University of Tennessee Athletics
#15/14 Vols Continue to Showcase Impressive Physicality as They Prepare for Road Trip to Arkansas
October 06, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Physicality has been major emphasis on both sides of the ball for No. 15/14 Tennessee through five games this season as the Big Orange has been able to wear down its opponents as games go on.
The Volunteers' defense has stepped up and answered the bell through five games this season and will look to continue its early-season success in the team's first SEC road game this Saturday at Arkansas.
The front seven has played a major role in this year's defensive dominance, causing constant havoc and disruption in the backfield for opposing offenses.
UT enters this weekend's contest in Fayetteville leading the FBS in sacks with 23 while also leading the SEC and ranking tied for fifth nationally with 42 tackles for loss.
"This is probably one of the more enjoyable years I've had because all the guys have bought in," defensive line coach Rodney Garner said on Tuesday. "Everybody wants to be coached. They're hanging on to every word. They're trying to get better. Obviously, we've got to get better. We've got to improve and play a lot smarter than what we're playing."
The tip of the spear for the defensive front has been junior Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam, who has proven to be a game wrecker so far this season from his defensive tackle position by generating consistent pressure in the backfield.
"Obviously, he has really good initial quickness, good short area quickness. He's got natural leverage. He's a very powerful guy," Garner said when asked about Gilliam. "I think he plays violent. He's violent with his hands. He doesn't just step to the offensive line, he's trying to go through them, create knock-back, cause havoc.
"He's doing just an incredible job. I've been very pleased with his growth and how he responded from the spring."
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee has leaned on the run game and its group of diverse and talented running backs, led by SEC Offensive Player of the Week DeSean Bishop, who is coming off a monster performance against Auburn.
Under the direction of assistant coach De'Rail Sims, UT's running back room has placed an emphasis on playing with a physical style that has been a load for opposing defenses to stop.
"That's the number one deal that we look at when we come in the film room on Monday is, how many yards did we get after contact? How many yards did we end up generating after contact on our own, that type deal? So, it's always the first point of emphasis," Sims said after Tuesday's practice. "I think sometimes you get looking at the total amount of yards that we rush for. But man, really, how many yards did we rush for after contact? I think that tells the whole story."
That mentality was on full display by Bishop in the Vols' victory over the Tigers last Saturday, as the senior tallied 182 of his career-high 220 rushing yards after contact and forced 10 missed tackles, according to PFF.com.
Videos and transcripts of Garner's and Sims' Tuesday press conferences can be seen below.
"X (Xavier Gilliam) is doing a tremendous job. He's a joy to coach. Any time you can have a talented young man that's also of the high character that he is, that wants to receive coaching (it's great). Even though he's been in our program only six months, this guy is totally bought in. He is definitely going to be a tremendous VFL. Like I tell everybody, he's one of the best ones I've ever had, not just from a talent standpoint, but just from an overall character and everything that he brings to the table. He's a joy to coach along with the entire room. This is probably one of the more enjoyable years I've had because all the guys have bought in. Everybody wants to be coached. They're hanging on to every word. They're trying to get better. Obviously, we've got to get better. We've got to improve and play a lot smarter than what we're playing."
On why Xavier Gilliam is so impactful…
"Obviously, he has really good initial quickness, good short area quickness. He's got natural leverage. He's a very powerful guy. I think he plays violent. He's violent with his hands. He doesn't just step to the offensive line, he's trying to go through them, create knock-back, cause havoc. He's doing just an incredible job. I've been very pleased with his growth and how he responded from the spring. I think when I first got back, it was a little rough. Got after him really good. I've just seen this kid just buy into it and is really trying to chase greatness every day."
On Carson Gentle's growth and impact on the offense side of the ball…
"I've got my own problems, Austin. I don't get a chance to watch the offense. I'm trying to fix what we did wrong on defense. Carson (Gentle) is a tremendous young man. I think everybody's known that. I've always thought a lot of Carson. I think he's really good for the locker room, really good for the team. He understands the culture that we want. He represents everything that we want in that room. Obviously, he's so valuable because he can play inside, he can play outside. Like you said, he can go and help the offense too. I think he's a very valuable piece of the puzzle that probably doesn't get some of the recognition that he probably deserves. But I'm really glad that he's a part of our program."
