Latest / The Mike Keith Show / The Mike Keith Show | XAVIER GILLIAM, DASAAHN BRAME, JESSE PERRY (9.25.26)

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The Mike Keith Show | XAVIER GILLIAM, DASAAHN BRAME, JESSE PERRY (9.25.26) · The Mike Keith Show

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_17: From the peaks of the smokies to the banks of the Mississippi.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_17: This is your home for the University of Tennessee.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_17: This is the Fall Network.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_17: Inside Access, behind the scene.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_17: From Rocky Top, direct from the coaches, night from the players, inside track.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_17: Mike Keith starts now.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_15: Welcome to a special edition of the Mike Keith Show presented by Clayton Homes, Oakwood Homes, and Love Homes of Tennessee.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_15: Helping families across the state find their dream home.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_15: The clock is ticking towards the opening kickoff of Texas and Tennessee at Neeland Stadium.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_15: We're within hours of the kick.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_15: Maybe you are counting down the minutes.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_15: It's almost here.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_15: But for the next hour, we invite you to take a deep breath and listen to some Tennessee football talk as the Vols prepared to play a number one team for the 20th time in the program's history.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_15: This will be the first time that Xavier Gilliam has played the number one team while he was a Vol.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_15: Of course, this will only be his fourth game at Tennessee.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_15: Nonetheless, the Maryland native has already made a name for himself in Rodney Garner's defensive line.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_15: If Tennessee hopes to beat Texas, the defensive front must have a big day.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_15: And that starts with Gillian.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_15: As you stare down Texas's offense, what impresses you about what they did?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_13: Oh, you know, nice physical offensive line, you know, they obviously got some good backs, good quarterback, you know, well-rounded team.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_13: So you're just ready to take on the best.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_13: Yeah.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_15: Alright.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_15: Now, let me ask you, when you were at Penn State, you're kind of a role player.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_15: Now you're not only a starter, but you're counted on for a lot of reps.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_15: Is it hard to kind of get used to managing a very different workload than what you've had in the past?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_13: Uh I wouldn't say I wouldn't say it's necessarily hard.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_13: You know, kind of looking back at my job at Penn State, you know, within the scheme, you know, being in the D Line room, I wouldn't say I was much of a role player either.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_13: You know, I feel like I was called on to do some pretty big tasks within the scheme, you know.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_13: So this is just another another part of the process for me.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_15: Okay.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_15: Do you take your week differently now in terms of how you handle your body and how you prepare based on the fact that you know you're gonna play as many snaps as possible?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_13: Oh, yeah, definitely.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_13: You know, throughout the week, you know, just taking my step extra time in the training room, extra time in the film room.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_13: And I think that also comes from me just being an older guy, you know, taking my process a little bit more seriously, you know, learning from those who came before me and perfecting my process leading up to the game.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_15: You took the world by storm in the Fermin game with just an absolutely dominant performance.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_15: Were you surprised at how people reacted to your performance saying, Oh my gosh, Xavier Gilliam is one of the special guys in college football in the defensive line?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_13: Uh, I mean, not really.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_13: You know, I feel like I still got so much more to show, you know, and I feel like the best is ahead.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_13: You know, so I feel like if they were shocked off dad, you know, they got something coming.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_15: Did Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State try to block you differently after that firm in game?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_13: Um, I don't really know.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_13: I can't say I definitely do feel I feel the double teams, you know, but I feel like that's just football, you know, and a part of my job being a defender is I gotta learn how to beat those double teams, you know.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_13: So I just look at it another step of the process, just keep getting better.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_15: What does Rodney Garner emphasize to you now that the season has started and you have some stuff on tape for opponents to look at?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_13: Keep perfecting my craft, you know.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_13: Only way I'm gonna keep getting better throughout the season is just to keep working on my fundamentals week in and week out.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_15: I think the thing that people really enjoy about you so much is they love to watch the enthusiasm with which you play.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_15: Are you having as much fun as it looks like you are?