Tenn.’s Jones feeling heat ahead of opener vs. Ga. Tech

ATLANTA — Butch Jones is feeling the heat on Rocky Top.

Heading into his fifth season as Tennessee’s coach, Jones desperately needs a breakout performance to show he’s got the Volunteers on the right track.

A loss to Georgia Tech in today’s prime-time opener at $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be a huge step in the wrong direction.

“It’s a great opportunity for our football team, for our football program, to go to Atlanta and play against a very, very good football team in a great environment, a great new stadium,” Jones said, trying to keep things positive.

While only the first game in a very long season, this will surely set the tone for both programs.

Georgia Tech wants to build on a strong finish to 2016 with another victory over a Southeastern Conference team. The Yellow Jackets went 3-0 a year ago against the SEC, including season-ending victories over Georgia and Kentucky.

“It’s a huge deal,” said Parker Braun, an offensive guard for the Atlantic Coast Conference school. “It’s another good opportunity to play an SEC team. We don’t get very many opportunities to do that, so when we do play a team from the SEC, it’s important to show what we can do on our side.”

Jones has done his best to shield Tennessee’s players from the chatter outside the program, which hasn’t won a conference title since its national championship-winning season in 1998.

“All of us want to win,” tight end Ethan Wolf said. “We don’t feel pressure that we have to go out and win for whoever. It’s all about us and it’s all about the work that we put in and how much we love to play this game. The pressure is not really as heavy as you’d think.”

The game was shrouded in mystery at the most prominent position on the field.

Both teams had to replace experienced quarterbacks — Joshua Dobbs at Tennessee, Justin Thomas at Georgia Tech.

Neither coach had named a starter.

“I want them competing,” said Jones, who will go with either little-used junior Quinten Dormady or redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano. “They may compete all the way through pregame warmups. I think that’s healthy.”

Four quarterbacks were listed as possible starters for the Yellow Jackets, though it seemed likely either Matthew Jordan or TaQuon Marshall would get the nod. Redshirt freshmen Lucas Johnson and Jay Jones were also competing for playing time.