Latest / The Mike Keith Show / The Mike Keith Show | ALYSSA LANG, TJ METCALF, JOSH ELANDER (9.23.26)

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The Mike Keith Show | ALYSSA LANG, TJ METCALF, JOSH ELANDER (9.23.26) · The Mike Keith Show

0:00
SPEAKER_09: From the peaks of the smokies to the banks of the Mississippi.
0:06
SPEAKER_09: This is your home for the University of Tennessee.
0:20
SPEAKER_09: This is the Vault Network.
0:26
SPEAKER_09: Inside Access, behind the scenes.
0:29
SPEAKER_09: From Rocky Top, direct from the coaches.
0:32
SPEAKER_09: Inside from the players, the inside track.
0:36
SPEAKER_09: Mike Keith starts now.
0:41
SPEAKER_06: Welcome to the show, and man, do we have a lot of ground to cover.
0:45
SPEAKER_06: ESPN and the SEC Network's Alyssa Lang joins me to talk about Tennessee and Texas and what will be a huge final weekend of September for SEC football.
0:56
SPEAKER_06: Tennessee baseball starts fall practice Friday, so head coach Josh Elander updates us on what figures to be an eventful few weeks for his team.
1:06
SPEAKER_06: You'll meet one of Tennessee basketball's newest members, the ever-talented, ever-personable Jalen Harrelson.
1:14
SPEAKER_06: And Andy Brock is by with your questions, sent in to our Vol Network text line in our Andy Asks segment, sponsored by First Horizon.
1:26
SPEAKER_06: But in the number one position in this Mike Keith show is number one himself, Tennessee safety TJ Metcalf.
1:34
SPEAKER_06: The Birmingham native transferred to Knoxville from Michigan, and he's been a starter from day one.
1:40
SPEAKER_06: Metcalf has 11 tackles in the first three games this season, and he hopes that his first big play comes Saturday against Texas.
1:49
SPEAKER_06: Get to know TJ Metcalf as our leadoff guest on the Mike Keith show.
1:54
SPEAKER_06: TJ Metcalf, a little change up for you in camp when Idris Farouk gets hurt.
2:00
SPEAKER_06: Your running made it safety.
2:02
SPEAKER_06: How did that change things for you after you had built that bond with Farouk through spraying in part of camp?
2:11
SPEAKER_17: I mean, obviously, like, you know, it hurts.
2:13
SPEAKER_17: Um, because right when I got in, um, you know, he was one of those guys that I could just tell, you know, just besides, you know, his his field of play, like the type of guy he is, and his just his work of ethic ethic, you know, his character, like all that, you know, it made me want to become close with him.
2:33
SPEAKER_17: And uh I feel like, you know, that pushed him to be, you know, very good on the field.
2:38
SPEAKER_17: But, you know, when he went down, it was uh, you know, it it hurt.
2:41
SPEAKER_17: But, you know, I always, you know, just let him know that, you know, we here for you.
2:45
SPEAKER_17: Sure.
2:45
SPEAKER_17: We still gonna fight for you.
2:47
SPEAKER_17: Um you know, all that I asked for you is to still, you know, be a part, you know, of this team.
2:52
SPEAKER_17: And I know that he's for sure is.
2:55
SPEAKER_17: Um, he's a great, you know, friend, teammate, you know, all the above.
2:59
SPEAKER_17: And but like like you said, like when he went down, you know, it was it was pretty hurtful.
3:04
SPEAKER_17: But I feel like as a group, you know, I kinda got everybody, you know, around and just told him, especially for the young guys, like, you know, you don't have time to be young.
3:13
SPEAKER_17: Um, you never know when it's gonna be your last snap, so you gotta you know take everything, you know, each step at a time.
3:20
SPEAKER_17: Like, don't take it for granted because you never know.
3:22
SPEAKER_17: And you know, I I this is my fourth year, and I've seen a lot of things happen.
3:27
SPEAKER_17: A lot of things similar to this situation.
3:29
SPEAKER_17: You know, when new guys come in and you know, I have to learn a whole a whole scheme and you know they have to be ready for when their numbers call.
3:35
SPEAKER_17: But you know, just for you know, the older guys like, you know, me, Dede, um, D Lou, see it, DJ Burks, all those guys, like I feel like we've done a great job coming together, making sure that the defense is, you know, being ran, you know, as it needs to be, and that we just playing with great effort in the back end.
3:53
SPEAKER_06: Coach Knowles is so fascinating on the practice field.
3:57
SPEAKER_06: He's you laugh already.
3:59
SPEAKER_06: He's way back in the back.
4:01
SPEAKER_06: He's not a screamer or a yeller, or I mean, he lets his coaches coach on defense and he will come up and make adjustments or say certain things.
4:11
SPEAKER_06: What's it like to be on the field with him and then to be in the meeting rooms and around the building with Jim Knowles?
4:18
SPEAKER_17: Uh, I mean, like you say, he's kind of a he is a fascinating guy.
4:22
SPEAKER_17: He's very different uh in his culture style.
4:25
SPEAKER_17: He is gonna sit in the back of the end zone.
4:27
SPEAKER_17: He's a great observer.
4:29
SPEAKER_17: That's what I learned about him.
4:30
SPEAKER_17: He sees everything.
4:31
SPEAKER_17: Um, there's nothing that you know go out of his sight of vision.
4:35
SPEAKER_17: Um right when we get to the meeting room, it's if it's something that we didn't see on the field, it's gonna get brought up in the meeting room.
4:41
SPEAKER_17: Like everything that's an error and a mistake, you know, he's gonna get it fixed.
4:45
SPEAKER_17: He's not gonna stop, you know, until it gets fixed.
4:48
SPEAKER_17: And I feel like that's his whole philosophy of, you know, executing the right way, doing it, you know, the the way it needs to be done, and just getting better while we execute our defense.
5:00
SPEAKER_06: Why do defensive players love Jim Knowles so much?
5:03
SPEAKER_17: I feel like he just gives everybody uh a toolbox.
5:06
SPEAKER_17: Like we and it's a deep toolbox.
5:08
SPEAKER_17: Like we get a lot of things to play in each coverage, and I feel like the D-line, you know, they have their own toolbox as well.
5:15
SPEAKER_17: They get to do a lot of different stunts.
5:18
SPEAKER_17: And I feel like, you know, just kudos to everybody on the defense.
5:21
SPEAKER_17: Like we have a lot of things to do, a lot of things that we can pull out of our bags, but everyone is capable and everyone is, you know, has the knowledge to know when and when not to use those different tools.
5:35
SPEAKER_06: Who does TJ Metcalf enjoy watching on the Tennessee defense?
5:41
SPEAKER_17: I mean, before uh Aegis went down, it was definitely him.
5:45
SPEAKER_17: Uh he you know, he he sparked something, you know.
5:48
SPEAKER_17: It's a heat-seeking missile, isn't it?
5:50
SPEAKER_17: Yeah, like he he knows what he's doing on the field.
5:53
SPEAKER_17: Um when the ball is in the air, anywhere in his range of Brady is like he's going to get it.
