Tag: Matthew Butler

Tennessee defensive lineman set to return for 2021 season

The University of Tennessee’s 2021 football season is slated to kick off Sept. 4 against Bowling Green at Neyland Stadium.

The University of Tennessee’s 2021 football season is slated to kick off Sept. 4 against Bowling Green at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols learned Monday that senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler will return for the 2021 season. He has one extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 6-foot-4, 291-pound defensive lineman has appeared in 40 games for the Vols since 2017, starting 13 contests.

He has totaled 105 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three pass deflections and forced one fumble.

Butler is from Garner Senior High School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 17, 2020 – Defensive lineman Matthew Butler #94 of the Tennessee Volunteers during practice on Haslam Field in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

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Matthew Butler discusses Jeremy Pruitt overseeing Vols’ defensive line unit

Matthew Butler discusses Jeremy Pruitt overseeing Vols’ defensive line unit.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee (2-3, 2-3 SEC) will have an off week following a loss to Alabama Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Ahead of playing Alabama, Jeremy Pruitt relieved defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh of his duties. Pruitt is now overseeing Tennessee’s defensive line unit for the remainder of the season.

Following the Alabama game, senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler discussed if he has noticed any changes since Pruitt began coaching the unit.

“In some small ways, but a little does go a long way,” Butler said. “Our style of coaching and what we did during practice changed, and like I said, a little goes a long way. Sometimes it doesn’t happen like that, but we’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing and doing it better until nobody can stop us as a team.”

Vols’ coaching staff change ‘something that has been boiling for several weeks’

Matthew Butler. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Butler mentioned that Tennessee has to “eliminate mistakes” for the defense to improve.

“We have to eliminate mistakes in the front, second level and the back end,” he said. “We have to play collectively as a unit and when I say that, I just mean clean football. Stringing together multiple plays where all 11 people on the field are doing things perfectly, immaculately. As far as physicality and toughness, we have to raise that level and bring guys along with us while we’re doing that.”

Tennessee’s next game will take place at Arkansas on Nov. 7.

Matthew Butler details Tennessee facing Kentucky’s offense

Matthew Butler details Tennessee facing Kentucky’s offense.

KNOXVILLE – No. 17 Tennessee (2-1, 2-1 SEC) will face Kentucky (1-2, 1-2 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium (noon EDT, SEC Network).

Kentucky’s offense enters the matchup averaging 212.3 rushing yards per contest. The Wildcats are also averaging 154.3 passing yards each game this season.

Kentucky’s rushing stats this season

  • Quarterback, Terry Wilson — 221 yards, three touchdowns
  • Running back, Christopher Rodriguez Jr. — 184 rushing yards, three touchdowns
  • Running back, Asim Rose — 170 yards, one touchdown
  • Running back, Kavosiey Smoke — 91 yards, one touchdown
UK QB Terry Wilson runs the ball during the University of Kentucky football game against Mississippi State at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

Mike Weaver/Special to Courier Journal-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Ahead of the contest, Tennessee senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler discussed facing Kentucky’s offense.

“They have a good running back who has racked up a lot of yards in his career, they also have a quarterback, just like last year, who can run the ball – who’s fast, athletic, can run the ball, pass the ball a little bit as well,” Butler said. “I would say in some ways we take the same approach as we did last year, as a defensive line being able to plug those interior gaps, get off blocks, to set edges and have contain, and just be ready to run, for sure, because if you can bounce it outside, the sideline is our friend, make those tackles just like we did a good bit last year — and like we want to do every game because it’s the SEC. It’s a run first league.”

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Matthew Butler details Tennessee facing Kentucky’s offense

Matthew Butler details Tennessee facing Kentucky’s offense.

KNOXVILLE – No. 17 Tennessee (2-1, 2-1 SEC) will face Kentucky (1-2, 1-2 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium (noon EDT, SEC Network).

Kentucky’s offense enters the matchup averaging 212.3 rushing yards per contest. The Wildcats are also averaging 154.3 passing yards each game this season.

Kentucky’s rushing stats this season

  • Quarterback, Terry Wilson — 221 yards, three touchdowns
  • Running back, Christopher Rodriguez Jr. — 184 rushing yards, three touchdowns
  • Running back, Asim Rose — 170 yards, one touchdown
  • Running back, Kavosiey Smoke — 91 yards, one touchdown
UK QB Terry Wilson runs the ball during the University of Kentucky football game against Mississippi State at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

Mike Weaver/Special to Courier Journal-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Ahead of the contest, Tennessee senior defensive lineman Matthew Butler discussed facing Kentucky’s offense.

“They have a good running back who has racked up a lot of yards in his career, they also have a quarterback, just like last year, who can run the ball – who’s fast, athletic, can run the ball, pass the ball a little bit as well,” Butler said. “I would say in some ways we take the same approach as we did last year, as a defensive line being able to plug those interior gaps, get off blocks, to set edges and have contain, and just be ready to run, for sure, because if you can bounce it outside, the sideline is our friend, make those tackles just like we did a good bit last year — and like we want to do every game because it’s the SEC. It’s a run first league.”

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Matthew Butler discusses Jimmy Brumbaugh overseeing Vols’ defensive line

Matthew Butler discusses Jimmy Brumbaugh overseeing Vols’ defensive line.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler enters his senior season in 2020.

