University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Report: Week 1 Begins
August 30, 2017 | Football
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones spoke to reporters about the start of the season at Wednesday's press conference
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee head coach Butch Jones held his Week 1 press conference on Wednesday in the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio.
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Kendal Vickers and senior tight end Ethan Wolf also spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
The Vols' game week officially started on Wednesday as the team had made practice schedule adjustments to prepare for its 2017 season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday, Sept. 4, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Monday will be a great opportunity for our football program to go to Atlanta and play against a very good football team in a great environment at a new stadium," Jones said. "It's going to be about our focus and discipline to execute all the things that go into a game. This will be what a game of complementary football is all about. Our possessions will be limited on the offensive side of the football. We have to be able to get off the field, defensively. It will be a great challenge. Field position will play a vital key in the outcome of the game. Our special teams will be big as well. We need everyone to understand their roles and responsibilities, and when we get on the plane to go to Atlanta, everyone will need clearly articulate job descriptions and understanding of the challenges associated with that job."
Jones described how Tennessee's offense, defense and special teams will need to be on point to be successful against a Georgia Tech offense that likes to eat the clock.
"It's a team game, and you look at even the course of last year where you're playing field position and everything is on your punt team to pooch kick it and get the ball down to the 2-yard line," he said. "Then you need your defense to force a three-and-out, and you're playing field position. The regions on the football field -- the percentages obviously go up with where the football is. Then the offense is able to get the ball in scoring position and go down and score. What it's going to be all about is field position. If our offense has to sustain a drive and our defense has been on the field and they need to be on the sideline, that's complementary football.
Palmer, Smith Ready To Make Impact
There will be several new faces taking the field for the first time on Monday. Jones said that freshman receiver Josh Palmer and freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith are two newcomers who are ready to contribute.
Jones described Palmer's journey from Brampton, Ontario, Canada to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Rocky Top. The 6-2 Palmer worked hard and finally gained recognition for as a high school senior.
"Their coaches kept saying, 'this is the guy you want," he said. "We stayed on him and again, (Palmer showed) resolve and resiliency."
Wolf said that Palmer has made some amazing plays on the practice field.
"He's going to be a really special player here," Wolf said. "I'm excited to see how he does this year and even the seasons to come too."
Smith, who was ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2017 class, enrolled at UT in the spring and has worked hard to earn playing time. Jones praised Smith work ethic and added that Smith has added toughness to the offensive line.
"I think our older players in that room have really done a good job mentoring him as well," Jones said.
Wolf said that he was impressed with Smith's talent and maturity.
"Probably the first time I saw Trey, I knew that he would be contending for a starting spot just because you look at him and he's everything you want in an offensive lineman: big, strong, smart, athletic, tough," Wolf said.
Preparing For Cut Blocks
The Tennessee defense has been hard at work preparing for Georgia Tech's triple option, which is known to feature cut blocking. Vickers said that Jones has spent a lot of time with UT's defense during training camp, preparing the Vols for the cut blocking they will experience in Atlanta.
"It's hard to defend for it, but we have to be ready for it and he's been pressing that on us," Vickers said.