5:58
SPEAKER_17: Uh, and the ball just finds him.
6:00
SPEAKER_17: And you know, no guys not uh come close to you know players like that.
6:05
SPEAKER_06: Who else would you say you else would I say?
6:07
SPEAKER_06: Would you when you watch tape of the Tennessee defense?
6:11
SPEAKER_06: Uh I just who jumps out to you?
6:13
SPEAKER_17: I say T Lander, Jeremiah.
6:15
SPEAKER_06: Jeremia T.
6:16
SPEAKER_06: Lander.
6:16
SPEAKER_17: Yeah.
6:17
SPEAKER_17: Why?
6:17
SPEAKER_17: Uh I mean the first couple days of fall count.
6:20
SPEAKER_17: Um, you know, he won defender of the day back to back time.
6:24
SPEAKER_17: Um after that.
6:26
SPEAKER_17: You know, every time, you know, we pull up the tape, he's always f playing fast and physical.
6:31
SPEAKER_17: Um he's playing multiple different positions, and every position he's playing at.
6:35
SPEAKER_17: He's moved with a 100% tempo, 100% speed.
6:40
SPEAKER_17: You know, he he's looking to make a play, he's looking to make a play, you know, for for everybody else.
6:45
SPEAKER_17: And you can just see it on tape.
6:47
SPEAKER_17: Like he's he's gonna do his job, he's gonna, you know, get it done.
6:51
SPEAKER_06: TJ Metcalf, thank you so much for joining me.
6:54
SPEAKER_06: Alyssa Lang has thoughts, observations, and opinions about the first month of the SEC football season.
7:02
SPEAKER_06: She's up next on the Mike Keith Show, delivered by Uber Eats.
7:07
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7:58
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11:19
SPEAKER_06: Alyssa Lang.
11:20
SPEAKER_06: We've known her for years from SEC Network and now more so with ESPN on Fridays and Saturday nights in studio.
11:27
SPEAKER_06: Hello, Alyssa Lang.
11:29
SPEAKER_13: Great to see you, Mike Keith.
11:30
SPEAKER_13: Thank you so much for having me today.
11:32
SPEAKER_06: What is it like to do the Friday nights and Saturday nights in studio?
11:37
SPEAKER_13: It's so much fun.
11:38
SPEAKER_13: I mean, I am so blessed with so many great teammates at STC Network and ESPN and Sam Ocho and EJ Manuel are my two analysts on Friday night, and they truly welcomed me with the most open arms.
11:52
SPEAKER_13: One, two, they are some of the most brilliant football minds that I've gotten to sit next to on the desk.
11:58
SPEAKER_13: So it's a ton of fun.
11:59
SPEAKER_13: It's a little out of my SEC comfort zone, right?
12:03
SPEAKER_13: Like I'm having to prep other conferences and other teams for the first time in my career in quite a while.
12:08
SPEAKER_13: You know, every now and again I'd get an out of SEC game that I'd have to get ready for, but it's a little bit more this season.
12:15
SPEAKER_13: It's been good to stretch the comfort zone a little bit, but still be able to keep my eye on some great SEC matchups because with the schedule this year, we're almost always previewing a huge Saturday on Friday night.
12:27
SPEAKER_13: So it's been so much fun.
12:29
SPEAKER_06: All right.
12:29
SPEAKER_06: So you do the first two weeks, and then this past weekend, you're not there.
12:34
SPEAKER_06: And I don't know if you've gone back and looked, but people are like, Where's Alyssa?
12:40
SPEAKER_06: What's going on?
12:41
SPEAKER_06: What's what's happening?
12:42
SPEAKER_06: And then it became like a whole thing to the point that you finally let everybody know where you were.
12:49
SPEAKER_13: Yeah, I mean, I I couldn't believe that even like one person was like, Oh, where are you?
12:54
SPEAKER_13: I thought, you know, for sure the college football world would keep spinning, but that's how wonderful college football fans are.
13:00
SPEAKER_13: Yeah, I had a little bit of a scare last week.
13:03
SPEAKER_13: I had actually just landed up in Connecticut.
13:06
SPEAKER_13: I typically get in on Thursday nights and I could not have been 10 minutes out of the airport.
13:10
SPEAKER_13: And it's about a 40-minute drive from the airport to our campus in Bristol when I got into a little bit of a scary car wreck.
13:18
SPEAKER_13: Um, don't know what was happening from the other party, but somebody blindsided me and uh it was it was scary.
13:26
SPEAKER_13: I was in the far right lane and I ended up backwards in the far left lane in you know, 70 mile an hour highway.
13:32
SPEAKER_13: So I I am so lucky that the good Lord was protecting me in in many, many ways because it could have been so much worse.
13:39
SPEAKER_13: And I am just kind of using this as my, hey, everybody, remember to stay off your phone and pay attention because things can change like that.
13:48
SPEAKER_13: And I just I cannot believe that I blinked and all of a sudden I'm staring at oncoming headlights on a highway.
13:56
SPEAKER_13: So life can change really fast, and we're responsible not only for our own safety, but those around us.
14:02
SPEAKER_13: So let this serve as a reminder that, you know, it it could have been worse, but it's on all of us to make sure that things like that don't happen.
14:09
SPEAKER_06: Was there a most surprising person who reached out to check on you?
14:13
SPEAKER_13: Oh man, I I will say, like, I was very, I was really humbled.
14:17
SPEAKER_13: Like I couldn't believe how many people did reach out.
14:21
SPEAKER_13: Like it, it just was it was really humbling.
14:23
SPEAKER_13: Uh, I heard from people who I hadn't talked to in 10 years.
14:27
SPEAKER_13: Um, and it was just like, wow, I I have a lot of really great people in my life, and that was really meaningful.
14:33
SPEAKER_13: So I uh I was balancing, you know, trying to return calls and text messages on Saturday while also being in strict doctor's orders to like avoid screens for the first couple of days, having had, you know, a little bit of a concussion.
14:46
SPEAKER_13: So you you would have laughed.
14:48
SPEAKER_13: I was on my couch all day Saturday with some lightly tinted sunglasses in a dark room just watching college football because there was no way I wasn't gonna be able to watch the games, right?
14:57
SPEAKER_13: So um that and and you know, balancing, like you said, those who reached out.
15:01
SPEAKER_13: Honestly, top of the list was Mike Keith, you know, for sending me a text message and making sure that I was okay.
15:08
SPEAKER_13: No, it was it was really humbling, and I'm so appreciative of everybody who did.
15:12
SPEAKER_06: You tell that to everybody when you go on their show.
15:15
SPEAKER_13: That's I'm going to.
15:16
SPEAKER_06: Okay, so you're okay.
15:18
SPEAKER_13: Yes.
15:19
SPEAKER_06: Back into college football.
15:20
SPEAKER_06: That's good.
15:21
SPEAKER_06: Give me a thought on Tennessee, Texas right off the top of your head.
15:25
SPEAKER_13: Man, I can't wait for this one.
15:27
SPEAKER_13: There's just so many storylines, once again, that have nothing to do with the actual football game.
15:32
SPEAKER_13: It's almost like what we went through a week ago with LSU Hulmits, right?