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_13: Yeah, you know, winning's fun, you know, and for me it's just it's fun watching my guys make plays, you know.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_13: You gotta think about it.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_13: You're summer workouts with these guys, you with guys at the dark times of fall camp, you know, you're week two, week three, body tired, you know.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_13: So just when I when I see my guys out there making plays, you know, excites me.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_13: It brings energy to the whole defense.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_13: And you know, that's how momentum gets flowing.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_15: Who are the guys that you've liked watching play so far?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_13: Oh yeah, uh all my defensive ends, Jordan Norman, Marion Die, and Tyree Wethersby, those guys are amazing.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_15: All right, so Tennessee playing a Texas team that has a lot of big time talent.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_15: Uh they certainly run the football well.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_15: What's the key to slowing Texas's run?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_13: Uh, just playing our game.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_13: You know, I feel like it's more about us than it is about them.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_13: You know, if we do our job and do what we're supposed to do, then I feel like we're not gonna have an issue with anything.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_15: I mean, this this is just hours away now.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_15: It it's gonna happen.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_15: Have you ever been in a football situation like this yet?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_13: Uh kind of similar to our uh our whiteout game last year against Oregon.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_13: That was a pretty big game, you know.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_13: So I'm just I feel like I'm kind of mentally prepared for the stadium, you know, the pressure, you know, so just blocking out all the outside noise.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_15: Xavier Gilliam, what is your uh Nealand Stadium moment to this point?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_15: Uh Nealand Stadium preserved by pilot.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_13: Uh I would say probably just that first play I made, you know, when we played Furman, you know, first play in Nealand, you know, that was a good day for me, first time in Nealand, so I'm always remember that.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_15: That's Tennessee defensive lineman Xavier Gelliam from earlier this week.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_15: Tennessee and Texas have met three times, all in cotton bolts, 1951, 1953, and 1969.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_15: But the two teams have never had an on-campus meeting.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_15: The Vols are scheduled to meet the Longhorns in Austin in 2028, but this weekend, it's Knoxville, Nealand Stadium.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_15: Brent Hubbs is in his fourth decade of covering Tennessee sports.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_15: His perspective on the significance of this moment is on point.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_15: Texas is the best football team to visit Nealand Stadium since.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_23: I just started looking at 2021 Georgia, 2023 Georgia.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_23: Both those teams were number one teams in the country.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_23: That 21 Georgia team was elite on defense.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_23: The 23 Georgia team was better offensively, had more weapons, but it's got to be one of those two teams that came into Knoxville here.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_23: Uh that 21 team went on and won won the thing.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_23: I mean, he had a lot of defensive players.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_23: They were they were much more defensive-minded and built around defense in 21, uh, but they were really good.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_23: Though those two teams certainly stand out.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_15: Texas is better in 2026 than they were in 2025, where.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_23: I I think it's the the offensive weapons.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_23: I think it's what they did in the transfer portal.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_23: When you go and you get Cam Coleman from Auburn, who uh is a big time wide receiver.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_23: To match him up with Ryan Wingo, you balance the field a little bit.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_23: They're third receiver, sneaky good, too.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_23: They've got more balance offensively on the perimeter for Arch Manning.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_23: I think Hollywood Smothers at running back is a really good player, transferred in from NC State.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_23: That's a guy that visited Tennessee out of the portal uh and decided, you know, the two sides decided that they weren't gonna have a marriage, so to speak, and he goes to Texas.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_23: I think they've got better offensive balance and better weapons on offense one, and then defensively, I think the arrival of Will Muschamp changes the outlook of them defensively as well.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_15: Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has gone up against Texas coach Steve Sarkeesian's offenses twice.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_15: When he was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, he handled Sarkeesian's offense.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_15: The Cowboys won that game.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_15: And then at Ohio State national semifinal two years ago, Knowles' defense handled Sarkeesian's offense again.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_15: Where has that defense been able to do well against Coach Sarkeesian's very talented offenses in those two meetings?