On the depth of the line and JJ Finch's impact…
"JJ is a very talented young man. Obviously, he'll have to grow and understand what's required to make the transition from high school to college. The early part, he felt like it was a lot like high school where he didn't really have to practice, he could just show up and play. And that's not the way it works. Obviously, him buying in more, understanding what's required, and knowing that, hey, you can't polish your craft if you don't work at it. Obviously, like I tell him all the time, I know it sounds cliche, if I could spray paint them great, I would, but that ain't the way it works. We got to get out and we got to have iron sharpening iron. Every day we've got to improve from a fundamental standpoint, from a mental standpoint. There's just so much room to grow. When you look at us, I'm pleased with how hard my guys are playing. I'm pleased with how violent they're trying to play and the selflessness that they're playing with as a unit. But one of the areas that I'm probably most disappointed in is that we're not playing as smart as we need to play. So, we've got to improve in that area, and that's one of the things that we're really trying to stress this week. When you look at the plays that we gave up on Saturday, it was guys not playing smart. Not being in the gap or not being lined up correctly, all those little things, they matter. It truly is a game of inches, and we have to stress that every day, how important those minute details are. Those are the things that we're just trying to stress and get across to everybody in that room that we all have to be all in and bought in to what it takes to be a champion."
On if Xavier Gilliam's play standard has elevated the guys around him…
"Yeah, obviously, when you have a guy with that kind of talent, that type of ability, he affects everybody. And especially being the type of young man that he is, everything is positive, you see him coaching the young guys, you see him coaching the vets. He is now becoming more outspoken, more vocal. You see his leadership skills start to take over. He is a positive influence and that's the thing that you try to stress to all of them. All those guys in that room have an opportunity to be an influence. They have to decide if they're going to be a positive influence or a negative influence. For the most part right now, we've got guys that are chasing him and trying to do things the right way, and that's what we all have to do. No one can be satisfied. No one can sit on their laurels. Everybody knows in that room, it's a very young room with all the guys that we lost last year. So, for these guys to have bought in and be able to do some of the things that they've done this year, I'm very excited about what they could be if we cleaned up some stuff and we would just play even smarter."
On how he knew Xavier Gilliam wanted to be coachable…
"Well, he had to make a choice when I came back from that surgery and really getting a chance to experience G and how he was going to handle it. I think it shook him a little bit, but he snapped back and got in tune to what it was going to be because I'm not going to change. I am who I am. That's the way it's going to be. It's going to be the G way or the highway. I really don't care what you think. I'll tell you what I think. I don't really care about your opinion. I'll give it to you. But he received it the right way, and then obviously him receiving it the right way helps others receive it because a lot of guys, when you're put in that situation, you have to make a choice. Are you going to receive it? Because it's constructive. None of it is meant to be destructive, and everything that we're doing is considered constructive criticism. Now, sometimes it may sound a little hurtful, so you may think that but when you sit there and think about it, he wants me to step the right way. He wants to put my hands here. He wants to put my eyes here. All that equates to me being a better player, but yeah, he's about to have an aneurysm over it. But now when I go and do it on the field I see that I'm having a success. Now you can parlay it to what he's been teaching."
On what gave him confidence that a new group of players could affect opposing quarterbacks…
"Well, I mean, I look at it just as a body of work. Obviously, I don't think anybody would ever be satisfied with anything that they're doing, but it was encouraging from the time we got back to what the guys were able to put together in fall camp that I really thought that we had the ingredients. How was it all going to mesh? How was the mix going to come out? Was it going to be a plain layer cake, or was it going to be a red velvet or German chocolate? We just didn't know, but I thought the ingredients were there, so now could we mix it? Could we make it all gel? Could we make it all come together to do something? The thing that I've always stressed to them, man this is not, even though we're a bunch of individuals, we're playing – this is a team sport. This is a team game. It starts with a T, and it ends with a T. Nobody in this program is bigger than the T, so we all have to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to understand what's the greater common cause. And if we'll do that and we're able to play at a high level, then you will get those individual accolades that they all aspire to get. So, these guys have really just really bought into that, and I think for them to have the success, some of the success that they've had, I think has even helped with the buy-in even more."
