KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 20/18 Tennessee continued preparations Tuesday for its first road game of the 2026 season, as the Vols turned their attention toward Saturday night’s matchup at Georgia Tech.
The Big Orange opened the season with a 56-9 victory over Furman, totaling 638 yards of offense while the defense recorded seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Tennessee will kick off against the Yellow Jackets at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
Meeting with the media following practice, Tennessee pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope praised junior wide receiver Mike Matthews for his performance on Saturday, following a career-high 132-yard, two-touchdown performance against Furman.
“Both of the touchdown catches, I think those were good. I think that’s a testament to Mike. That’s something we really focused on this summer, which is him eliminating drops.”
Pope also said the competition for the third wide receiver spot remains open among Radarious Jackson, Travis Smith Jr. and TK Keys.
“It’s still just a number three by committee right now, which is a luxury. We have three guys right now that we feel good about playing in that spot.”
Defensive backs coach Anthony Poindexter said Tennessee’s secondary handled the pressure of the season opener well, particularly with communication in a loud Neyland Stadium.
“We didn’t really have too many communication busts. Guys knew what to do, they were in the right spots, played the coverage the way it was drawn up.”
Poindexter expects a different challenge Saturday against a Georgia Tech offense featuring an experienced quarterback and several talented skill players.
“They have two or three receivers that can go, they have a nice room of tight ends, multiple formations, multiple shifts in motion. So, they are going to make you think before the ball is snapped.”
Saturday marks Tennessee’s first trip to Georgia Tech since 1986. The Vols have won 19 consecutive non-conference regular-season games.
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Coach Anthony Poindexter
On what he learned about Tennessee’s secondary from the game…
“I think the first game showed they understand the defense, they can execute the defense, the game environment wasn’t too big, and they didn’t start doing their own thing. Obviously, we didn’t get tested a ton with deep passes and stuff like that, so this week will be a good test. They’ll push the ball down the field. They have some really good skill players on the outside, so it’ll be a good test to see.”
On his assessment of communication on the defense…
“Yeah, it was a lot better. You know the stadium is loud, so we had to use a lot of hand signals. We had to look at each other’s eyes to make sure we were all on the same page. But communication, we didn’t really have too many communication busts. Guys knew what to do, they were in the right spots, played the coverage they way it was drawn up. And so, we did do that well, and we’re happy about that.”
On his evaluation of young players after the season opener…
“You’re just seeing how much they are paying attention in the meetings. A lot of times they don’t get the reps, but they’re in the meetings. They’re getting the game plan. Do they understand the game plan? Can they go out and execute the game plan? Will they play hard? Will they play tough? You know, so you’re just looking at all that kind of stuff. They deserve the right to play, get into that situation, so if they go out there and show that they can handle it, they’ll get more.”
On if he liked what he saw out of the young players…
“Yeah. I mean, it’s a small sample size, but yeah, I liked it. They knew what to do, were in the right spots, and like I say, we just have to keep working. We have to keep bringing this depth along. It’s a long season.”
On Tevis Metcalf’s potential role and impact on the defense…
“Well, Tevis is just a hard worker like his brother. He comes out and competes every day in practice. He’s got a ton better since he first got here, you know, playing the nickel position for us. I think he played corner at Michigan. You can see his gains just coming on each week, so I was happy for him and how he played. Hopefully, he can keep growing it.”
On Georgia Tech’s offensive threats and challenges for the defense…
“Well obviously, their quarterback has a really good arm, good accuracy. They have skilled players that we did not see a week ago. They have two or three receivers that can go, they have a nice room of tight ends, multiple formations, multiple shifts in motion. So, they are going to make you think before the ball is snapped. You have to be in the right calls. They are going to make you communicate. They are a challenge.”
Tennessee Pass Game Coordinator and WR Coach Kelsey Pope
On his reaction to some of the highlight plays from Mike Matthews in Week 1…
“I think the block, I’m always fired up when I see those guys doing that because that’s something we vehemently try to preach daily is the intensity, the focus that we have and when we’re running routes, we want that same type of aggressiveness and focus and strain when we’re blocking. So, I’m always fired up seeing that also because it’s just another example for other guys in the room of what it should look like. And then both of the touchdown catches, I think those were good. I think that’s a testament to Mike. That’s something we really focused on this summer, which is him eliminating drops and I don’t think it was a hand-eye coordinating issue, it was more of a focus issue than true hand-eye coordination. And so, we worked a lot of things this summer. We kind of got creative. We bought eye patches and covered one eye and caught 1,000 balls, but it’s a testament to him of when he does the work, how much easier things will be, so we just have to keep working that play in with him.”
