Today On Rocky Top: Jones Expects Hurd & Malone To Play Early For Vols

Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

From The Tennessean

"Butch Jones doesn’t mince words when discussing the short-term importance of Sumner County freshmen Jalen Hurd and Josh Malone to the Tennessee football program.“They have to play,” Jones said of the former Beech tailback and the ex-Station Camp receiver, both just six weeks into their Volunteer careers after enrolling for spring-semester classes. “That was one of the recruiting sells with them. We don’t have a lot of depth right now in our football program across the board.“We’re going to need them to step up big, and we know they will.”Jones spoke Saturday at SportsFest, a fan-friendly event at Music City Center hosted by 104.5-FM The Zone, to a standing room-only group of UT followers."

From WBIR

"A year after suffering an upset defeat at Missouri, Tennessee withstood a pesky Tigers team to win 56-50 on Sunday afternoon. The 10th-ranked Lady Vols improved to 22-5 overall and 11-3 in the SEC while Missouri is now 16-11 and 5-9 in the league.Meighan Simmons led Tennessee with 20 points while Bashaara Gravesadded 11 as the only other Lady Vol in double-figures. Isabelle Harrison had just five points — but the final four iced the victory."

From The Times Free Press

"Some college basketball coaches almost never seem to get a bad break. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski comes to mind, for instance. And, no, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim didn’t just whisper that in my ear after the block/charge fiasco that sealed the Orange’s road loss to Coach K’s Dookies on Saturday night.Then there’s Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin, who can’t seem to get anything but bad breaks. For proof, just consider Martin’s Saturday, when he diagrammed a play in the final 2.6 seconds of regulation at Texas A&M that could have been the greatest coaching move of his three years in Knoxville.Instead, it may go down as the worst moment of his Big Orange career because just after he signaled for a timeout to draw up that play, the Volunteers’ Antonio Barton buried a 3-pointer that would have won the game."

From The Tennessean

"In case you were wondering, the buyout is $1.56 million.That’s what it would cost the University of Tennessee if it decides to part ways with basketball coach Cuonzo Martin after the season.That’s a lot of money to pay somebody not to work. But it’s nothing new for UT. The Vols rank among the national leaders in buyouts.UT is still on the hook for the bulk of Derek Dooley’s $5 million buyout, which is being paid in installments through December 2016. And don’t forget former athletics director Mike Hamilton. UT still owes four more monthly payments of $37,083.33 to fulfill his $1.335 million in parting gifts.It all adds up. Over the last decade, UT has paid more than $15 million in buyouts to athletics department personnel."