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_23: Well, they turned them all turned them over twice in both games, so I think it starts there.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_23: Um you know, they've gotten after the quarterback, a couple of quarterback sacks.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_23: But to me, the biggest stat in those two matchups is what Jim Knowles was able to do in the red zone against Steve Sarkeesian's offenses.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_23: Those in those two games total, they were in the red zone four times and they came away with a touchdown twice.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_23: Wow.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_23: So so he won in the red zone.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_23: And of course, we go back to that playoff game, they had the fumble recovery and the scoop and score in the red zone when Texas was getting ready to tie it up.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_23: I think the red zone number is a really big number to watch in this game.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_15: How similar is this opportunity for Tennessee to what the Georgia game was a year ago?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_23: Well, I mean, I think anytime the number one team in the country comes to town and you have the national stage and spotlight on you, it's it's a great opportunity.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_23: I I think that last year was a little bit different because you were just trying to I mean they had they had messed you up, right?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_23: In 22, you're there in the playoffs, and then you can't you can go down there.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_23: And not only do you not win that game, you weren't in that game.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_23: There was there's a monkey on the back.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_23: You gotta beat your rival from down the road, whatever.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_23: So the pressure felt a little different with Georgia, so the opportunity's different because you're trying to check that box, if you will.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_23: You win that one, now you've beaten Florida, you've beaten an old Alabama, you would have beaten Georgia if you're Josh Heupel.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_23: This one's a different opportunity because it's a huge game on a national stage against the number one team in the country, but there's not a ton of anks from the standpoint of we hadn't won in nine years, hadn't won.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_23: I mean, I'm not trying to break a streak, but yeah, there's certainly an opportunity.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_23: It should be a great atmosphere.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_15: That's Brett Hubbs.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_15: He will anchor the Vol Network's coverage of Tennessee, Texas, starting at 9 30 a.m.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_15: Eastern, 8 30 a.m.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_15: Central Time on the Vol Radio Network.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_15: More Mike Keith show after this.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_08: It's time for this week in Big Orange Country, presented by Visit Knoxville.
• 10:12
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• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's time now for this week in Big Orange Country, presented by Visit Knoxville.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's a packed weekend on Rocky Top, headlined by a massive SEC showdown in Nealand Stadium.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Tennessee football welcomes number one Texas Saturday for its SEC opener and the Checker Nealand Game.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Kickoff is set for Noon Eastern on ABC.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And College Game Day is back in Knoxville with the show going live at Ears Hall starting at 9 a.m.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: before moving inside Nealand Stadium for the final hour leading up to kickoff.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: However, the action starts on Friday in the Food City Center when Tennessee volleyball hosts Texas for its SEC opener of the season at 7 p.m.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: And Tennessee Soccer wraps up the weekend at Regal Soccer Stadium, hosting in-state rival Vanderbilt at noon.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Admission is free.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Also, you can't forget about Tennessee Softball, who has fall games at Sherry Parker Lee Stadium against Walters State Friday at 6 p.m.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: and Lipscomb Sunday at 3 30 p.m.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: That was a look at this week in Big Orange Country presented by Visit Knoxville.