15:36
SPEAKER_13: I was just sitting here this morning, starting to prep everything that I need for the weekend and talking points for this game.
15:43
SPEAKER_13: And I was like, man, you know, I miss doing games at Tennessee.
15:47
SPEAKER_13: That's one thing's about one of the things about being in the studio is you're not in stadiums and you're not talking to fans.
15:52
SPEAKER_13: And I'm just thinking back on all the great games that I've had there in Knoxville.
15:56
SPEAKER_13: And I'm like, we meet with Josh Heipel and the coaching staff in the Peyton Manning room.
16:03
SPEAKER_13: We meet in the Manning room to have those Friday production meetings with the coaches.
16:07
SPEAKER_13: And the fact that Peyton Manning's nephew is now going to be coming to Knoxville to try to knock off the volunteers.
16:13
SPEAKER_13: It just he can't write a better story like that in college football.
16:17
SPEAKER_13: Obviously, Coach Heipel's ties to however he may feel about Texas or not feel about Texas, right?
16:24
SPEAKER_13: And then just the fact that you have two quarterbacks who are in very different phases of their careers, but still have so much to prove in very different categories, right?
16:34
SPEAKER_13: So it has the makings of one of those weekends and one of those games that could prove a lot for either team.
16:41
SPEAKER_13: If Texas can walk into what we know is going to be an insane environment, come out with a road win, which was hard for them to find in Arch's first year as a starter a season ago, that's massive for Texas.
16:54
SPEAKER_13: If Tennessee can defend their home turf with a true freshman quarterback who has looked lights out through the first three weeks, but against lesser competition, all of a sudden Tennessee's in the conversation for a college football playoff and potentially a national championship.
17:07
SPEAKER_13: So this is one of those games that could massively tip the scales in either direction.
17:13
SPEAKER_13: And even if it's close, since say Tennessee loses, they still should be in that national championship conversation.
17:20
SPEAKER_13: So there's so many different directions this could go.
17:22
SPEAKER_13: I know that's not the first thought off the top of my head.
17:24
SPEAKER_13: I just dumped a lot of thoughts on you.
17:26
SPEAKER_13: I'm so excited for this game.
17:28
SPEAKER_06: We are too.
17:29
SPEAKER_06: All right.
17:29
SPEAKER_06: So it's a really great weekend in the SEC.
17:32
SPEAKER_06: Is there another game you're particularly excited about that immediately jumps out?
17:37
SPEAKER_06: That's not South Carolina.
17:39
SPEAKER_13: I was gonna say South Carolina, Alabama.
17:41
SPEAKER_06: Well, you can say that.
17:42
SPEAKER_06: That's okay because that's a big that's a big game for both teams.
17:45
SPEAKER_13: It's a huge game for both teams.
17:47
SPEAKER_13: And obviously, we all know what happened with Mississippi State in South Carolina last weekend, and this feels make or break for the Game Cox.
17:55
SPEAKER_13: Things are not good in Columbia right now.
17:57
SPEAKER_13: Uh, there's a lot of questions about whether or not Lenora Sellers is the guy to do what we've been thinking he was going to be capable of doing for the last two seasons.
18:07
SPEAKER_13: It would be the most South Carolina thing imaginable, though, to go to Tuscaloosa and somehow come out with a win after what we saw last weekend.
18:16
SPEAKER_13: But uh, I think the biggest thing for me, and and as a Game Cockrad, but also as a football fan, this is a team that has blown significant double-digit leads over the past now two seasons, including last weekend.
18:31
SPEAKER_13: You cannot go on the road and get up on Alabama by double digits if they can and blow that again.
18:38
SPEAKER_13: We saw it at Texas AM last season in college station, and it was the comeback of all comebacks for Texas AM.
18:45
SPEAKER_13: So I do think, in order of importance, South Carolina, Alabama is definitely up there as far as one of the more important games of the week.
18:54
SPEAKER_06: Your surprise so far in September from the SEC, whether it be player, coach, team, game, what has surprised you in what is now going into week four?
19:06
SPEAKER_13: That's a great question.
19:07
SPEAKER_13: I will say I'm gonna beat my drum a little bit back at media days and in the preseason.
19:13
SPEAKER_13: Anytime anybody asked me what player I was most excited to see in 2026, I said, there's this quarterback at Mississippi State, and everybody's about to learn his name, Camario Taylor.
19:24
SPEAKER_13: So that's not necessarily a surprise to me because I actually, out of all my bad takes, had a good one there with Mississippi State and Camario.
19:32
SPEAKER_13: But I think Kentucky so far has been the biggest pleasant surprise.
19:36
SPEAKER_13: I thought that they would be better than where we maybe had them predicted in the preseason.
19:42
SPEAKER_13: I thought they'd be better than, uh, you know, Kentucky, it's gonna be a rebuild year.
19:46
SPEAKER_13: But I'm not sure that I thought that they were gonna go toe-to-toe with Alabama for a half, then have a terrible second half against the tide, and then followed up with a road win against Texas AM.
19:57
SPEAKER_13: So uh I think just the uh the quickness in which Coach Stein has mentally changed the locker room in Lexington has been very impressive to me.
20:08
SPEAKER_13: I I I I think surprise is probably the word just because it is hard to do that period, certainly in week three under a year one head coach with a brand new roster.
20:19
SPEAKER_13: So I'll I'll give Kentucky my surprise.
20:21
SPEAKER_06: All right, so Alyssa Lang, if Florida beats Ole Miss this weekend, do the Gators take over that mantle?
20:28
SPEAKER_13: Oh man, probably.
20:30
SPEAKER_13: And and that's I so I'm married to a Florida gator, and he has had a very great first three weeks of college football season, but he, I will I'll say he's very nervous about this weekend.
20:40
SPEAKER_13: Offensively, beautiful from Florida.
20:43
SPEAKER_13: Defensively leaves a little bit to be desired so far.
20:46
SPEAKER_13: And again, this will be the first time that Florida is seeing an opponent to the caliber that Ole Miss is coming to town, right?
20:54
SPEAKER_13: I don't, I'm kind of with Coach Summerall.
20:56
SPEAKER_13: I'm not really sure or understanding why Florida is favored in this one.
21:00
SPEAKER_13: Like it doesn't really make sense to me unless that has shifted from his Monday press conference or whatever it was.
21:05
SPEAKER_13: But uh, I like Ole Miss in this game, but good lord, if Florida can send them home packing, all of a sudden Florida becomes America's new team that is back and is probably the end the biggest surprise to the SEC.
21:17
SPEAKER_13: Yeah.
21:18
SPEAKER_06: All right, so news update Alyssa Lang's back in the booth at Bristol Friday night and Saturday, back to your job.
21:25
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
21:26
SPEAKER_06: Alyssa Lang is better.
21:28
SPEAKER_06: Yes, okay, so we so we get the news out there.
21:31
SPEAKER_06: That's good.
21:32
SPEAKER_06: And oh, by the way, college football gets a lot more fun this weekend, especially the SEC.
21:37
SPEAKER_13: Yes, it does.
