KNOXVILLE — Tennessee enters an off week following a 48-17 loss to Alabama.
The Vols will return to action Nov. 7 at Arkansas.
Following Tennessee’s loss to Alabama, third-year UT head coach Jeremy Pruitt mentioned that the gap is closing to compete with programs such as the Crimson Tide.
“I was here three years ago when I walked in the room the first day. I know the people that are on their sideline and I know the people that are on our sideline. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea and have been around some pretty good football teams to know when I see one and know when one is getting closer.” — Jeremy Pruitt on why he believes the gap is closing between Tennessee and Alabama.
Junior defensive back Bryce Thompson also discussed the direction of the program after losing to Alabama, saying that the team is lacking leadership.
Bryce Thompson says on Instagram Live that the team is lacking leadership and they will get things turned around after the BYE week.
— Dan Harralson (@danharralson) October 25, 2020
College Football Hall of Fame and former Tennessee linebacker Steve Kiner discussed the Vols’ program after five games this season and heading into an open date. He played for the Vols from 1967-69 under head coach Doug Dickey and alongside teammate Phillip Fulmer.
Kiner told Vols Wire that Pruitt’s mentality of Tennessee’s program closing the gap with the likes of Alabama “is a smart way to look at it.”
“Phillip is not used to being a second tier team,” Kiner said of Fulmer who is in his third year as Tennessee’s Director of Athletics. “He is used to at least competing for a championship.”
In order for Tennessee to take the next step in competing for championships, as Pruitt continues to field players from the recruiting trail to close a gap with Alabama from a talent standpoint, Kiner understands leadership needs to be at the forefront.
“It is a team sport and not an individual thing,” Kiner said. “The quarterback is usually one of the team leaders and there is usually someone on the defensive side of the ball, whether it is a defensive back, linebacker or defensive lineman. There is usually someone that sets the bar. They are not playing as a team.
“The thing we did that was a consensus mindset was that the best player on the field is the guy that is lined up next to you. That’s how you play. You always play up to the level of the person lined up next to you. That worked real well. That was one of Dickey’s ideas of how you are supposed to play the game. If the guy is not playing up to the level that you expect him to play, you would tell them to get it together. Dickey has an old adage that he used to say about having to rise to the occasion. When it’s all said and done you have to play up to the level of whoever you are playing if you want to have any kind of chance of having a great season.”