Following Saturday’s devastating 26-20 loss to Florida on the last second 63-yard heave from Gator quarterback Feleipe Franks, Tennessee head coach has some serious damage control on his hands.

With many locals calling for his job and the Internet mob eager to mock the team, how Jones and his program respond to the tough loss will go along way in determining his future in Knoxville.

Jones met with the media Monday. Here’s what he had to say during the press conference:

  • Opening statement: Very disappointing loss, our will gave us a chance to win but our execution did not. Lack of red zone efficiency. We turned the ball over, we gave up seven points on the other side. Had too many missed tackles. I’m responsible, it’s on me. The effort we gave was remarkable. The Justin Martin play where he knocked the ball out was incredible. We cannot and will not ignore the important details of winning football.
  • Status of Toddy Kelly Jr? “We do not anticipate getting Todd Kelly back. He’s out indefinitely.”
  • Will backup QB Jarrett Guarantano get a look? The QB is always a byproduct of the individuals around him. We had too many errors around him. Quinten Dormady cannot compile mistakes, one missed assignment or read cannot be overcome by trying too hard on the next play.
  • Cortez McDowell’s status? Unfortunately, Cortez McDowell is out for the year. We will miss him on defense and special teams.
  • On John Kelly’s penalty after scoring: The energy and passion is John Kelly’s edge. That’s what makes him what he is. The heat of the moment. He knows he can’t do that, he acknowledged that as soon as he came off the field. He was the first one to say he screwed up.
  • How do you recover from that loss? All of our players were in the building yesterday, which is great to see. I pulled some of them aside and they understand that it’s a long season. We have a 24-hour rule, when we report back Monday, it’s all on UMass. We made progress from Game 1 to Game 2 to Saturday. We will be better for it, we have to move on.
  • Status of Shaq Wiggins? His status is the same, he’s competing for playing time. Shaq just wants to play and I appreciate that. He needs to do everything he can to get his mind and body ready to play.
  • Status of Tyler Byrd? You will see him continue to grow, missing a week really set him back. I expect him to be more involved offensively. He wants to help the team as much as possible.
  • On why Tennessee didn’t run a Dime defense at the end of Florida game: They had 9 seconds left, they have an outstanding field goal kicker and we were trying to limit the middle of the field. Once we let the QB leave the pocket, that’s where the play broke down.
  • On the short yardage situation offense: They did a good job of moving the front. 3rd and short we have to convert. That will be a point of emphasis this week.
  • Jones also confirmed Jauan Jennings is out for the season