University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Camp Report: Season Mode
August 24, 2017 | Football
With fall classes in session, the Vols are focused and honing in on the details to be successful
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Just 11 days remain until No. 24/25 Tennessee opens its season against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. With fall classes in session, the Vols are approaching each day with an in-season level of focus.
On Thursday, UT head coach Butch Jones and student-athletes Jashon Robertson, Cortez McDowell and Ethan Wolf spoke to reporters after practice at Haslam Field.
"Today was the first practice that we had with them being in school and I thought our players handled it very well," Jones said. "But there has to be a sense of urgency in the next couple of days. Football is hard in and of itself and we cannot beat ourselves with turnovers, penalties and things like that. I thought we had a good approach, but today was something different for them."
Focusing On The Details
Going up against a Georgia Tech triple-option offense that eats up clock, Jones and the Tennessee coaching staff have stressed the importance of football's fine details and making every play and every possession count.
"Football is very difficult and we have to be a team that doesn't beat itself and it all starts with the small details and communication when you're out there," Jones said. "We have to continue to demand it because we're building habits. You're going to rely on your training when we get to Monday night playing against a very talented Georgia Tech football team. We have to continue to demand, our older players need to demand from the younger players and vice versa. They've done that, but there's a whole level of mental intensity and mental effort that comes into preparing for game week as well."
Senior offensive lineman Jashon Robertson spoke about how attention to detail is crucial for the offense.
"As an offense, we want to take care of the football," Robertson said. "Turnover margin is a huge aspect of winning games. When you have more explosive plays than the other team, that's guys on the perimeter making blocks, guys up front making blocks, things like that and just being consistent. Right now as an offense, we are really trying to focus on consistency, having a championship consistency with the little details - keeping the ball off the ground, staying on your blocks, all of those types of things."
Senior linebacker Cortez McDowell said that he and his teammates are looking forward to live game action. He added that Georgia Tech's offense leaves no room for mistakes.
"It makes you stay focused," McDowell said. "Any wrong read or any wrong footstep or anything that's off can get you beat. So it's everybody just being locked in and owning their own responsibilities to help us be successful."
Camp Cohesiveness
As the 2017 fall training camp draws to a close, the Vols have grown closer as teammates. McDowell described the tight-knit nature of the linebacker group.
"We're helping each other perfect our craft every day, helping each other with the small details that we need to be better linebackers every day," he said. "As camp has been going on and as we've been growing together as a unit, I think it's been the best cohesiveness that we've had in a very long time."
Robertson praised Tennessee's freshman running backs for the way they have approached learning the college game.
"I think they have done a very good job receiving the communication from myself and the other guys who are playing that spot," Robertson said.