On challenges for offenses competing against this group due to its balance in production…
"Well, I think obviously they have to count for multiple people. I think the guys that are really taking pride in that hey, if I do my job, I'm setting my buddy up. If I don't do my job, look at him on this tape, how I cost them a sack or I cost myself a TFL. If I had just did my job and not pulled out or not peaked or did something that, hey, man, that this could even be more, I think they are celebrating each other. They're happy for each other. They see that they're all eating. That's what they want to do. They all want to eat. And they're all getting the opportunity to sit down at the table and eat. So, I think that's really helped the buy-in because they see everybody's having success and there is excitement for one another."
On the support given to Coach Inge and his family…
"Well, obviously I think Coach (William) Inge is a really good man. I've been blessed to have gotten to know him in this short period of time. I'm really glad that God brought us all together. It's sort of ironic, my family and his family are really close. The wives are really close because they're probably just alike – they spend a lot of money and talk a lot. So, they have a lot in common, you know. So, me and Coach Inge probably don't talk as much, so when we get around, I just listen to them just and keep my mouth shut. But he's got two beautiful daughters that are real close to my girls and of course Isaiah was a player in my room. So, I just think they're just a great family. And just trying to be there for them because I know if the shoe was on the other foot, I know that William Inge would be there for Rodney Garner and his family. So, I wanted to make sure that I always relayed to him, that no matter what I was going to be there for Rae Ann and those kids, and we're going to stand in the gap until he can fill those roles again."
"That's the number one deal that we look at when we come in the film room on Monday is, how many yards did we get after contact? How many yards did we end up generating after contact on our own, that type deal? So, it's always the first point of emphasis. I think sometimes you get looking at the total amount of yards that we rush for. But man, really, how many yards did we rush for after contact? I think that tells the whole story."
On DeSean Bishop's strength helping with yards after contact and what else goes into it…
"The mentality. The mentality that one guy's not going to bring me down, that it takes all 11 to tackle me. I think that's the number one deal that the whole entire room has, is that mentality. And DeSean showed that on Saturday. The tackles that he had to break, then he ended up going to get plus two, plus three yards. So, I think the mentality that they got inside of them, that's always a big factor."
On what he saw from DeSean Bishop vs. Auburn…
"Well, the number one deal that I liked is he was attacking every single time he touched the football. Like, he had a couple times that it could have been a negative play, that he ended up getting zero and not a negative one. Or it could have been a negative play, and he ended up popping for 17 yards. So, he did a really good job from that standpoint. And you saw him get in his groove as the game went along. I looked at him on the sideline at one point in time. I said, it's just like you're back in high school again now. So, he was getting in his groove. He was getting in his rhythm as he's went along. A couple things we have to clean up, as always. But overall, he had a really good game."
On Daune Morris' fumble vs. Auburn and what he learned from it…
"The number one deal he learned is you have to take care of the ball. One of Coach Heupel's biggest deals is the ball is the program. So, you have to understand that you have everybody's dreams, goals and aspirations in your hand. And you're carrying the whole entire team on your back. The biggest deal is understand, okay, the ball hit the ground. Man, I have to respond from that, okay? I can't go down here and feel like I'm going in the jar. Just keep responding. And I thought he did a good job on the sideline in terms of being encouraging to his teammates. He still went back out there on special teams and made plays as well. But in our room, we understand that that ball comes out, man, come over here and sit with me for a little bit."
On giving DeSean Bishop a high workload…
"Man, the way he was running the football. And he got in his groove, and he got hot and you could just see it that he was getting stronger every single carry that he got. So we kind of just roll with the hot hand on that. But at the same time too, we have to protect the football, so."