Butler will have Jimmy Brumbaugh overseeing the defensive line unit this season. Brumbaugh was hired during the offseason, replacing Tracy Rocker.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

During the second week of fall training camp, Butler discussed Brumbaugh’s time with the Vols’ defensive line unit. Butler said that Brumbaugh’s “second day here, he pulled up the Georgia game.”

“With all due respect to a formidable opponent in Georgia, we could have done some things differently in that game, so that it would have a different outcome,” Butler said on a Zoom call with media. “He pointed out some things that maybe, may have been overlooked, things that could have changed the game, that could have really impacted the game, just with a few details.

“That kind of shows, that he had already watched the game and went through it with a fine comb. That’s pretty impressive from a player-to-coach standpoint, and it’s also good to hear that you can improve.”

Tennessee will kick off the 2020 season Sept. 26 at South Carolina. The Vols will play at Georgia in Week 3 on Oct. 10.

Matthew Butler named to SEC’s Community Service Team

Matthew Butler named to SEC’s Community Service Team.

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler has been named to the Southeastern Conference’s Community Service Team.

UT press release:

Tennessee’s defensive lineman Matthew Butler has been named to the SEC’s Community Service Team for football, announced the conference on Wednesday.

A player was selected from each one of the conference’s 14 institutions to highlight a student-athlete who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.

Butler was recognized for his continued commitment to both local and international communities.

The junior logged over 65 hours of community service over the last semester, including a two-week sports-based service trip to Rwanda as part of the VOLeaders Academy.

He was one of three football student-athletes selected for the VOLeaders Academy, which is a program that aims to cultivate positive student-athlete leaders through sport to create positive social change. Student-athletes admitted into the VOLeaders Academy learn how to be a positive force for their team, campus, and local and global communities.

Classmate Trey Smith was selected to the Community Service Team last year for the Vols.

 

UT News: November 27, 2019

UT News: November 27, 2019

We have reached the middle of the week — and also the day before Thanksgiving — which means football is in the air, as the Volunteers gear up for their final regular-season game against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Vols have been on a roll in the athletics realm, but they have also excelled in the classroom as well. Speaking of doing well, the Lady Vols basketball team continues to roll along after defeating the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions last night, and their coach had a few things to say about the hot start. The hottest of them all might be quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, but let us discuss the academic accolades first.

Record four Vols make academic all-district team

The Tennessee Volunteers have scored big in the classroom, with four football players earning CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honors — the most among Power 5 programs.

Redshirt senior offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy, redshirt junior offensive lineman Ryan Johnson, junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler and sophomore punter/kicker Paxton Brooks were selected by CoSIDA in District 3 this month for their combined excellence both in athletics and academics. The four are also eligible for Academic All-American honors as well.

Johnson received his second consecutive selection — only the third Vol ever to earn the feat, with Parker Henry and Peyton Manning being the only other two. Overall, Tennessee now has 32 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.

NEXT: Coach Harper breaks the Lady Vols down

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UT football sets school record with four Vols named to CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team

UT football sets school record with four Vols named to CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee football team set a school record with four Vols being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

UT press release:

The Tennessee football team set a school record with four Vols collecting CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honors this fall, the most of any Power 5 program.

Redshirt senior offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy, redshirt junior offensive lineman Ryan Johnson, junior defensive lineman Matthew Butler and sophomore punter/kicker Paxton Brooks were selected for the honor in District 3 by CoSIDA this month. The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Tennessee’s quartet is eligible to be named Academic All-Americans this season, as well.

Johnson was selected to the All-District First Team for the second straight season, making him only the third Vol ever to receive the honor in back-to-back years, joining holder Parker Henry (2016-17) and quarterback Peyton Manning (1996-97). Kicker Daniel Lincoln also won the award twice, but not in consecutive seasons (2007, 2009).

Overall, Tennessee now has 32 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.

Tennessee’s previous school-record for most All-District winners was three in 2016. The Academic All-District Team has been recognized since at least 1956.

Brooks, who holds a 3.98 GPA and is majoring in Kinesiology, was selected for the First Team as a specialist.

Kennedy holds a 3.84 GPA while working on his master’s degree in sports psychology and motor behavior. He is set to graduate in December and will have a sixth year of eligibility remaining. Kennedy earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation and sports management from Alabama in three years before transferring to Tennessee.

Kennedy is the Vols’ starting center and is the only Vol to start every game on the offensive line. He captured SEC Offensive Line of the Week honors following a dominant performance against South Carolina in October and has paved the way for UT’s offensive success with four different players lining up at quarterback this fall.

Johnson is an All-District First Team honoree for a second consecutive season. He has a 3.88 GPA while working on his master’s in structural engineering after graduating in three years with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Johnson has appeared in every game this season while making three starts at guard. He was also chosen to be in this year’s VOLeaders Academy class.

Butler holds a 3.64 GPA and is majoring in political science. He is a member of the VOLeaders Academy and traveled to Rwanda this summer as part of community service and educational trip with the program.

Student-athletes eligible for Academic All-District status are those holding a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale). Nominees must also have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and have completed at least one calendar year at the institution.