All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Vols morning report: Jeremy Pruitt, Rick Barnes interviews

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Multiple interviews with Tennessee Vols coaches Rick Barnes and Jeremy Pruitt lead our Oct. 22 Volunteers news.

Preparations continue for the Tennessee Vols football program’s next game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and there is plenty of news on that front from Wednesday. However, the men’s basketball program also made a lot of news as well.

Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with multiple press conferences Jeremy Pruitt had and another one Rick Barnes had about the state of the football and basketball programs. We also have a football transfer story to bring you along with a scheduling update in basketball.

Yes, those two sports dominate our morning headlines. However, the women’s golf program also made some news as well, and we’ll close things out by covering that. Let’s start, though, with the press conferences.

SEC teleconference sees Jeremy Pruitt address QBs – Ryan Callahan, GoVols247

On Wednesday morning, Tennessee Vols football head coach Jeremy Pruitt addressed the quarterback situation at an SEC teleconference, noting that he is still undecided about who would start. Here is a bit of what else he said about the program in the teleconference.

"“Well, I think, through the first four games, this is probably the best Alabama offense that I’ve ever seen since I’ve been alive. They spread you out all over the field. They can run the ball when they want to. They create explosive plays. Lots of dynamic playmakers. They spread it around and make very little mistakes, so it’ll be a huge challenge for us.”"

Jeremy Pruitt speaks after practice – Matthew Ray, SI.com

Following practice Wednesday, Jeremy Pruitt addressed the media for a second time and the final time before their matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Here is a bit of what he said at that press conference.

"“I thought our guys come out there and worked hard today. Really good look by our scout teams, you know, lots of young guys on there that continue to get a lot of reps, some guys that have come off of injuries, and it’s good to seem them out there getting going.”"

Rick Barnes discusses upcoming season – Rob Lewis, VolQuest

With practice underway and the start of the season a little over a month out, Tennessee Vols men’s basketball head coach Rick Barnes met with the media Wednesday to discuss the upcoming season. Barnes notably said that the Wisconsin Badgers and Memphis Tigers games are unlikely to be rescheduled with the pandemic-adjusted slate. Here’s a bit of what else he said.

"“I do think we’ve got a group of guys that blend well. I think our older guys have done a really nice job with the younger guys, and like everyone we are having to deal with the contact tracing on our team. We’ve had stop and go points where we haven’t had our whole team there and we still haven’t had our whole team out on the court yet. The fact is, I do like the effort and intensity.”"

SEC/Big 12 Challenge to feature Tennessee and Kansas again – SECSports.com

For the second straight year, Tennessee basketball will face the Kansas Jayhawks in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. This time, it will be in Knoxville. The Vols lost to Kansas 74-68 on the road last year in the challenge. Kansas finished the season ranked No. 1 before the pandemic shut everything down. UT upset top-ranked and undefeated Kansas the last time they met in Knoxville, in 2010.

"The eighth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge will feature 10 games played on Saturday, January 30, 2021, in a matchup of two premier college basketball conferences.All 10 of the Big 12’s teams and 10 of the SEC’s 14 member institutions will participate in this year’s event. Each of the 10 SEC teams that participated in the 2020 Challenge will be a part of the 2021 event."

Wide receiver enters transfer portal – Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com

Isaiah Montgomery, a redshirt freshman wide receiver for the Tennessee Vols football team, announced on Twitter Wednesday that he is entering the transfer portal. His name does not show up on the official roster on UTSports now. The walk-on’s announcement comes three days before UT is set to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

"The Vols are looking to return to the win column after back-to-back losses to Georgia and Kentucky. Tennessee defeated South Carolina and Missouri to open the season."

Women’s golf finishes sixth at The Ally – UTSports

After moving into second place on the second day of the The Ally at Old Waverly Golf Club Tournament, the Tennessee Lady Vols golf program dropped to sixth on the final day, finishing at six-over par. Two individuals, however, finished in the top 10: Mikayla Bardwell and Vanessa Gilly.

"Following a tie for the lowest round in program history, junior Mikayla Bardwell struggled a bit through the tournament’s final day, posting a 2-over par score of 74 to finish in a tie for third at -6 for the tournament.Despite a tough final round, Bardwell’s three-day total of 210 is the lowest 54-hole score of her career, her third-place finish is the best finish of her career and her tournament score of -6 is her lowest 54-hole score in relation to par of her career."

Home/Tennessee Volunteers