Vol Report: UT Making Most of Bye Week

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Even though the Tennessee football team has no game this week, the Vols have used the bye week to focus on fundamentals and improve in all facets of the game.

Head coach Butch Jones and select players met with the media after Tuesday's practice, while assistant coaches Brady Hoke, Charlton Warren and Robert Gillespie spoke to reporters after Wednesday's practice at Haslam Field.

Vols Working Hard During Bye Week

Despite a tough loss to No. 7 Georgia last Saturday, Tennessee had no problem finding energy for this week's practices and has put an emphasis on the bye week being a "work week" for the team.

"During a bye week, teams tend to take a different mental approach, but our guys came out and practiced like it was a work week," Jones said after Tuesday's practice.

The Vols are also using this week to grow even closer as a team. Junior running back John Kelly said he's put it on himself to help ensure that the team's spirits remain high and the bond between the players continues to stay strong and grow.

"All you got to do is make sure you are focused on keeping the team together," Kelly said on Tuesday. "That's really the main thing that I focus on every day I come in here. It's just how can I help us be a closer team, we are already a pretty close team, but it's always improvements that I can make, that we can all make."

Bye Week Coming at Right Time

This year's bye week has come at an opportune time for the Volunteers. The Big Orange have been able to get back to the basics and spend time improving individually and as a team.

"It's really big because it gives our guys a chance to focus on fundamentals and details of things we've done well and things we can do better," Warren said after Wednesday's practice. "I think that when you can take a step back and really just focus on us and focus on us as a DB unit and us as defense, it gives our guys a mental break from having to worry about an opponent to just worrying about Tennessee."

The bye week as also been convenient considering the amount of players on the team dealing with minor bumps and bruises. Not only has Tennessee been able to use this week to correct mistakes and get better on the field, but it has also provided an opportunity to recover for some guys that have been banged up.

"We've suffered some injuries, and we've had guys who didn't practice last week because of injuries," senior tight end Ethan Wolf said. "I think that's a big thing that we need to get accomplished through this bye week, to gain back our health and to get all of our guys back on the field practicing together. The consistency in everything is something that we need and will benefit from."

Gillespie echoed both sentiments when talking about the running backs during his time with the media following Wednesday afternoon's practice.

"The last two days have been really good for those guys," Gillespie said. "They've also been good for John [Kelly] as well, giving him a chance to step back and get a break for a little bit. When he has been resting, the other guys have stepped up and made some plays in practice.

"My confidence as a position coach has grown in them. It's been a good week for them offensively and on specials teams as well. They keep getting reps."

Game Details for South Carolina

Following the bye week, the Vols return to action by hosting South Carolina on Oct. 14 in Neyland Stadium. Kickoff has been set for noon ET and the game will air on either ESPN or ESPN2. Tickets for the game are available or AllVols.com or by calling the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-332-VOLS.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Vols Working Hard During Bye Week

Bye Week Coming at Right Time

Game Details for South Carolina

Players Mentioned

John Kelly

Ethan Wolf

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