• 11:19
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• 11:23
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• 11:25
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• 11:28
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• 11:33
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• 11:38
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• 11:42
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• 11:46
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• 11:51
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• 11:55
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• 11:59
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• 12:05
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• 12:19
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• 12:24
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• 12:27
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• 13:15
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• 13:32
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• 13:35
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• 13:37
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• 13:40
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• 13:42
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• 13:43
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• 13:44
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• 13:46
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• 13:52
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• 14:00
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• 14:11
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• 14:29
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• 14:34
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• 14:44
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• 15:00
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• 15:28
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• 15:32
  SPEAKER_15: Ever wonder what happens to all of the food left over from a Tennessee football game?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_15: Last August, the United Way of Greater Knoxville received a call from the University of Tennessee's Office of Sustainability.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_15: It came two weeks before the home opener, and the message was simple.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_15: UT was willing to donate Nealand Stadium leftovers.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_15: The United Way reacted quickly and with the help of a lot of people.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_15: 7,000 folks received meals as a result of this effort.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_15: Total cost is$10,000.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_15: That averages out to less than$1.50 per meal.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_15: Our Alexi Cowan was allowed to follow the process after Tennessees went over Furman.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_15: And it is amazing.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_19: After the clock expires at Tennessee football season opener, fans leave, the stadium clears, staff heads home.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_19: But this night is far from over.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_19: It's just beginning for a select group of people, the Waste Warriors.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_19: With sellout after sellout crowds, the leftover food became too much to handle for UT's Office of Sustainability.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_19: Not knowing what to do, they contacted the United Way of Greater Knoxville.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_05: And United Way helped kind of facilitate all those conversations and get everybody kind of at the table.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_19: And that's when everything started taking motion.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_19: The whole process starts with the original volunteers, the students, working dusk till dawn chips.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_19: For example, with the 745 kickoff game like last week.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_05: Food recovery won't start until like midnight, and food recovery will go well into 1, 2, 3 a.m.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_19: Brad Moats, UT's recycling supervisor, coordinates this process every week.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_19: And he let me tag along for the process.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_05: Volunteers meet us at the stadium.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_05: We get them checked in.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: We get them in most of the time, either aprons, gloves, and anything that's been opened or anything that we can see that was even slightly used, we'll compost it so that way we are always confident in the food that we're sending back out to folks, depending on how much food we have.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_05: That continues for several hours until we get all of that material sorted and organized, proteins, veggies, all that stuff, and categorized ultimately on the vehicle.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_19: Three hours later, the transport truck rolls in with moats behind the wheel.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_19: And it's time to load everything up.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_05: Against Ferman, it was a little over 4,000 pounds of food that was recovered.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_05: So it was an entire uh 26-foot box truck that was recovered of food and was redistributed through uh fish pantry.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_19: Then an hour and a half later, everything is loaded and headed to the fish pantry where they meet Stephen Dale, the warehouse manager.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_09: Every home game, so there's home game.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_09: Yeah.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_09: Yeah, we you know start at 5 a.m.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_09: and and uh on Saturday morning and and then whatever time they get here Saturday night.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_09: It's you know four and a half, five hours, sometimes six hours after the game, you have to meet them here.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_09: So it can be anywhere from eight o'clock at night to three thirty in the morning.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_19: Brad, Steven, and the student volunteers all unload the food and sort it into categories.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_19: By about 12:30, everything is unloaded and done for the night.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_19: The hard part is over, but the reward comes Monday morning.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_09: They come by on Monday morning then.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_09: They set a time like 9:30, and they come by and they go through it and they split it up and they take uh what each of them can use the best.