KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 18/18 Tennessee was back on the practice field Tuesday morning as it continues to prepare for a top-20 showdown against rival No. 12/12 Vanderbilt to close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. on ESPN).
The Big Orange will look to continue their positive momentum defensively from the last two weeks after limiting their opponents to just two touchdowns and 20 combined points in wins over New Mexico State and Florida.
Improving the communication between all three levels has been a major point of emphasis and has started to pay dividends with the Vols playing their best defensive football of the year heading into this Saturday’s matchup against the Commodores’ high-powered offense.
“The young guys have gotten more reps and the communication has been really solid,” secondary coach Willie Martinez said. “It starts there, knowing what to do and what we’re going to check to and it’s going to happen from our back end the most because the safeties have got to make those checks and those calls along with the STAR.
“You know we’ve just been playing better as a group. I think the communication has been really good, obviously they’ve made a bunch of plays that we weren’t making earlier in the season.”
Building that consistency in communication has become a yearly challenge in today’s college football landscape and as Martinez mentioned, it has to take place everywhere, not just on the field.
“I think it starts everywhere you’re at. I mean, we’re in the meeting room. It’s got to sound the same way it does in that meeting room for when you take it out onto the field, whether it’s walkthroughs and the amount of reps that we take,” Martinez said. “Like we say all the time, the communication has to be given but it also has to be received. That’s complete communication. That’s where we’ve gotten better.”
One area where Tennessee has been elite all season long has been the passing game, which continues to add new wrinkles and weapons as the regular season draws to a close.
Redshirt sophomore tight end Ethan Davis has emerged as a major threat through the air since returning from a midseason injury that sidelined him for four weeks, and is coming off the most productive game of his career in the Vols’ win over Florida in The Swamp. The Atlanta native set or tied career highs with five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown against the Gators.
“It’s been really cool to see,” tight ends coach Alec Abeln said when asked about Davis’ recent standout performances. “I think for him, just finally getting the payoff of all that he has put into it and understanding circumstances early in the year, as far as the injury goes. Man, nothing you can do about it. Just being mentally tough, staying emotionally and mentally invested into it where when you are back, you are ready to step up and make some huge plays.
“Something that I feel like I have known for a long time that was in him, and there’s certainly way more for him to be and who he can really become. Starting to see the payoff of it for him is really cool.”
Full transcripts from Tuesday’s assistant coach press conferences can be seen below.
Tight Ends Coach Alec Abeln
On Ethan Davis’ performances over the past few weeks…
“Yeah, it’s been really cool to see. I think for him, just finally getting the payoff of all that he has put into it and understanding circumstances early in the year, as far as the injury goes. Man, nothing you can do about it. Just being mentally tough, staying emotionally and mentally invested into it where when you are back, you are ready to step up and make some huge plays. Something that I feel like I have known for a long time that was in him, and there’s certainly way more for him to be and who he can really become. Starting to see the payoff of it for him is really cool.”
On Ethan Davis becoming a complete tight end…
“He is ready to play in that. It kind of goes back to being functional versus being dominant, and I think, obviously, had a pass protection sack on Saturday that really just comes down to a day one fundamental. I trust him in all of those situations. He has to go continue to execute it, but I think the challenge is like, man, you can play with and ask him to do anything we are going to ask him to do. It’s just about, not just being able to do it, but being able to be dominant while we are doing it. I think that is the next step.”
On what DaSaahn Brame can bring to the slot position…
“I mean I think for one, it’s the nature of college football of where the rosters are at and just what your depth overall looks like, that he has done a great job of stepping into that role. For us and this offense, man, we run pretty much every route that a slot has to run. I think he’s a guy that is certainly capable of running the whole route tree. I think for him being in that room more, he is getting coached probably better by Coach (Kelsey) Pope than he is by me, but it certainly plays into his skillset. I think big picture for him, he’s got to continue to grow in the core, much like what Ethan (Davis) had to do his first year here. I think he’s still continuing to work towards that and can provide value in that role even right now, but as far as a big athletic guy that plays really hard, I mean the one catch that he had on Saturday, you see him catch a little bubble, and it’s like, it looks a little different. I think the more he plays and the more he is out there, the more confidence he gets with it and the more he is going to be able to help. I think eventually when he does move back, it will be better for us and our room for sure.”
On Miles Kitselman’s Senior Day and his impact over the last two seasons…
“Yeah, it’s a blessing. It really is. It certainly changed my life for the better, changed our room for the better and changed this program for the better. I can’t talk enough about just who he is as a human being and who he is as a teammate. It will probably be a little emotional on Saturday knowing it’s his last time in Neyland, but I really appreciate the work he has done and continues to do for this team. I’m excited for the future for him.”
On what stands out about the Vanderbilt defense…
“Yeah, they play hard. They’re fundamentally really sound. Scheme wise, very sound. Really, they run the ball, they play hard. They play physically. Like it’s nothing crazy exotic, nothing super schemey that’s crazy unique, but do a really good job of playing within their system, playing with pad level, playing with hands and playing with technique and effort. That’s really the highlight of what they do, and they do it at a really high level.”
Secondary Coach Willie Martinez
On Vanderbilt’s offensive growth within the last year…
“You can see the experience, you can see that continuity of the guys that played last year now, and (Diego) Pavia directing it. He’s a heck of a player. You can see the confidence, you can see the execution, they look like they’re throwing the ball a bit more than they did last year, you know, and opening up their offense, for the most part, man, they just do a great job executing. I mean they’re doing similar plays, different formations here and there, but in the end it’s just the execution as a group. They’ve been very consistent and it all starts with the guy that’s at the ball and he’s doing a great job of leading and you can see that obviously in their success that they’ve had moving forward the entire season.”
