University of Tennessee Athletics
Rested Vols Off To Fast Bowl Prep Start
December 14, 2015 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The last time the Tennessee Volunteers were together on the football field, they were putting the final touches on a 53-28 victory over Vanderbilt.
With finals in the rear view mirror and a bid to the Outback Bowl secured, the Vols returned to the field together on Monday to begin formal preparations for Northwestern.
"To me, this is one of the greatest times of the year," head coach Butch Jones said of the start of bowl practice. "You have no distractions, everyone is home for break. It's just you and your football team preparing to play a bowl game and it's the time spent with your teammates after practice."
The Outback Bowl will be the final game in orange for senior offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson. Beyond going out on a winning note, Kerbyson is also focused on soaking up every extra moment with his teammates and on the field.
"It's good to be back with the guys and share some time with them," Kerbyson said. "I feel like that's the one thing I can take out of this because it's my last go, try to have as much fun as I can with the guys and enjoy the whole process."
The defense was excited to get back to work as well. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin relished the opportunity to be on the field to start prep for the Wildcats.
"It's definitely good to be back out there with my guys," Reeves-Maybin said. "No one is here on campus, so there aren't any distractions, we can just focus on football. Practice was really up-tempo and upbeat."
The rest between the conclusion of the regular season and the start of bowl practice may leave some teams rusty, but not Tennessee. The rest allowed the bumps and bruises from a grueling SEC schedule to heal and had the players flying around the practice field.
"There was definitely a lot of energy out there," said senior defensive back Brian Randolph. "Our legs were fresh, everybody just wanted to get back out there to do something that we love."
With classes out, the practice schedule moved up in the day to begin the process of mimicking the noon kickoff Tennessee will have on Jan. 1.
The pace and tempo of practice was exactly what Jones was looking for. The coaches can draw up a shorter, more intense practice plan, but it was up to the players to execute it. They did that to perfection.
"We don't burn our players out," Jones said. "That's why practices are crisp and short, we get them off the field and then they have time to grow and develop. For our younger players, this time that they can develop in the weight room, that gives them a jumpstart on spring football."
The work with the younger players is something that also stuck with Kerbyson. It is another way for him to leave his mark on the players that he has had the chance to mentor all season.
"They're looking to us to see what we do and see how we go about our business and handle ourselves," Kerbyson said. "That's what they've done all season to understand how stuff works. I think they're trying to soak up everything they can. Once this bowl game is done, they're sophomores."