On using the eye patches and if that was for everybody…
“Everybody. I was watching a podcast late and they talked about triggering different stimulus in your brain and covering one eye. The guys gravitated to it and so we bought about 25 eye patches and been going to work ever since, so it’s been good.”
On the progress with Tyreek King…
“I think Tyreek, he got here in May, he was a late add. He didn’t get out early, but he did a good job early on of kind of making progress and making ground. I think now it’s just like the game’s got to slow down for him. He got here late, all those guys had been through spring ball and he had fresh legs, so this summer and fall camp you saw that. That helped him get ahead. I think now, he’s starting to feel fatigued some, which now this is another evolution for his growth. So, through fatigue now he’s got to still be able to have the same focus, same mentality and same intentions, attention to detail as he works. He’s done a good job. Today, he got off to a really good start and my job is to just keep him steady, keep him confident and to actually pull that out of him, so he’s heading in the right direction right now.”
On Mike Matthews bouncing back from a fourth-down drop in the first quarter…
“I think it’s indicative of what we said about him all camp. You ask DO (Derek Owens) in strength and conditioning, you ask his tutors in the Thronton Center, everybody around the building, top to bottom, has said Mike is a completely different person. I think when you get that, you get an even better football player. I think it’s really cool for other guys to see that example, for TK Keys to see that example, for Tyreek King to see that example, that if I do it the right way, if I listen to my coaches, if I trust what they’re telling me, there is success on the other side. There’s proof of concept, and it’s not just with those guys. I was telling Mike and Bray (Braylon Staley) the same thing when they were freshmen about Cedric Tillman, about Jalin Hyatt, about Dont’e Thornton Jr. I think that proof of concept is powerful, especially in the receiver room. Those guys have different personalities. Sometimes it’s hard to get them on board and to trust, but once you have them, they’ll go to bat for you, they’ll run through a wall, and I think that’s what we’ve created right now with guys like Mike and Bray setting the example.”
On the competition for the wide receiver three spot…
“It’s still just a number three by committee right now, which is a luxury. We have three guys right now that we feel good about playing in that spot. Nobody has necessarily taken that jump. Individually, I think (Radarious Jackson) played really hard, he strained in the run game. He added value in the run game, and it was good to see him pop the stop route for an explosive on the far side of the field. It was good to see (Travis Smith Jr.) make some plays. He made one play on a deep out, and then he had one I felt like ball-in-hand situation where he could have broken a tackle and could’ve really taken advantage of, but it was good for him to get confidence. With (TK Keys) being able to finish the deep ball in the end zone on the go ball was awesome to see. Those things give those guys confidence. What’s affecting each other right now is just competition, right? TK’s affecting Travis and Ra (Radarious Jackson), Ra’s affecting Travis and TK. They’re really building off one another right now, which is what we want in that room, so my plan is just for them to keep competing and us keep going.”
On the dynamic this week competing against his brother Kyle Pope …
“Yes, I think it will be fun. I think it’ll be something fun for our family. I think they’ll probably enjoy it more than me. My focus right now is to get these guys in the room ready to go win one on the road. I am sure once we get to the back end of the season, Christmas and all of that stuff, it will be a good memory. Honestly, my focus right now is on the players right now. It’s in a different spot, but a cool moment.”
On Georgia Tech’s secondary…
“They have some guys that have played some significant football. They have a transfer that we’ve seen before who is a really good athlete. They have another kid playing corner who is a good player. They also got some athletes at safety that can move around and give you some issues. We are excited about going to face a good group. I think our guys understand, especially in the league that we play in, that these types of games and going against these types of groups, they bring the best out of you. Some of our best games have been against good opponents. And when we go to practice each week, we try to make sure that we respect those opponents. We talk in depth about what they do, what they like and how we want to attack to help give our guys a real plan. I’m excited to get down there on the road and facing a good team and seeing what we are made of.”
On what it takes to earn a starting wide receiver spot in this system…
“I think earning it first starts with practice. That always starts it, that transit and I think for guys to really solidify that, you do that in Neyland on Saturday and on the game field on Saturday. If one of those guys is ready to step up and really take that thing over, you guys will know before I do, because you will see it on game day. You will see it the same way I do through consistency and playmaking ability. You’ll see it in the same way I do with consistency, with playmaking and all those things we really preach about. I’m excited for one of those guys to step up and do that.”
