Tennessee Vols morning report: Phillip Fulmer recaps 2019 football season
Athletic director Phillip Fulmer recapping the 2019 Tennessee Vols football season leads our Volunteers news for Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.
As the Tennessee Vols football offseason continues, there are still residual stories looking back on the year that just occurred coming up on a daily basis. And they are all relevant. One of them is a big part of the news for today.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with UT’s athletic director weighing in on the year that just ended. Obviously, he has a vested in interest in what happens to the program under Jeremy Pruitt, so his takes are always relevant.
We also have a couple of recaps and previews to bring you. Quotes from coaches and players after a big Lady Vols win, a men’s basketball preview that involves quotes from Rick Barnes and a men’s tennis recap are all on the table. But let’s start with the football coverage.
Phillip Fulmer recaps 2019 football season – Paul Finebaum Show, ESPN.com
On Monday, Phillip Fulmer spoke with Tony Barnhart, who was filling in for Paul Finebaum on the Paul Finebaum show, to recap the 2019 Tennessee Vols football season. He discussed the “We Back Pat” week, resuming the UConn rivalry and the state of the football program. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“This is a team (in 2019) that really got better during the course of the year. Coach Pruitt did a great job of holding it together. And the staff did a great job.”"
Rick Barnes speaks ahead of Ole Miss matchup – Sports Radio WNML
Coming off their win over the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team returns home to host the Ole Miss Rebels, who are 9-8 and 0-4 in the SEC, at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday night. Rick Barnes met with the media ahead of practice on Monday to discuss the game and other news related to his team, which is 11-6 and 3-2 in the SEC. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“Again, if you look around our league, I don’t care who it is, if you’re not ready to play you’re going to get beat. When I say ready to play, you hope you can make some shots and do all that, but the fact is it has to be a conscious effort that you know that they’re going to play hard.”"
Kellie Harper, players react to Alabama win – Maria Cornelius, GoVols247
The Tennessee Lady Vols ended a five-game losing streak to the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 65-63 win thanks to a long, game-winning three-pointer by Rennia Davis with less than a second left to improve to 15-3 and 5-1 in league play. Harper, Davis, Jordan Horston and Lou Brown all spoke after the game. Here’s a bit of what Harper said.
"“I’m glad we were able to find a way to get a win. That’s a pretty tough basketball game that we played tonight. They made a bunch of shots going down the stretch. I’m proud of our team for hanging in there.”"
Men’s tennis remains undefeated with two wins Monday – UTSports
With 7-0 sweeps over Penn and The Citadel Monday, the No. 18 ranked Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team moved to 5-0 on the season. Their next match is Saturday against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Knoxville.
"Individually, three of the Vols’ main starters are still undefeated in singles play as senior Luca Wiedenmann improved to 5-0 with two wins on the day while 23rd-ranked Adam Walton and graduate transfer Giles Hussey moved to 4-0. In doubles, Walton is now 5-0 with three victories coming with junior Mark Wallner and two more wins paired with sophomore Martim Prata. Hussey has paired with senior Scott Jones in doubles and the duo stand at 4-0 after Monday’s matches."