21:38
SPEAKER_13: And I am so glad that I will have a million screens up in our Bristol studios to be able to watch it because starting at noon in Knoxville, it's gonna be amazing.
21:48
SPEAKER_06: You should wear sunglasses the whole weekend.
21:50
SPEAKER_06: I actually thought about it.
21:53
SPEAKER_13: I have my blue light glasses breaking off, have been wearing so my bosses can see that I have been wearing these.
21:59
SPEAKER_13: I just took them off.
22:00
SPEAKER_13: Because they look really goofy.
22:01
SPEAKER_06: I don't think so.
22:02
SPEAKER_13: I think it's a pretty good look.
22:03
SPEAKER_13: Rock the glasses for the rest of the year.
22:07
SPEAKER_13: I look a lot smarter, I think, with the glasses on.
22:10
SPEAKER_06: That's why I started wearing glasses.
22:11
SPEAKER_06: Needed the help.
22:12
SPEAKER_13: You know, yeah.
22:13
SPEAKER_13: I need the help in looking smarter.
22:15
SPEAKER_13: So maybe I will start wearing them.
22:17
SPEAKER_06: Alyssa Lag, thank you so much for the time.
22:20
SPEAKER_06: Feel better.
22:20
SPEAKER_06: We're glad everything's okay.
22:22
SPEAKER_06: Thank goodness.
22:23
SPEAKER_06: And we're looking forward to seeing you this weekend on ESPN.
22:27
SPEAKER_06: Thanks, Mike.
22:28
SPEAKER_06: When the Mike Keith Joe delivered by Uber Eats continues, a sit down with Volhead baseball coach, Josh E Land.
22:36
SPEAKER_09: This is your home for coaches and players.
22:40
SPEAKER_08: One-on-one from Rocky Top.
22:42
SPEAKER_08: This is your Vall Network.
23:02
SPEAKER_06: On the cusp of starting fall practice that begins on Friday.
23:08
SPEAKER_06: And I want to start with one of the things I'm excited about with fall practice.
23:12
SPEAKER_06: These exhibition games that you get to play.
23:15
SPEAKER_06: Go to Nashville to take on Troy at First Horizon Park on October the 11th.
23:21
SPEAKER_06: Chattanooga, Erlanger Park, November 1st against Kennesaw State, and November 8th against Georgia Tech.
23:28
SPEAKER_06: And in between, Knoxville, the night before Tennessee, Alabama, October 16th, take on Lipscomb at Covenant Health Park in downtown Knoxville.
23:40
SPEAKER_06: Man, that's going to be some kind of show, isn't it?
23:42
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we're really excited.
23:44
SPEAKER_04: I think that fall slate really came together great.
23:46
SPEAKER_04: Just kind of some different venues, obviously, with First Horizon does for our program and the University of Tennessee as a whole.
23:51
SPEAKER_04: They have a phenomenal ballpark park over there in Nashville.
23:54
SPEAKER_04: We're excited to go to play against a team that went to Omaha last year.
23:57
SPEAKER_04: And always good to see the Nashville group of all fans.
24:00
SPEAKER_04: But really excited too.
24:01
SPEAKER_04: We haven't had a chance to play in Covenant Health Park yet.
24:03
SPEAKER_04: We've had some scheduled deals.
24:05
SPEAKER_04: So we'll play at Mr.
24:06
SPEAKER_04: Boyd's house for the first time the night before uh the third Saturday in October.
24:10
SPEAKER_04: So hopefully that's a great way to come see the balls on Friday night, hang out, and enjoy maybe some old city or some Knoxville uh downtown after that.
24:18
SPEAKER_04: And the two games in Chattanooga be a lot of fun.
24:20
SPEAKER_06: What are you able to get done in the exhibition games now that it's not just all inner squad in the Paul?
24:29
SPEAKER_04: I think again, you get to see how people or the players rather handle playing in front of big crowds.
24:34
SPEAKER_04: I think what our our Vall Nation does for us is amazing.
24:36
SPEAKER_04: I know we've played in front of eight, 10,000 people in a fall game.
24:39
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's so unique, even in the Southeastern Conference, what the environments our fans can create for us, it can really accelerate the development for some of our younger players or the first-time balls playing in the program.
24:50
SPEAKER_04: So I'm excited to get some good competition against some other teams, but also too, hey, see how some guys throw in different roles or play some different positions, and then also to just getting the group together, you know, getting on a bus and going to Nashville for a day and going through the deal and getting back on the bus and coming back.
25:04
SPEAKER_04: So those are things that can really pay some dividends with team chemistry, and then you infuse some competition, some good ballparks and seeing some ball fans.
25:12
SPEAKER_04: That's a pretty dangerous combo for our crew.
25:14
SPEAKER_06: When you went about talent acquisition at the end of the 2026 season, what was your priority for Tennessee baseball?
25:23
SPEAKER_04: I think the simple thing was makeup in depth on the pitching side.
25:26
SPEAKER_04: Those were two things.
25:26
SPEAKER_04: Uh you have to be strong in the middle of the field.
25:29
SPEAKER_04: So number one was retention on our guys.
25:31
SPEAKER_04: I think with getting our core group back, really excited about bringing those younger guys that are no longer the younger guys.
25:36
SPEAKER_04: That was a theme early that, you know, we didn't have as much seasoning in in comparison to maybe some other SEC schools.
25:42
SPEAKER_04: But, you know, again, the summer is about getting better.
25:44
SPEAKER_04: That's it.
25:45
SPEAKER_04: And I think we did that as a staff, getting competition at all positions on the field.
25:50
SPEAKER_04: And also, too, I really love our balance of right-handed, left-handed, maybe some high-ceiling guys that are freshmen that we got a really cool chance to kind of mold throughout their time as volunteers, but also some other guys that are really plug and play and kind of they can take advantage of the resources here at Tennessee to get better.
26:06
SPEAKER_04: And uh, but I like this group.
26:08
SPEAKER_06: Why was Austin Knight the right choice to become the pitching coach?
26:12
SPEAKER_04: Well, I could talk about that for a while, but I think the easy thing, number one, he played in the SEC.
26:16
SPEAKER_04: So you got to understand what it's like because you do not know unless you've played in it or unless you've coached in it.
26:20
SPEAKER_04: So you have to have some respect for what this league and what this league requires to win, or even have a chance to win.
26:25
SPEAKER_04: I think that's a monumental deal that sometimes gets taken for granted.
26:29
SPEAKER_04: And then number two, he's worked with the best of the best, whether it be Gavin Williams or Trey Savage, or there's a long list of guys that not only had success at the college level, but then got to the big leagues quickly and are having success up there as well.
26:41
SPEAKER_04: And then number three is young and hungry, wants to prove it.
26:43
SPEAKER_04: So I think that's a very powerful thing.
26:45
SPEAKER_04: And then if I had to go one more for four, because I could keep going for a while, is his pitching stats have been really good, simply.
26:51
SPEAKER_04: They've won a lot of games as a team.
26:53
SPEAKER_04: They've been hard to prepare for on the offensive side when we were playing against them.
