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For the first time in several seasons, Tennessee finished the regular season the right way.
The second year of the Jeremy Pruitt ended the way the first year was supposed to end for the Volunteers as Tennessee put Vanderbilt away with a 28-10 win to improve to 7-5 on the season.
The win came following an outstanding performance by freshman running back Eric Gray, who busted loose for 246 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Following the game, Pruitt met with the media to discuss his team’s latest win. Here are the highlights from his presser:
on Eric Gray and why Ty Chandler didn’t play:
“Ty has had a banged-up ankle so we started with Tim (Jordan), Eric was going to be the next guy in and he got hot there. You think about (his performance), a record at the University of Tennessee, think about all the good runners that’s come through here. That says a whole heck of a lot about everybody involved, starting with the quarterback getting us in the right plays, with the offensive staff doing a heck of a job game planning and the front – the tight ends, receivers blocking downfield, finishing runs. It’s a great accomplishment.”
on Jauan Jennings stepping up late in the game:
“I think you’ve seen over the last few years with him and Callaway, those guys are playmakers. They have a large catch radius, they are really good competitors running their routes. They are instinctive guys and if you get it close to them, most of the time they catch it.”
on this senior class at Tennessee:
“These seniors, their attitude was, ‘coach me, Coach.’ Whatever they needed to do to improve, whatever they needed to do help us get to the next step. To me, we have good leaders on our team but it says to me that we have good players on our team. It doesn’t do you any good, with leadership, if the guys don’t want to follow leadership. I think that says a lot about our team itself.”
on the growth of his program:
“Unless you were here the first day I walked in this building, I don’t think you understand how far we actually have come. Coach Fulmer was here. It’s a long ways. I can assure you that. Our guys, I’m excited for them, the way they feel, the confidence they have. We are playing with so much more confidence. Believing in themselves, believing in each other. You thin about the last five wins, different points in the game where someone different stepped up, a different unit stepped up and found a way. That’s what good football teams do, you have to find a way. Even when you aren’t playing your best.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
