After another tough beat to a top SEC opponent, UT coach Butch Jones conducted what was his fourth weekly press conference this season following a loss. Here are the highlights:
Jones began by recognizing Tennessee sports columnist David Climer, who’s been covering the Volunteers for decades.
Butch Jones opens his press conference with a shout-out to the retiring @DavidClimer.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) October 26, 2015
The conversation quickly segued onto the field, where the Volunteers couldn’t hang onto the victory last Saturday against Alabama.
JONES: We played winning football for 56 minutes. Now how do we elevate our play to finish games off? That will be the topic again today.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2015
With 5:49 left in the fourth quarter RB Jalen Hurd scrambled outside a 12-yard touchdown run to put Tennessee up 14-13. Eight plays and 71 yards later Bama took a 19-14 lead with 2:24 that they would hold onto until the final whistle. At (3-4) on the year, Tennessee now heads to the easiest part of their schedule to salvage what’s left of a disappointing season.
JONES: I have a lot of respect for what Mark Stoops is building at Kentucky. He's doing a great job there. Very, very explosive offense.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2015
The (4-3) record of next week’s opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, is the only one left on Tennessee’s schedule that’s above .500.
JONES: We had 10 tackles for loss, we were able to impact the QB for 5 sacks. We were able to create 3rd & long situations
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2015
Tennessee’s pass rush and passing offense continue to show signs of improvement after a troublesome start to the season for dual-threat QB Joshua Dobbs. With only 19 rushing yards on 16 carries last week (1.2 yards per carry average) against the Crimson Tide, the offensive line will need to open up better rushing lanes for their playmaker at quarter back. The return of offensive guard Jashon Robertson should help.
JONES: We anticipate Jashon Robertson being ready to play.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2015
Despite going 0-3 against Alabama, Jones continues to stand by his struggling place kicker.
JONES: We believe in Aaron Medley. He's shown it, he's proven it. We have great confidence in him. He went back to work on it on Sunday.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2015
On the season Medley has missed, eight, almost as many kicks as he’s made, nine.
The five point loss to Alabama brings Jones’s third year record at Tennessee to 15-17 as the team’s final five games may be the coach’s final shot to guarantee his job next year. Tennessee’s opponents from here on out are a combined 14-22.
