Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones held his weekly Wednesday press conference ahead of the Vols’ match-up against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
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If he’s truly a dead man walking as Tennessee football’s head coach, Butch Jones didn’t show it Wednesday. He still seemed like the regular guy leading the program and looked pretty relaxed at the podium while taking questions.
Jones spoke on preparations for the Vols’ showdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. Coming off a bye week, it’s no secret that he has to pull off a miracle to win back the fan base.
Beating South Carolina alone isn’t going to do that. But it’s a way to avoid getting fired immediately.
Here are three key takeaways from Butch Jones’s Wednesday media session. You can see the full video of the press conference at the top of this story.
1. Evan Berry and Jakob Johnson are still out.
Tennessee football is still missing two key seniors for this game, as Butch Jones confirmed that Evan Berry and Jakob Johnson are both still hurt. Although they’re progressing, their absences are huge for Saturday.
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Johnson is a key complementary tight end, and the Vols will need all the blocking help they can get this Saturday. Meanwhile, they will likely desperately need some big special teams plays, and with Todd Kelly Jr. hurt, they’re also thin on the back end at safety right now. That makes Berry’s injury a killer.
2. The quarterback switch is confirmed.
We all knew it, but Butch Jones officially confirmed Wednesday that Quinten Dormady is now second string while Jarrett Guarantano moved up to first string. However, the good news is that Jones noted Dormady had one of his better practices Tuesday. On top of that, he added that Dormady is a competitor and disappointed but is accepting his role.
At least at that point the Vols could turn back to him if they need to. And they may need him. South Carolina’s defense is not the team you want your quarterback to have his first start against. So Guarantano could struggle significantly if this team isn’t careful.
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3. Defense is progressing.
Tennessee football has a rush defense outside of the Top 100 right now and a pass defense in the Top 5. But when you look at the teams they’ve faced, specifically the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to open the season, that doesn’t say much about where the defense is.
However, Jones appeared clearly encouraged by the unit. He talked up the progression of Shy Tuttle to close out the press conference. And he added they’re getting better all the way around, from tackling better to filling more gaps. With the off-week, they need to take an even bigger step Saturday. Otherwise, this team will have no chance at all.