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_09: CEC got here at 9 o'clock and they went through and got seven rollers, and then CARM came about 9.30 and they picked up about the other seven rollers.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_19: You've heard that ball is a verb.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_19: And with the help of the United Way, these volunteers are able to put that into action every home football game day.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_05: Volunteers kind of see the need and feel the need.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_05: We don't shy away from the hard work.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_05: We tend to kind of roll our sleeves up when it's the hardest work that's in front of us.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_05: We do the work until it's done.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_05: It's not because someone asked you to do it, it's not because you were paid to do it, it's because you saw the need.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_09: The more we can spread out and the more we can get into the community, the less, less hunger there will be, hopefully.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_19: United Way Greater Knoxville wants fans to know that game days are just the start.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_19: To feed even more of our neighbors and expand food recovery beyond Neeland Stadium, make a gift to United Way at uwgk.org.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_15: Alexei Cowan, fantastic job.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_15: Josh Hype hopes things run just as smoothly for the Vols against Texas.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_15: The head coach sat down for a late week visit and gave us an update on Tennessee's progress in preparation.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_15: It's presented by Calhounes.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_15: From a coaching standpoint, what is the biggest off-field challenge that you face during a big game week for your team?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, just keeping the main thing, the main thing.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, uh a lot of people coming in for the ballgame, uh, a lot of TV exposure.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh understand what's important and uh being where your feet are winning in preparation and uh practicing the right way.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_03: That'll take you to kickoff.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_15: How much do you rely on your veteran players at moments like this?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: Well, absolutely.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_03: I think the guys that have had experience and understand it's 11 on 11 between the white lines is going to be a great environment.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the quality of the opponent.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, Aaron Carter uh talked to uh our football team early in the week about uh what it takes to win uh in a week like this against an opponent like this.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: And uh uh it's been a good week.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_15: It helps a lot to have been there like Tennessee has.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that's why you come here.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: You want to play in big ones, uh, know the environment's gonna be nice and juicy and uh be a lot of fun to play in.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_15: Fais on Brandon, obviously.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_15: Playing in his first Southeastern conference game.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_15: What is the thing or the things that he will see in this environment in this game entering conference play that he maybe hasn't seen before and has to be ready for?
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I just think uh, you know, the speed of the game, the physicality.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, uh Texas in their own way, uh, structure-wise, uh pressure-wise, uh, there will be things there that he's got to recognize.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, ball security is gonna be important for him in this one.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_03: That's inside of the pockets when he escapes the pocket, too.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but it's 11 on 11 between the white lines, and uh go settle in, go play each play independent and uh go try to win this thing in the fourth quarter.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_15: For Brandon and for the entire offense, is this challenge as much mental as it is physical?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I I think for everybody in these games, because it comes down to small details.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh defensively recognizing a formation, a back set, uh, your tips and reminders that uh your coaches have given you the same thing on the offense.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you got to play hard, but you got to play with fundamentals too because you're playing light competition.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_15: Arch Manning is the quarterback for Texas.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_15: What will be the challenge for your defense going against a quarterback who has the versatility of Arch Manning?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, versatility and experience.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's played a lot of football.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's done a good job taking care of the football.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, he's got the ability to extend and go make plays with his feet.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, there's some uh design quarterback run, uh, but he's got the ability if you're not keeping contained to pull it on on some of the read schemes.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um and uh certainly when he drops back, he's got the ability to extend plays uh as a passer first, so you got to match things out down the football field, uh, and then you gotta be ready to go get them.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_15: What are the other challenges about going against Texas's offense?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I I think their line of scrimmage, they got dynamic backs and uh certainly great skill players that have uh tremendous speed out on the perimeter.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_15: Special teams a factor in every conference game, huge factor in some more than others.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_15: Texas has notoriously been a very good special teams team under Steve Sarkeesian.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_15: What are the challenges there that Tennessee has to focus upon?