On coaching yards after contact…
"We always preach that in the room, number one. That's from the very beginning, we talk about the mentality that we have to have in terms of being attackers in everything that we do. And a lot of guys already have that inside of them. Some guys have that inside of them, it's just hidden a little bit. And it takes time for them to grow and mature, and they end up bringing it out. But the mentality piece of it, they always have to understand they have to be attackers. Even in pass protection as well, you have to be attackers as well."
On Javin Gordon's development while he's been sidelined with an injury…
"He's doing a good job in terms of in the classroom, kind of attacking this deal and continuing to learn and continuing to grow. I think with him it's continued to be a day-by-day deal, as we go through this deal and keep attacking it. The biggest deal with him is the mentality piece of it in terms of the mental game as we continue to keep rolling with him, has continued to get better. He's a guy that's extremely smart. That's the thing that stands out to you, is he's extremely smart. So for him, he picks up very fast. But it's always the intangible piece of it, of my foot placement, my hand placement, my tracks, doing the things that we need to do. So he's done a good job."
On the fourth down stacked short-yardage formation vs. Auburn…
"Man, I think that stack look, everybody from social media, everybody was raving about us getting in that stack look. It's just something that we've been working on and decided to unveil it. Coach Heupel, that's kind of his baby too, so he did a really good job bringing that to the table. So, I had to give him a shout out on that one. But it's something that we've been working on for a minute, and that was the right time to unveil that too."
On why the stacked formation worked…
"The point of attack, you look at that right side of the offensive line, the tight ends, you look at those full backs and those ace backs behind. The point of attack, they blew them off the football. And I thought Bish did a really good job of coming downhill, attacking as well. But you look at that offensive line, those tight ends, how they came off the football, and they moved the line of scrimmage. I thought that was the most impressive thing about it. That's why it worked."
On using more 12 personnel this season…
"It adds a lot because it's different gaps. It's different ways defense have to fit it. It's different personnel groupings. But we're able to do the same deal that we do out of 11 personnel pitches too, so that gives us a different capability in terms of how we're able to go play and keep our same guys on the field."
The Volunteers' defense has stepped up and answered the bell through five games this season and will look to continue its early-season success in the team's first SEC road game this Saturday at Arkansas.
The front seven has played a major role in this year's defensive dominance, causing constant havoc and disruption in the backfield for opposing offenses.
UT enters this weekend's contest in Fayetteville leading the FBS in sacks with 23 while also leading the SEC and ranking tied for fifth nationally with 42 tackles for loss.
"This is probably one of the more enjoyable years I've had because all the guys have bought in," defensive line coach Rodney Garner said on Tuesday. "Everybody wants to be coached. They're hanging on to every word. They're trying to get better. Obviously, we've got to get better. We've got to improve and play a lot smarter than what we're playing."
The tip of the spear for the defensive front has been junior Penn State transfer Xavier Gilliam, who has proven to be a game wrecker so far this season from his defensive tackle position by generating consistent pressure in the backfield.
"Obviously, he has really good initial quickness, good short area quickness. He's got natural leverage. He's a very powerful guy," Garner said when asked about Gilliam. "I think he plays violent. He's violent with his hands. He doesn't just step to the offensive line, he's trying to go through them, create knock-back, cause havoc.
"He's doing just an incredible job. I've been very pleased with his growth and how he responded from the spring."
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee has leaned on the run game and its group of diverse and talented running backs, led by SEC Offensive Player of the Week DeSean Bishop, who is coming off a monster performance against Auburn.
Under the direction of assistant coach De'Rail Sims, UT's running back room has placed an emphasis on playing with a physical style that has been a load for opposing defenses to stop.
"That's the number one deal that we look at when we come in the film room on Monday is, how many yards did we get after contact? How many yards did we end up generating after contact on our own, that type deal? So, it's always the first point of emphasis," Sims said after Tuesday's practice. "I think sometimes you get looking at the total amount of yards that we rush for. But man, really, how many yards did we rush for after contact? I think that tells the whole story."
That mentality was on full display by Bishop in the Vols' victory over the Tigers last Saturday, as the senior tallied 182 of his career-high 220 rushing yards after contact and forced 10 missed tackles, according to PFF.com.
