Actions speak for Vols
UT avoided trash talk on way to beating Gators
KNOXVILLE — Ducks apparently can pull trucks.
Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson capped an entire offseason of Tennessee trash talk by the Gators with an unusual metaphor and a guaranteed victory.
During Saturday’s clash of the two division rivals, though, the Volunteers silenced the Gators with their play in the second half of a 38-28 comeback win.
“It was nice to end that streak for Vol nation,” said defensive tackle Danny O’Brien, a fifth-year senior. “I know this is one of the biggest games, and when I committed here one of my goals was to beat Florida. We did that, but this is just one game in our season. We’re 4-0 and that’s what matters.
“We were talking in the locker room, we don’t need to do all that talking. We just say screw all that talking and let’s do it.”
Save for a couple of tweets back in the spring, Tennessee declined to respond to Florida’s verbal jabs, and even after the win most of the Vols opted to use social media to fire back at the Gators.
Many of those volleys included references to ducks and trucks, and running back Jalen Hurd posted a photo with his face pasted over a man holding an alligator in a lake.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings actually wore alligatorskin cowboy boots with his gray windbreaker warmups to his postgame interview and joked the Vols “went hunting” as he exited.
“I have no Twitter,” Jennings said. “I don’t need to do that. I play football. I don’t tweet.”
Wilson’s phrase went viral and only picked up more attention when Oregon’s official Twitter account posted a short video clip of its duck mascot actually pulling a truck outside of Autzen Stadium.
Vols coach Butch Jones and quarterback Josh Dobbs both mentioned ducks pulling trucks in interviews with CBS immediately after the game, but the players who did media interviews following the win opted to point to the result.
“Every time somebody asked me about it this offseason, I’d always say that’s not the nature of our team,” linebacker Jalen Reeves- Maybin said. “If you’re going to talk, you can talk. But we’ve got a lot of teammates, we’re just going to go. When the whistle’s blown, it’s go time. That showed up for us today.”
Tennessee’s second- half domination was evident on the scoreboard, in the box score — the Vols out gained the Gators 3 3 6 - 102 in the final two quarters — and beyond.
“I just kept looking at their body language on the sideline, and it was bad,” defensive end Derek Barnett said. “I think they were worried about talking too much than focusing on playing football. It showed in the end.”
The Vols outscored their first four opponents 87-24 in the second half and overtime after Saturday’s 35-7 second half.
“When you get to the line and look at the dudes across from you and you can see the look in their eyes that they don’t want to block you, you know you got them,” O’Brien said.
Wilson and fellow cornerback Jalen Tabor were the most vocal of Florida’s players, and though both had interceptions Saturday, Jennings beat Tabor off the line on the go- ahead touchdown and Wilson finished with one tackle.
Florida coach Jim McElwain did nothing to muzzle his loudest players, but he also seemed fine with his brash team being handed a dose of humility.
“I hope they take a big lesson,” he said. “In life, there are a lot of good things in being humble. As I said, back it up. They didn’t back it up. There might be a lesson.”
The challenge for Tennessee now is handling success. All week the Vols will be told how good they are after such a momentous and emotional win, but the team must focus on its trip to Georgia this week.
The Bulldogs certainly are better than they showed in a 45-14 shellacking at Ole Miss on Saturday.
“I’m happy for our fan base and I’m happy for our administration,” Jones said. “I’m happy for everyone, and I love our players, so I’m happy for them. But again, it’s just one game.”
“I just kept looking at their body language on the sideline, and it was bad. I think they were worried about talking too much than focusing on playing football. It showed in the end.”
– DEFENSIVE END DEREK BARNETT