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh some of it's pre-snap.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they're punting a lot of shifts in motions, uh, making sure that uh we're in the right alignments and have the ability to match things out.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but they got great athleticism uh on all four core uh units.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: So we got to do a great job uh playing with fundamentals.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_15: But that's an area where Tennessee has grown extensively as well.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_15: So ready to meet that challenge, maybe even excited about it.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's the third phase of the game.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: You got to win that phase.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's gonna be critical for field position that will change the way the game's played on Saturday afternoon.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_15: All right, rock and roll.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_15: Well, it will be from the start.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_15: Everybody knows people are gonna be very excited, but getting conference play at home against Nealand Stadium against an opponent like Texas, it doesn't get much better.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_03: Now it's gonna be a great Saturday afternoon inside uh Nealand Stadium.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: I can't wait to go play with these guys.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_15: All right, Coach Josh Heipel, brought to you by Calhoun.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_15: When we come back, Jesse Perry and Design Brain talk ball offfense.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_15: Stay tuned for more of the Mike Keats show.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_08: This week's Tennessee Lottery Hope Scholar, student athlete of the week, Stage Marjetko from Tennessee Softball, who has a 3.82 GPA in biological sciences.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_08: The Tennessee Education Lottery is proud to have raised more than$8.3 billion to support education programs in Tennessee.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_17: It's your all for coaches and players.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_17: One-on-one from Rocky Talk.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_17: It's your ball network.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_15: We've got cheeseburger, we got fries or tots your choice.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_15: They gave us both.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_15: Oh, yeah, hot fudge Sunday.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_15: Oh, yeah.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_15: And the big orange.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_15: The big orange.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_15: It's Vandor.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah, the big orange.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_15: It's Fanta Orange with sweet cream.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_15: It's delightful.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_15: All right.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_15: This is it.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_15: The Sonic Big Deal meal.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_15: Again, cheeseburger, Sunday, Fryzer Tots, drink, which we're going with the big orange.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_15: You'll love it.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_15: From our friends at Sonic.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_15: Here is the Sonic big play.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_15: Are you ready?
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_15: I'm ready.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_15: How about a little Duan Morris?
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_15: Let's see it.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_15: Will you share your Sonic with him?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_15: Absolutely.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_15: Keeps running like that.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_15: He's not going to get any of mine.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_15: Here we go.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_14: Morris gets the handoff running right hand through.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_14: 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, and zone.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_14: Oh my goodness, did he go for that?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_14: 42 yards.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_14: Tennessee.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_14: Duhamed Morris.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_14: Over a hundred with the T D run.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_25: Pitch of perfect blocking for Tennessee's offensive line.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_25: Sean Branny was leading the way.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_25: He didn't have any money to block because everybody was blocking.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_25: And great job by Morris, man, taking it north and south, showing off his speed, getting to the end zone for a Tennessee touchdown.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_15: That was fun.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_15: Sonic Food and uh Dewan Morris long run.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_15: Yes, please.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_15: Welcome back to this special edition of the Mike Keith Show, presented by Clayton Holmes, Oakwood Holmes and Love Homes of Tennessee, helping families across the state find their dream homes.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_15: Jesse Perry, he keeps playing well at right tackle for Tennessee.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_15: The Murphy's Borough Jr.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_15: can play anywhere along the offensive line.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_15: And a lot of that lies not only in his talent, but in his football savvy.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_15: Perry knows that he and his fellow offensive linemen will need all of that and more against the Longhorns defensive front, which is one of the biggest in college football.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_15: A return visit for number 72.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_15: Volunteer offensive lineman, Jesse Perry.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_15: So good on the show last week.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_15: You're back.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_15: Your return guest.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_15: I know, man.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_15: I'm grateful for it.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_15: Good.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_15: Well, we're glad to see you.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_15: Let's talk about this week.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_15: Texas.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_15: Defensive line has been stout.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_15: What impresses you about them as you as you start to really get into the film on the Texas Longhorns, your opponent for Saturday?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_24: Uh they got, you know, good hands, uh, good feet, good twitch.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_24: Uh they're they're sign and sound, um, and they just they play hard.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_24: Uh and uh they got uh good too deep.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_24: Um that's uh the brilliant things that just make make them a good D line.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_15: And for the offensive line at Tennessee, it seems like you have gotten better each week in terms of the consistency.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_15: Would you agree with that?
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_15: And if so, what has sort of led to that, Jesse?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_24: Yeah, I agree with that.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_24: Um I think what's led to it is really just us buying in each week.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_24: Uh like we were we were bought in all through camp and we got better each practice each week.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_24: And then we get to the games and there's just little things you gotta clean up and uh we just start slowly putting together those pieces.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_24: Um and uh Coach LW has made it a point each week.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_24: It's it's a race to get as good as you can each week.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_24: And we just been uh all all uh like 18 of us, I think we have in the room.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_24: All 18 of us have been grinding our tails off, just trying to eliminate little mistakes, fix up technical issues, and just go play as hard as we can.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_15: How do you feel like Jesse Perry's playing right now?