Videos and transcripts of Garner's and Sims' Tuesday press conferences can be seen below.
Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner (Oct. 6, 2026)
On Xavier Gilliam's growth…"X (Xavier Gilliam) is doing a tremendous job. He's a joy to coach. Any time you can have a talented young man that's also of the high character that he is, that wants to receive coaching (it's great). Even though he's been in our program only six months, this guy is totally bought in. He is definitely going to be a tremendous VFL. Like I tell everybody, he's one of the best ones I've ever had, not just from a talent standpoint, but just from an overall character and everything that he brings to the table. He's a joy to coach along with the entire room. This is probably one of the more enjoyable years I've had because all the guys have bought in. Everybody wants to be coached. They're hanging on to every word. They're trying to get better. Obviously, we've got to get better. We've got to improve and play a lot smarter than what we're playing."
On why Xavier Gilliam is so impactful…
"Obviously, he has really good initial quickness, good short area quickness. He's got natural leverage. He's a very powerful guy. I think he plays violent. He's violent with his hands. He doesn't just step to the offensive line, he's trying to go through them, create knock-back, cause havoc. He's doing just an incredible job. I've been very pleased with his growth and how he responded from the spring. I think when I first got back, it was a little rough. Got after him really good. I've just seen this kid just buy into it and is really trying to chase greatness every day."
On Carson Gentle's growth and impact on the offense side of the ball…
"I've got my own problems, Austin. I don't get a chance to watch the offense. I'm trying to fix what we did wrong on defense. Carson (Gentle) is a tremendous young man. I think everybody's known that. I've always thought a lot of Carson. I think he's really good for the locker room, really good for the team. He understands the culture that we want. He represents everything that we want in that room. Obviously, he's so valuable because he can play inside, he can play outside. Like you said, he can go and help the offense too. I think he's a very valuable piece of the puzzle that probably doesn't get some of the recognition that he probably deserves. But I'm really glad that he's a part of our program."
On the depth of the line and JJ Finch's impact…
"JJ is a very talented young man. Obviously, he'll have to grow and understand what's required to make the transition from high school to college. The early part, he felt like it was a lot like high school where he didn't really have to practice, he could just show up and play. And that's not the way it works. Obviously, him buying in more, understanding what's required, and knowing that, hey, you can't polish your craft if you don't work at it. Obviously, like I tell him all the time, I know it sounds cliche, if I could spray paint them great, I would, but that ain't the way it works. We got to get out and we got to have iron sharpening iron. Every day we've got to improve from a fundamental standpoint, from a mental standpoint. There's just so much room to grow. When you look at us, I'm pleased with how hard my guys are playing. I'm pleased with how violent they're trying to play and the selflessness that they're playing with as a unit. But one of the areas that I'm probably most disappointed in is that we're not playing as smart as we need to play. So, we've got to improve in that area, and that's one of the things that we're really trying to stress this week. When you look at the plays that we gave up on Saturday, it was guys not playing smart. Not being in the gap or not being lined up correctly, all those little things, they matter. It truly is a game of inches, and we have to stress that every day, how important those minute details are. Those are the things that we're just trying to stress and get across to everybody in that room that we all have to be all in and bought in to what it takes to be a champion."
On if Xavier Gilliam's play standard has elevated the guys around him…
"Yeah, obviously, when you have a guy with that kind of talent, that type of ability, he affects everybody. And especially being the type of young man that he is, everything is positive, you see him coaching the young guys, you see him coaching the vets. He is now becoming more outspoken, more vocal. You see his leadership skills start to take over. He is a positive influence and that's the thing that you try to stress to all of them. All those guys in that room have an opportunity to be an influence. They have to decide if they're going to be a positive influence or a negative influence. For the most part right now, we've got guys that are chasing him and trying to do things the right way, and that's what we all have to do. No one can be satisfied. No one can sit on their laurels. Everybody knows in that room, it's a very young room with all the guys that we lost last year. So, for these guys to have bought in and be able to do some of the things that they've done this year, I'm very excited about what they could be if we cleaned up some stuff and we would just play even smarter."