26:56
SPEAKER_04: And he values a lot of things like I do, whether it be toughness or competitiveness, attack in the strike zone, but also too understanding protecting 90 feet, holding runners, things like that.
27:06
SPEAKER_04: Uh, he's been a phenomenal addition so far.
27:08
SPEAKER_06: Landon Mack, pitcher, missed the last month of uh the 2026 season.
27:12
SPEAKER_06: He's back.
27:13
SPEAKER_06: What is Landon able to do and how are you looking at him for the fall?
27:17
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Landon will be limited in the fall as we kind of work through his process.
27:20
SPEAKER_04: Again, very uh very excited for his spring.
27:23
SPEAKER_04: I think he's got a chance to be a really high first round pick.
27:25
SPEAKER_04: And then again, too, there was some good, some not so good last year.
27:28
SPEAKER_04: I think that's part of the SEC, even if you look back with when we had Crochet or even Drew Beam, who's one of the best pitchers in the history of our program, it it's not always linear success.
27:37
SPEAKER_04: There's gonna be some up and downs, but once you've gone through it the first time, usually kind of equips you with a little bit more, whether it be adjustments or strategies or mentalities, to put yourself in a position to have success more consistently.
27:49
SPEAKER_04: But uh Lana's done a phenomenal job with his body.
27:51
SPEAKER_04: He looks he's in great shape.
27:53
SPEAKER_04: And I think again, as he continues through his throwing program, you know, we're gonna be very cautious with him because he's gonna pitch in the major leagues for a long time.
28:00
SPEAKER_04: But he'll be a huge part of our pitching staff this year.
28:02
SPEAKER_04: And uh it'll be nice to have in the last month of uh the season as well.
28:06
SPEAKER_04: For real.
28:06
SPEAKER_06: Uh sophomore Cam Appenzeller, your hopes for him after playing for team USA this summer?
28:13
SPEAKER_04: Well, I think he did it perfect.
28:14
SPEAKER_04: He went out there and got some reps and again got to play against the best.
28:17
SPEAKER_04: And for him, he was just getting strike, throwing strikes, getting outs quickly.
28:20
SPEAKER_04: That's kind of what he's what he's always done.
28:22
SPEAKER_04: And uh there was a period last year for about six weeks, he's one of the best pitchers on the planet, kind of running through.
28:27
SPEAKER_04: So I've always challenged him.
28:29
SPEAKER_04: I think he's he's tired of me telling him he needs to eat and get in the weight room, but he's he's well over 200 pounds now, and he's done a phenomenal job of just taking care of the little things.
28:37
SPEAKER_04: I think that will give him a chance to not only be good in February, but March, and then ultimately June is our goal.
28:43
SPEAKER_04: But he's a guy that uh just the utmost confidence in.
28:46
SPEAKER_04: It's cool to see the adjustment from being a freshman where a little bright-eyed a little bit, which is normal, and then sophomore year where you can see kind of some comfort and some feel with how to navigate things a little bit.
28:56
SPEAKER_04: But you know, he's gonna be a huge piece for us.
28:59
SPEAKER_06: Speaking of sophomores, Trent Grenlinger.
29:01
SPEAKER_06: Um I mean, obviously one of the big names, draft eligible player coming in.
29:07
SPEAKER_06: What do you hope to get from Trent Grenlinger in the fall towards the spring?
29:11
SPEAKER_06: And and maybe where do you see him playing this year?
29:14
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, he's definitely gonna be behind the dish.
29:16
SPEAKER_04: I think we're we're very blessed back there this year with it's just a phenomenal catching group.
29:19
SPEAKER_04: There's depth, and and again, they're all great people too.
29:22
SPEAKER_04: All come from great families.
29:24
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, but Trent is a guy, I mean, he's regarded as being it's having a chance to be a really high pick.
29:28
SPEAKER_04: I think he does some things that are unique where it's top-end exavilos with a very low end zone swing and miss and really no chase.
29:35
SPEAKER_04: So his last deal will be again on the defensive side.
29:37
SPEAKER_04: Him and I really hit it off from recruiting way back when, just kind of making that jump defensively.
29:42
SPEAKER_04: And credit to him, you know, not playing every day behind the dish last year.
29:46
SPEAKER_04: I mean, he really attacked each day, and you're starting to see the compound effect of all of those reps with the comfort, and he's doing a great job back there.
29:53
SPEAKER_04: So, all those guys, again, it's gonna be a very, very, very strong competition between those guys, but we'll definitely see him behind the dish.
30:00
SPEAKER_04: And we don't get to hit in the uh four-hole as a freshman by accident.
30:03
SPEAKER_04: So pretty, pretty special talent uh with what he's able to do at the back.
30:07
SPEAKER_04: Who are you looking for to provide leadership from the returnees?
30:12
SPEAKER_04: Well, I think there's a lot of different options.
30:13
SPEAKER_04: Uh again, I think if you go with the position players first, I think one of the biggest wins of the offseason is getting Blake Grimmer and Stone Lawless back.
30:20
SPEAKER_04: Just true guys that were committed to the vols in eighth and ninth grade when the rules were different.
30:25
SPEAKER_04: This is the only place they've ever wanted to be.
30:27
SPEAKER_04: And they've seen again the highs of the highs of us winning the national championship and then been through the chains with us.
30:32
SPEAKER_04: So I think it gives them a unique perspective because the longer you're in the league, kind of take bits and pieces from other teams to help you with the current team as you get there.
30:40
SPEAKER_04: But it's really nice to be able to look say, hey, Blake or Stone, hey, we have this.
30:44
SPEAKER_04: But on the pitching side, too, again, uh Appy's kind of a quiet leader, just kind of handles his business the right way.
30:50
SPEAKER_04: Jake McCoy's a guy that's a transfer that's been, you know, uh just amazing as far as being a good teammate.
30:56
SPEAKER_04: And he's been through the league, so there's some confidence there from having pitched on the weekend in the SEC.
31:01
SPEAKER_04: But it's a really, really good group where those guys have really been meshing together well and getting better each day.
31:06
SPEAKER_04: So, but I think again, Blake and Stone, what they've been bringing the table, and you have to throw Levi in there as well.
31:11
SPEAKER_04: You know, again, I think he doesn't get enough credit because obviously he struggled early in the year.
31:15
SPEAKER_04: We stuck with him, but you know, we don't we don't get back in the postseason without him getting hot, you know, about halfway through SEC play last year.
31:22
SPEAKER_04: So it's good to be able to go to one of our our our younger players and go, hey, when you struggled, how did you get back?
31:27
SPEAKER_04: Or hey, when you when you lost this tough game, how do you respond?
31:30
SPEAKER_04: Or even little things like, hey, how do I navigate the off periods that you know within our schedule?
31:34
SPEAKER_04: What can put you in a position to have success?
31:36
SPEAKER_04: So uh a lot of uh a lot of faith in those guys.
31:40
SPEAKER_04: Freshman living up to your expectations already.
31:43
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's a special class.
31:44
SPEAKER_04: I mean, again, it's early because we haven't started scrimmages, but as far as like raw tools, explosiveness stuff, I mean, I'm not afraid to say it's one of the best groups that we've ever had on campus since I've been here.