On Diego Pavia’s ability to run the ball and challenges that can occur on the back end…
“He does a lot of great things off schedule, like we like to say, you know, where it doesn’t go quite exactly how you’re practicing it from a standpoint of defending them a certain route and then obviously he can get creative from there. You don’t want to lose contain and pass rush lanes and he can be very deadly because he can run the ball and he can throw the ball, you know, on the run, and for us we just have to play disciplined ball. I mean basically, it’s going to sound like the same thing but doing our job and knowing that there is an elite player at the quarterback position that can actually do two things, he can run the ball as he breaks out of the pocket or he can throw it, you know, stay on your guys and be disciplined until he crosses the line of scrimmage, because he’s done a great job of being very creative on the perimeter, behind the line of scrimmage and keeping it and throwing it so we have to be disciplined.”
On what has allowed them to keep teams out of the end zone the past few games…
“The credit goes to the players. We’ve really seen it happen in the last three or four weeks. You can see it happening where the confidence level and I think the young with the experienced players, you know what I mean? The young guys have gotten more reps and the communication has been really solid. It starts there, knowing what to do and what we’re going to check to and it’s going to happen from our back end the most because the safeties have got to make those checks and those calls along with the STAR. You know we’ve just been playing better as a group. I think the communication has been really good, obviously they’ve made a bunch of plays that we weren’t making earlier in the season.”
On what led to the improvement in communication…
“I think the leadership, you know. Obviously talking about seniors like Andre Turrentine, Jalen McMurray, guys that are experienced. Two guys that obviously have had a very good year on a consistent basis and then spreading it out to the younger guys and they’ve bought into it. I think they meet together on their own even when we’re out of meetings. That’s really good to see as a group. They’ve done a great job of complementing each other. You can see that in the last three weeks.”
On how hard it is to develop good communication year-to-year…
“I think it starts everywhere you’re at. I mean, we’re in the meeting room. It’s got to sound the same way it does in that meeting room for when you take it out onto the field, whether it’s walkthroughs and the amount of reps that we take. Like we say all the time, the communication has to be given but it also has to be received. That’s complete communication. That’s where we’ve gotten better. When you’re trying to make a call to somebody and they actually are seeing you eye-to-eye. Again, I think it’s the amount of time, whether it’s in our meeting rooms, doing walkthroughs and taking it when you go to practice. We just had a really good practice today. A lot of it was some really good communication. There were some there where we didn’t give it back. Whether it’s a corner, whether it’s a linebacker, is receiving it and giving the signal back to each other that I got it, you know? That’s where we’ve really gotten a lot better.”
On long-term importance of Ty Redmond gaining confidence in freshman season…
“It’s huge. That’s what it’s all about. You want to be able to know what you’re doing and at the same time execute and you want to have a bunch of plays where you can go from series to series, game to game and can see the growth. My goodness, since game one to now. We feel really confident in him and the players around him. You can see it. He’s more talkative in meeting rooms, more talkative on the field. He doesn’t get down on himself, he just keeps on snap and clear mentality. At first, he was letting things beat him up a little bit like any young player would that is very competitive like himself. I think it’s just the growth. I think being here and the amount of reps that he’s gotten, this league is as good as it is, he’s going against some really good players and making some plays. It’s happening in the games, but obviously we have really good players on offense here. He has good feel for whether it’s a tall receiver or a quick guy, he understands how to study each guy’s skillset and that’s important for when he was just relying on his talent level and not really studying some of the guys he’s going against. That’s where he’s really grown, where he really tries to figure out who he is going against and executing.”
On Jalen McMurray’s growth over the last two years…
“We’ve been very fortunate with the kids that have transferred in, and we’re very intentional. We’ve built a standard and expectation and a culture that’s high level. We make sure that the ones we do choose to come here, you know and figure—and he’s been unbelievable since he’s been here. Obviously early on every kid, every player wants to play more, we get that, but I think at the same time too, you got to know where you’re at and he’s grown through that process. He’s a very versatile player and that’s why we took him. We knew he could play inside; he could play outside, but it’s really his attitude, his investment and you know, he’s not just playing on the field and making communication, he’s actually coaching on the field. Since the day he’s been here, he’s been like that. He’s been a coach on the field, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a younger guy, it’s an older guy, he knows when to insert himself in a conversation and not. I think sometimes guys don’t have that awareness at times, you know really need players, and he’s the guy who’s a great teammate, really is. He’s earned respect since he’s been here, and I just said it a little while ago it’s fed off the group. It’s he can see where he fits in right away when he got here, but then his growth too as a player, he’s growing he’s had a really good year, and that’s really been good for us on the defensive side of the ball, because you have to have a really good player at the STAR position.”
On Edrees Farooq’s similarities to Ty Redmond…
“Are you talking about Edrees? Ah man, he’s grown himself, obviously he’s very similar. You know, it’s his second year and when you compare him to Ty, but it’s his first time ever starting from the get-go. He’s somebody that we can count on each and every day with our communication and he’s got to get it right, and he and Edrees are very similar. And to see his growth, just like you know, I was just talking about Ty the confidence and the play making ability that he has produced throughout the season. You know what I mean? It’s really good to see, good for him, good for us. He’s a very productive player, physical player, smart, athletic, and he’s very similar to Ty. It’s awesome to see that he’s going against some really good teams, really good players, but that’s been really good for us. And that’s been the consistency that we’ve set on defense here and there the last three or four weeks.”