On how he knew Xavier Gilliam wanted to be coachable…
"Well, he had to make a choice when I came back from that surgery and really getting a chance to experience G and how he was going to handle it. I think it shook him a little bit, but he snapped back and got in tune to what it was going to be because I'm not going to change. I am who I am. That's the way it's going to be. It's going to be the G way or the highway. I really don't care what you think. I'll tell you what I think. I don't really care about your opinion. I'll give it to you. But he received it the right way, and then obviously him receiving it the right way helps others receive it because a lot of guys, when you're put in that situation, you have to make a choice. Are you going to receive it? Because it's constructive. None of it is meant to be destructive, and everything that we're doing is considered constructive criticism. Now, sometimes it may sound a little hurtful, so you may think that but when you sit there and think about it, he wants me to step the right way. He wants to put my hands here. He wants to put my eyes here. All that equates to me being a better player, but yeah, he's about to have an aneurysm over it. But now when I go and do it on the field I see that I'm having a success. Now you can parlay it to what he's been teaching."
On what gave him confidence that a new group of players could affect opposing quarterbacks…
"Well, I mean, I look at it just as a body of work. Obviously, I don't think anybody would ever be satisfied with anything that they're doing, but it was encouraging from the time we got back to what the guys were able to put together in fall camp that I really thought that we had the ingredients. How was it all going to mesh? How was the mix going to come out? Was it going to be a plain layer cake, or was it going to be a red velvet or German chocolate? We just didn't know, but I thought the ingredients were there, so now could we mix it? Could we make it all gel? Could we make it all come together to do something? The thing that I've always stressed to them, man this is not, even though we're a bunch of individuals, we're playing – this is a team sport. This is a team game. It starts with a T, and it ends with a T. Nobody in this program is bigger than the T, so we all have to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to understand what's the greater common cause. And if we'll do that and we're able to play at a high level, then you will get those individual accolades that they all aspire to get. So, these guys have really just really bought into that, and I think for them to have the success, some of the success that they've had, I think has even helped with the buy-in even more."
On challenges for offenses competing against this group due to its balance in production…
"Well, I think obviously they have to count for multiple people. I think the guys that are really taking pride in that hey, if I do my job, I'm setting my buddy up. If I don't do my job, look at him on this tape, how I cost them a sack or I cost myself a TFL. If I had just did my job and not pulled out or not peaked or did something that, hey, man, that this could even be more, I think they are celebrating each other. They're happy for each other. They see that they're all eating. That's what they want to do. They all want to eat. And they're all getting the opportunity to sit down at the table and eat. So, I think that's really helped the buy-in because they see everybody's having success and there is excitement for one another."
On the support given to Coach Inge and his family…
"Well, obviously I think Coach (William) Inge is a really good man. I've been blessed to have gotten to know him in this short period of time. I'm really glad that God brought us all together. It's sort of ironic, my family and his family are really close. The wives are really close because they're probably just alike – they spend a lot of money and talk a lot. So, they have a lot in common, you know. So, me and Coach Inge probably don't talk as much, so when we get around, I just listen to them just and keep my mouth shut. But he's got two beautiful daughters that are real close to my girls and of course Isaiah was a player in my room. So, I just think they're just a great family. And just trying to be there for them because I know if the shoe was on the other foot, I know that William Inge would be there for Rodney Garner and his family. So, I wanted to make sure that I always relayed to him, that no matter what I was going to be there for Rae Ann and those kids, and we're going to stand in the gap until he can fill those roles again."
Running Backs Coach De'Rail Sims (Oct. 6, 2026)
On the emphasis of pad-plus-two and gaining yards after contact…"That's the number one deal that we look at when we come in the film room on Monday is, how many yards did we get after contact? How many yards did we end up generating after contact on our own, that type deal? So, it's always the first point of emphasis. I think sometimes you get looking at the total amount of yards that we rush for. But man, really, how many yards did we rush for after contact? I think that tells the whole story."