31:54
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
31:55
SPEAKER_04: So there's there's real velocity, there's real toughness with some of those guys.
31:58
SPEAKER_04: We were very fortunate where some of those guys set their number really high in the draft and and held held tight, had conviction that they wanted to come to Tennessee.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: And so there's some versatility there, whether it be some middle of the field guys, some two-way guys, uh, whether it be some guys that can start and throw out of the bullpen.
32:13
SPEAKER_04: But, you know, again, it's it's got a chance to be a really good group.
32:16
SPEAKER_04: And that's that's how we want it.
32:17
SPEAKER_04: We talk about it all the time.
32:18
SPEAKER_04: Like, yes, you're gonna have to supplement through the portal.
32:20
SPEAKER_04: I think you have to in today's world.
32:22
SPEAKER_04: But we look back on our national championship team with with Dryling and Tears and Ensley, and I can go on and on and on.
32:28
SPEAKER_04: The majority of those guys were high school, homegrown, committed players that came up through the system, got better, and then we had a chance to win the whole thing together.
32:36
SPEAKER_04: So, again, you want that to be the foundation is the high school recruiting, and uh really like this group.
32:41
SPEAKER_06: Time to get rolling.
32:42
SPEAKER_06: Remember, we're gonna mention Nashville, October the 11th, First Horizon Park against Troy.
32:49
SPEAKER_06: The two games in Chattanooga, November 1st, Kennesaw State, November 8th, Georgia Tech, both at Erlanger Park in Chattanooga.
32:57
SPEAKER_06: And then the one in the middle, October 16th, the night before Tennessee, Alabama, Covenant Health Park here in Knoxville against Lipscomb.
33:05
SPEAKER_06: Hoping to have a massive crowd here for that one so these guys can play in front of one of those SEC-like crowds.
33:11
SPEAKER_06: Josh Elander, thanks so much for the time.
33:13
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, thank you, Mike.
33:14
SPEAKER_06: Go vols.
33:15
SPEAKER_06: Go balls indeed.
33:16
SPEAKER_06: We're back with more of the Mike Keith show, delivered by Uber Eats right after this.
33:20
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34:09
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37:26
SPEAKER_06: Jalen Harrelson may look like a forward, but he plays like a guard, sometimes even like a point guard.
37:34
SPEAKER_06: The Indiana native had a big freshman season at Notre Dame before deciding Tennessee would be his new home.
37:41
SPEAKER_06: He's comfortable in the state and comfortable in Rick Barnes basketball program.
37:46
SPEAKER_06: Jalen Harrelson has looked good in the early days of practice, and he is only getting started.
37:53
SPEAKER_06: This is Jalen Harrelson, sophomore, Anderson, Indiana, transfer from Notre Dame.
38:00
SPEAKER_06: Welcome.
38:01
SPEAKER_18: I'm so glad to see you.
38:03
SPEAKER_18: Thanks for having me.
38:04
SPEAKER_06: Thanks for coming by for a visit.
38:05
SPEAKER_06: Okay, so are you 6'8?
38:08
SPEAKER_06: Uh ish.
38:10
SPEAKER_18: Ish.
38:11
SPEAKER_18: I stay with shoes, some shoes.
38:13
SPEAKER_18: Um you can you can put me at 6'8, but I go 6'7.
38:17
SPEAKER_06: Okay, yeah.
38:17
SPEAKER_06: All right, so I'm watching you practice.
38:21
SPEAKER_06: And I'm thinking to myself, and this is gonna sound weird, what is he?
38:25
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, I'm thinking, is he a forward?
38:28
SPEAKER_06: Is he a guard?
38:29
SPEAKER_06: I've seen you bring the ball up to court, I've seen you do all sorts of things.
38:33
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so your game has a lot of facets to it.
38:38
SPEAKER_06: Am I reading that right?
38:39
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, um, I mean, that was Coach Bar Coach Barnes' main selling point for me.
38:44
SPEAKER_18: Like, uh come here and be a unicorn.
38:46
SPEAKER_18: So uh that's why I describe myself as position-wise, like a kind of like a unicorn.
38:50
SPEAKER_18: I can do a lot of different things.
38:52
SPEAKER_18: Um I feel like I can be plugged in with a lot of different lineups, like point guard.
38:56
SPEAKER_18: If you want me to you know set screens, I can set screens, you may bring the ball up, you know, um, score the ball.
39:02
SPEAKER_18: So I think that's the um the area of my game that you know I want to showcase, you know, even more here.
39:08
SPEAKER_18: And uh I got the players around me to to do that.
39:10
SPEAKER_06: You helped recruit a lot of these guys.
39:15
SPEAKER_06: What was it about that part of the process that you enjoyed so much?
39:19
SPEAKER_06: And who do you think you affected the most?
39:21
SPEAKER_06: Who were who were you most effective with?
39:24
SPEAKER_18: Uh I mean, all these guys wanted to come here in the first place.
39:27
SPEAKER_18: Like, I think one conversation didn't flip anything with these guys.
39:32
SPEAKER_18: Like, like Juke, uh we share the same agent.
39:34
SPEAKER_18: Uh Terrence, I was in his ear a little bit on his visit, and he texted me, like, bro, let's come on, let's do it.
39:40
SPEAKER_18: I was like, let's go.
39:41
SPEAKER_18: Um Tyler, he Tyler Lumble, he I think he recruited me the most.
39:46
SPEAKER_18: Um like because he was committed on my visit.
39:49
SPEAKER_18: I think it was him and Day Day was only guys committed.
39:52
SPEAKER_18: So um, you know, those guys like was really in my ear.
39:55
SPEAKER_18: So, you know, and Miles and Um Juke, Terrence, and I when I was committed, I felt like it was my turn to do that for those guys.
40:04
SPEAKER_18: So um, you know, those guys wanted to come here and be coach, so it wasn't that hard.
40:08
SPEAKER_06: So you're from Indiana, as we mentioned, you play at Notre Dame, you have a great freshman year at Notre Dame, and when the process begins with the transfer portal, we're hearing names and we hear Jalen Harrelson, and it's like, oh, he really likes Tennessee.
40:22
SPEAKER_06: I mean, some of the like the national guys are saying he he likes I'm like, whoa, okay.
40:28
SPEAKER_06: And so everything followed through, certainly turned out to be true.
40:31
SPEAKER_06: You're at Tennessee.
40:33
SPEAKER_06: What was it about this program that drew you, knowing that you have so many ties in the state of Indiana and in the Midwest, and yet you wanted to play here.
40:44
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, I mean I think I say the main thing is like the the transparency.
40:47
SPEAKER_18: Like, like when I when I came on my visit, like everybody was honest with me.
40:52
SPEAKER_18: Um, and show me things I need to work on, and they show me a plan of you know how we're gonna do that.
40:57
SPEAKER_18: And I already see improvement already in being here for two months, and I'm excited to see like what these next few months hold until the season starts.
41:05
SPEAKER_18: So um I think just that that part to where like okay, like in a portal, everybody tells you how good you are, and you know how you're gonna fit into their system, and you know, how many points you're gonna average and all those type of things.
