Vols’ defensive line uniquely veteran
KNOXVILLE — It’s become a rallying cry for Jeremy Pruitt in recent weeks, a fact he uses to make a point about the future of the Tennessee football program he inherited.
“I’ve said it two or three times,” Pruitt observed Monday before saying it again. “We’re playing four seniors.”
Actually, eight seniors made statistical contributions on offense or defense in the Volunteers’ 58-21 loss to Alabama on Saturday. But with senior safety Micah Abernathy out of the lineup the past two weeks, only three seniors are solidified in the starting lineup as the Volunteers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) prepare to play at South Carolina (3-3, 2-3) on Saturday night.
In contrast, Tennessee started 11 seniors late in the 2013 season, which was former coach Butch Jones’ first season.
Pruitt doubled down Monday on the message he sent after Saturday’s game, saying there are players on Tennessee’s roster doing things the right way but that until everybody does, the Vols will not reach their potential.
And with all but a few contributing players returning next season, Pruitt wants more progress in players meeting the “standard” that he described again Monday while reflecting on a 37-point loss to his former employer. “Trust me,” he said. “These guys didn’t wake up on Saturday and say, ‘I’m not going to be at my best today.’ Some of it has to do with who walks out on the other field. Some of it has to do with the scoreboard. Some of it has to do with how you feel, but you can’t let that affect you. It’s clutter. You have to go be at your best if you’re going to have a chance to compete against guys like them or anybody else.
“To me, that’s the standard. We want to be at our best, and if we’re good enough, we’re good enough. If we’re not, we’re not, but at least our guys play at their best.”
All three senior starters are defensive linemen, and Shy Tuttle, Kyle Phillips and Alexis Johnson Jr. are having the strongest seasons of their college careers.
While the Vols’ offense could remain virtually the same next season if junior receivers Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings return, Pruitt will have to replace the bulk of his team’s production on the defensive line.
That seemed to be far down his list of worries Monday as he shot down discussion of giving younger defensive linemen more playing time in the season’s final few weeks.
“No, those guys work really hard to be at their best,” Pruitt said. “They’ve played really well for us this year, and we’re going to keep letting them play. They deserve to play. We’ll worry about next year next year.”
Phillips demonstrated why.
Had he heard some of Pruitt’s public challenging of this roster?
Yes, he had.
“I think it was good,” Phillips said. “Challenging us as a team to step it up. We need everybody to get bought in so this program can be what we want it to be. I liked his comments. I thought they were very good, and I think a lot of people on the team need to step up.”
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/ volsupdate.