks and run defense.
A common message shared early in the week has been to ‘flush’ the results of the Arkansas game, to learn from the tape and gear up for Florida. In his comments to media on Tuesday, secondary coach Willie Martinez described the team’s mentality heading into the matchup with the Gators.
“It’s really the next play is the most important play,” Martinez explained. “We already know what the results are. We’re moving forward. We want to get this bad taste out of our mouths, and we are just moving on because we have a great opponent in Florida. They have a lot of really good players. This is a great league. It’s the best league in the country. The next team is the most important team … that’s how they look at it.”
Running backs coach De’Rail Sims echoed the sentiment and applauded his room’s mindset and sense of urgency through two days of practice this week.
“They’ve been in the right frame of mind,” Sims said. “They came out yesterday and did a phenomenal job in the meetings. They came out today and did a really good job of attacking practice. It’s been really good from the mindset standpoint, their energy and sense of urgency, too.”
Full comments from Martinez and Sims can be viewed below, along with select quotes from sophomore linebacker Arion Carter, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins and redshirt junior defensive back Andre Turrentine. Topics of conversation included focal points for Florida prep, keys for facing multiple Gator quarterbacks and run defense.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Oct. 8, 2024
On the response he has seen from the running back room after the loss to Arkansas…
“They’ve been in the right frame of mind. They came out yesterday and did a phenomenal job in the meetings. They came out today and did a really good job of attacking practice. It’s been really good from the mindset standpoint, their energy and sense of urgency, too.”
On the focal point for the group…
“Number one is fundamentals. Number one is eye placement, number two is hand placement. Making sure we are taking the proper angles when it…
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