41:19
SPEAKER_18: But you know, Tennessee, um, they were real honest with me, like, okay, like you had a good freshman season, but you left a lot of food on the plate.
41:27
SPEAKER_18: Um, and uh I I I really I really like that during the the process.
41:32
SPEAKER_06: How much was Nate Amint's year at Tennessee an example to you of what Tennessee does with a basketball player?
41:42
SPEAKER_18: Um it was it was a lot.
41:43
SPEAKER_18: It was a lot, it was real important because me and Nate uh we played growing up uh in high school, like Hoop Summit, McDonald's on American, um a lot of a lot of Jordan Brand Classic.
41:54
SPEAKER_18: Um so it was a lot of several events.
41:57
SPEAKER_18: So I think Nate, but talking to him, it's like, all right, you're gonna you're gonna be pushed.
42:02
SPEAKER_18: But um Coach Barnes, I mean, he he really cares about you.
42:05
SPEAKER_18: Uh he's gonna push you, he wants you to get to that next step.
42:08
SPEAKER_18: So um, you know, talking to him and seeing his growth and you know development through his process here uh was was important for me.
42:16
SPEAKER_06: He's he's a taller unicorn.
42:18
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
42:19
SPEAKER_18: He is.
42:19
SPEAKER_18: He is unicorn too.
42:20
SPEAKER_18: So uh we do a lot of similar things with the ball in our hands and you know, our versatility, our ability to defend multiple positions.
42:30
SPEAKER_18: So um no, they showed a lot of film on him through my visit.
42:34
SPEAKER_06: What do you love about the game?
42:36
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, I think the places it brings you, uh the people you meet, uh like I'm here in Knoxville, Tennessee.
42:42
SPEAKER_18: Um I went to Istanbul, Turkey, uh and you know, it brought me to Notre Dame.
42:48
SPEAKER_18: So I think the places and it I met so many great people uh playing a game of basketball.
42:53
SPEAKER_18: And you know, every time I'm able to lay some up, like this is what I love to do.
42:58
SPEAKER_18: Like this is my dream, and I'm living my dream, you know, at 19 years old.
43:03
SPEAKER_18: So um, you know, this is the best the this is the best time of my life, and I gotta really enjoy it.
43:08
SPEAKER_06: You played good competition last year.
43:10
SPEAKER_06: From the outside, what do you see the SEC competition looking like in either a similar or different way from what you played against as a freshman?
43:19
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, I mean it's really, really physical.
43:21
SPEAKER_18: Like we played Missouri last year at Nerdame, and um, you know, they they were a good team and just seeing how physical they were and you know, how we had to prep for them, but you know, every team's like that in the SEC.
43:34
SPEAKER_18: So I think the physicality, the talent level, like you know, there's all no off nights in SEC.
43:39
SPEAKER_18: Um and just seeing those games and watching those games on T V and just you know, watching Derrick Zacup score fifty points.
43:46
SPEAKER_18: Like, no, these guys can hoop, you know.
43:48
SPEAKER_18: So, um it was some good it was some good it was some good competition A C C but the SEC every single night, every single night you gotta bring it and um I'm excited to, you know, be tested in that way.
44:00
SPEAKER_06: All right.
44:00
SPEAKER_06: So you haven't been on campus that long.
44:03
SPEAKER_06: But what have you had a chance to experience so far in your time in Knoxville?
44:08
SPEAKER_06: Football game, volleyball game?
44:10
SPEAKER_06: It anything that that you've experienced so far that you've really had a chance to enjoy?
44:14
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, uh both of those, the football game and volleyball games.
44:17
SPEAKER_18: Um I went to the football game this past weekend and um we had a good football team at Notre Dame, but I said SEC's different.
44:23
SPEAKER_18: Like the environment, um, you know, like I every game, it's a tough game for them too.
44:29
SPEAKER_18: Like um, and in the volleyball game, like they got a really good team this year.
44:33
SPEAKER_18: So uh supporting those guys, and you know, I love food.
44:37
SPEAKER_18: I love eating out.
44:38
SPEAKER_18: So um I got a lot of good restaurants that um that I've tried so far.
44:43
SPEAKER_18: Um you're a foodie.
44:45
SPEAKER_18: I'm a foodie, yeah.
44:46
SPEAKER_18: I love I love to eat food.
44:47
SPEAKER_18: Any kind of cuisine?
44:49
SPEAKER_18: Uh I mean I everything.
44:52
SPEAKER_18: Okay.
44:53
SPEAKER_18: I I have no, like I'm not picky at all when it comes to eating out.
44:57
SPEAKER_18: So like stir, uh the Kennedy.
45:00
SPEAKER_18: Oh yeah, like those are my places.
45:02
SPEAKER_18: Um and my family came here this weekend and it was like, all right, I know you love food, you love to eat out, Jay.
45:08
SPEAKER_18: Like, let me see a place.
45:09
SPEAKER_18: And I took them to a couple places, um, and they loved it.
45:13
SPEAKER_06: That's fantastic.
45:14
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
45:14
SPEAKER_06: All right, so that leads us right into the pilot tie-in with by the way, the official travel partner of the balls pilot.
45:22
SPEAKER_06: Okay, you gotta get pregame snacks.
45:24
SPEAKER_06: You're going to pilot.
45:25
SPEAKER_18: Okay.
45:26
SPEAKER_06: What is Jalen Harrelson getting?
45:27
SPEAKER_18: Uh so I'm starting off with pretzels.
45:29
SPEAKER_18: I gotta go pretzels, um, and then Skittles, the red kind of okay, not the purple.
45:35
SPEAKER_18: Not the purple, regular.
45:36
SPEAKER_18: That's that's what I grew up on.
45:38
SPEAKER_18: So I'm gonna keep it playing, Jane, for the game.
45:40
SPEAKER_18: Um, and then uh I go energy drink.
45:43
SPEAKER_18: Like an energy drink.
45:44
SPEAKER_18: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
45:45
SPEAKER_18: Just to get my blood going a little bit.
45:47
SPEAKER_18: And that's my three essentials for sure.
45:49
SPEAKER_06: It feels like you got the energy going.
45:51
SPEAKER_18: For sure.
45:51
SPEAKER_06: This right here is number 10, Jalen Harrelson of your Tennessee basketball team.
45:57
SPEAKER_09: Getting you ready for the game, the Mike Keyshow, delivered by your green.
46:02
SPEAKER_09: This is your Mobile Network.
46:16
SPEAKER_06: It's time for one of the most rapidly growing features among features on the Mike Keith show.
46:22
SPEAKER_06: How many of them are there?
46:23
SPEAKER_06: I've got a lot.
46:24
SPEAKER_06: I've got a lot.
46:25
SPEAKER_06: Anyway, it's Andy Asks with Andy Brock, presented by First Horizon, official Bank of the Valls.
46:32
SPEAKER_06: Andy, are you ready to ask?
46:34
SPEAKER_06: I'm always ready to ask.
46:35
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
46:36
SPEAKER_06: Remind you that the questions come from the Vall Network text line at 865-657-1278.