On DeSean Bishop's strength helping with yards after contact and what else goes into it…
"The mentality. The mentality that one guy's not going to bring me down, that it takes all 11 to tackle me. I think that's the number one deal that the whole entire room has, is that mentality. And DeSean showed that on Saturday. The tackles that he had to break, then he ended up going to get plus two, plus three yards. So, I think the mentality that they got inside of them, that's always a big factor."
On what he saw from DeSean Bishop vs. Auburn…
"Well, the number one deal that I liked is he was attacking every single time he touched the football. Like, he had a couple times that it could have been a negative play, that he ended up getting zero and not a negative one. Or it could have been a negative play, and he ended up popping for 17 yards. So, he did a really good job from that standpoint. And you saw him get in his groove as the game went along. I looked at him on the sideline at one point in time. I said, it's just like you're back in high school again now. So, he was getting in his groove. He was getting in his rhythm as he's went along. A couple things we have to clean up, as always. But overall, he had a really good game."
On Daune Morris' fumble vs. Auburn and what he learned from it…
"The number one deal he learned is you have to take care of the ball. One of Coach Heupel's biggest deals is the ball is the program. So, you have to understand that you have everybody's dreams, goals and aspirations in your hand. And you're carrying the whole entire team on your back. The biggest deal is understand, okay, the ball hit the ground. Man, I have to respond from that, okay? I can't go down here and feel like I'm going in the jar. Just keep responding. And I thought he did a good job on the sideline in terms of being encouraging to his teammates. He still went back out there on special teams and made plays as well. But in our room, we understand that that ball comes out, man, come over here and sit with me for a little bit."
On giving DeSean Bishop a high workload…
"Man, the way he was running the football. And he got in his groove, and he got hot and you could just see it that he was getting stronger every single carry that he got. So we kind of just roll with the hot hand on that. But at the same time too, we have to protect the football, so."
On coaching yards after contact…
"We always preach that in the room, number one. That's from the very beginning, we talk about the mentality that we have to have in terms of being attackers in everything that we do. And a lot of guys already have that inside of them. Some guys have that inside of them, it's just hidden a little bit. And it takes time for them to grow and mature, and they end up bringing it out. But the mentality piece of it, they always have to understand they have to be attackers. Even in pass protection as well, you have to be attackers as well."
On Javin Gordon's development while he's been sidelined with an injury…
"He's doing a good job in terms of in the classroom, kind of attacking this deal and continuing to learn and continuing to grow. I think with him it's continued to be a day-by-day deal, as we go through this deal and keep attacking it. The biggest deal with him is the mentality piece of it in terms of the mental game as we continue to keep rolling with him, has continued to get better. He's a guy that's extremely smart. That's the thing that stands out to you, is he's extremely smart. So for him, he picks up very fast. But it's always the intangible piece of it, of my foot placement, my hand placement, my tracks, doing the things that we need to do. So he's done a good job."
On the fourth down stacked short-yardage formation vs. Auburn…
"Man, I think that stack look, everybody from social media, everybody was raving about us getting in that stack look. It's just something that we've been working on and decided to unveil it. Coach Heupel, that's kind of his baby too, so he did a really good job bringing that to the table. So, I had to give him a shout out on that one. But it's something that we've been working on for a minute, and that was the right time to unveil that too."
On why the stacked formation worked…
"The point of attack, you look at that right side of the offensive line, the tight ends, you look at those full backs and those ace backs behind. The point of attack, they blew them off the football. And I thought Bish did a really good job of coming downhill, attacking as well. But you look at that offensive line, those tight ends, how they came off the football, and they moved the line of scrimmage. I thought that was the most impressive thing about it. That's why it worked."
On using more 12 personnel this season…
"It adds a lot because it's different gaps. It's different ways defense have to fit it. It's different personnel groupings. But we're able to do the same deal that we do out of 11 personnel pitches too, so that gives us a different capability in terms of how we're able to go play and keep our same guys on the field."
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballTuesday, October 06
Tuesday, October 06
Tuesday, October 06
Tuesday, October 06