46:44
SPEAKER_06: Andy, let us ask.
46:46
SPEAKER_03: Let's do it.
46:46
SPEAKER_03: Let's jump right in.
46:47
SPEAKER_03: All right, here we go.
46:48
SPEAKER_03: Start with Nicholas.
46:49
SPEAKER_03: Nicholas.
46:50
SPEAKER_03: Location undefined.
46:51
SPEAKER_03: Undefined.
46:51
SPEAKER_03: But he's a property.
46:52
SPEAKER_03: The parts unknown.
46:53
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, unknown.
46:54
SPEAKER_03: He's incognito right now.
46:56
SPEAKER_03: But he would like to know what do we need to work on to prepare for this Texas team Saturday?
47:01
SPEAKER_06: I mean, I think it's really everything because there's not much that Texas doesn't do well.
47:06
SPEAKER_06: Yep.
47:07
SPEAKER_06: Defensively, they are stifling.
47:10
SPEAKER_06: They are super against the run.
47:11
SPEAKER_06: They can rush the passer.
47:13
SPEAKER_06: Umfely, they have a lot of weapons on the outside.
47:17
SPEAKER_06: They have a mobile quarterback in Arch Manning.
47:20
SPEAKER_06: They can run the football with Hollywood Smothers.
47:24
SPEAKER_06: I mean, they they are a very, very complete team.
47:28
SPEAKER_06: So, in terms of what to work on, I think in order to win this football game, you've got to be as buttoned up as you possibly can be.
47:37
SPEAKER_06: You've got to keep penalties and other mistakes to a minimum.
47:41
SPEAKER_06: You've got to put yourself in a position that when you get an opportunity to score touchdowns, you score touchdowns, you don't kick field goals.
47:48
SPEAKER_06: I think it's just simple things like that that sound very cliche, but when you're playing a complete team like Texas, I think that's what you have to do.
47:58
SPEAKER_03: Details are important.
47:59
SPEAKER_03: Oh if there is one aspect specifically where Texas is going to challenge Tennessee the most that they haven't seen these first three games, what is that going to be?
48:07
SPEAKER_06: Pressure.
48:07
SPEAKER_06: They're going to put pressure on the quarterback.
48:09
SPEAKER_06: Will Muschamp is bringing guys the minute he gets off the bus.
48:13
SPEAKER_06: That's what he wants to do.
48:15
SPEAKER_06: He wants to bully you with that kind of pressure.
48:18
SPEAKER_06: Uh he's going to bring, obviously, when you drop back to pass, he's going to bring people and then they're going to stunt against the runs.
48:26
SPEAKER_06: They're going to have run blitzes.
48:28
SPEAKER_06: You've got to be prepared for them to be coming at times.
48:31
SPEAKER_06: Now, what that means is if you take care of it, you might have a matchup that you can win because you'll have numbers.
48:39
SPEAKER_06: There are opportunities in that.
48:41
SPEAKER_06: But yeah, Will Muschamp as a defensive coordinator is all about heat.
48:46
SPEAKER_03: Richie from Lafayette.
48:47
SPEAKER_03: From Lafayette has a question.
48:49
SPEAKER_03: All right.
48:49
SPEAKER_03: Okay, so the identity over the last few years for Josh Heibel's team, very run-heavy with the pressure that we might see up front from Texas Azon coming into his own.
48:59
SPEAKER_03: Do you see the coaching staff airing it out a bit more against this Texas team, giving him those chances early to maybe open things up?
49:06
SPEAKER_06: You could see that.
49:26
SPEAKER_06: You've got to take advantage of that.
49:27
SPEAKER_06: And then you have to also be able to run against the heavier boxes, too.
49:31
SPEAKER_03: Garrett from EDS wants to know linebackers have been solid so far.
49:36
SPEAKER_03: What do you see in general Jim Knowles doing to slow down Arch Manning in Texas?
49:40
SPEAKER_06: You want them to surprise him with where they are at different points and where they end up.
49:47
SPEAKER_06: And that's the part of what these linebackers can do because they're older and they're smart.
49:54
SPEAKER_06: They've played a lot of football.
49:55
SPEAKER_06: They have a lot of savvy.
49:57
SPEAKER_06: So you can do some things with them that you might not be able to do with a young defensive back or a young defensive lineman, whatever, because they just don't have quite that much savvy.
50:08
SPEAKER_03: Mike from Oak Ridge.
50:10
SPEAKER_03: Sark said earlier this week, Nealin, likely the loudest stadium in the country.
50:15
SPEAKER_03: What do you see from the fan base for a noon kickoff?
50:18
SPEAKER_06: They have to be ready to go at that moment and be ready to go from the jump to provide that kind of energy to the football team and to be able to stay with it, in particular if Texas does something good early in the game.
50:33
SPEAKER_06: They've got to stay in it and provide that energy from the start and then to give that energy for four quarters.
50:40
SPEAKER_06: Texas has not played on the road.
50:43
SPEAKER_06: Nope.
50:43
SPEAKER_06: So it's going to be a little different situation for them.
50:47
SPEAKER_06: They have played in some stadiums where people get loud.
50:50
SPEAKER_06: They've probably not played in a place that gets as loud as Nealand.
50:54
SPEAKER_06: I think Tennessee fans need to show off Nealand at its very best to make it as tough as they can.
51:01
SPEAKER_03: What is the one key, in your opinion, for Tennessee to be successful on Saturday?
51:05
SPEAKER_06: It comes down to turnovers.
51:07
SPEAKER_06: I think you you want extra possessions and you want them, you want to take away their possessions as fast as possible.
51:16
SPEAKER_06: So if you can pick off a pass and then you get an extra possession, if you can recover a fumble and then you get an extra possession, that's a huge deal.
51:26
SPEAKER_06: I think it's a numbers game for Tennessee in that way.
51:29
SPEAKER_06: And the other thing, too, is Tennessee has to hit the way they hit in the first three games.
51:35
SPEAKER_06: With the style of play that is best suited to this team, the physicality is almost a must.
51:40
SPEAKER_06: That with the noise.
51:42
SPEAKER_06: With the noise.
51:42
SPEAKER_03: Let's do it.
51:43
SPEAKER_06: Andy asks, presented by our friends at First Horizon Bank, official bank of the balls.
51:50
SPEAKER_06: We've got a lot more coming up this week on the Mike Keith show.
51:54
SPEAKER_06: Excited about Thursday?
51:55
SPEAKER_06: Excited about Friday.
51:57
SPEAKER_06: Excited about Saturday at noon with Tennessee taking on Texas.
52:03
SPEAKER_06: Andy, are you ready yet?
52:04
SPEAKER_06: I'm so pumped.
52:05
SPEAKER_06: Okay.
52:06
SPEAKER_06: Calm down.
52:06
SPEAKER_06: We've still got a couple hours.
52:08
SPEAKER_06: For Andy Brock, I'm Mike Keith.
52:10
SPEAKER_06: Thanks for being with us, and we'll see you next time.
52:17
SPEAKER_09: All week long to the latest from the Tennessee campus, Mike Tow online, delivered by Uber E.