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_24: Uh I think I'm playing good.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_24: I think I've got stuff to clean up just like everybody else, but I think I've I've taken a step in physicality and effort for sure.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_24: Um I feel like I've become more uh more dominant out in the run game.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_24: Uh I just got some stuff in the run game and pass game to clean up though.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_15: It feels like that group is coming together.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_15: Is is that the sense you're getting that everybody's starting to understand where everybody fits and that it was gonna take a minute and now that minute is starting to be up, and as you go into conference play, you're in better place.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_24: Yeah, I think uh like even for Farman and Kennesaw State, like fans will write them off as a walk in the park.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_24: They were good defensive lines for uh for the level they are, like they were good D-lines.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_24: And Georgia Tech has some good players out there too, and I think they were good challenges for all all of us.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_24: Uh like we've been rotating a frequent amount, and we're all getting good reps, getting our toes wet, and just every snap, we're taking advantage of it, and we're going to play hard and physical, and uh, we're just growing together each play, uh learning communication, uh assignments, and just playing ball.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_15: You've been through this sort of thing before in terms of a big game.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_15: Georgia last year had this sort of presence about it.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_15: Georgia wasn't number one, but it was obviously a very big game for Tennessee and a very big game in the SEC and the whole country watching.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_15: How much does it help you personally and the teammates who got your sort of first look at that a year ago that you've been in one of these kind of situations before?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_24: Uh, I think it it's definitely helpful.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_24: Um, last year, you know, of course, get a little bit of butterflies, a little bit of nerves.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_24: Um, like that happens every big game, honestly.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_24: Like it still happened to me at the end of the season.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_24: Um but a little bit more for my first one, you know.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_24: Uh, but it feels good and definitely more calm.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_24: I understand the preparation it takes, uh the work it takes throughout the week, um, and my recovery and my film study and my practice habits.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_24: Uh I understand what it takes each week.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_24: And it's uh like I'm able to pour into my my teammates that either haven't been in an environment like this or haven't been um or like halfway in something like this, but like they would then start or something like that.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_15: Do you like that it's a noon game?
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_24: Uh I don't really mind it.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_24: Uh I mean we're an early morning team.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_24: Like I I wake up at 5 30 every day for practice.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_24: Um like to get the get the ball rolling, get my body going.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_24: Um but you know, I I don't really got a preference.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_15: You're good.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_15: You're good.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_15: Will it change your pregame meal because it's early?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_24: I mean, we we got I'm pretty sure like we we just eat breakfast and we go fuel on our way to stadium.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_24: So I'll eat a little bit more for breakfast.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_24: I'd say we try to keep it light at breakfast so I can eat heavier for pregame meal.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_24: So now I'll just eat it a little bit heavier at breakfast.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_15: You'll be ready to go.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_24: I'll be ready.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_15: You'll be ready to play.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_15: Jesse Perry, it's so good to see you.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_15: Thanks for taking the time.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_15: Good luck against the Longhorns and enjoy all of it.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_15: It's gonna be a great day at Neal and Stadium.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_15: It's gonna be great.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_15: It is gonna be great.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_15: Games like this are the reason that tight end Desan Brahm chose to come to Tennessee.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_15: The sophomore was a national recruit in the truest sense of the word, as he hails from Derby, Kansas.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_15: How many people live in Derby, Kansas?
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: I want to say a little a little under 30,000.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_02: A little under 30,000.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: And what's it near?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Wichita, Kansas.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so it's Wichita's.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's like a 10-minute drive from Wichita, Kansas.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_15: So did you grow up a shocker basketball fan?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: I actually grew up a K-State uh Wildcat fan.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_02: Both my parents graduated from there.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_02: So how did you not end up at K-State then?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I wanted to kind of go out and kind of do my own thing, kind of get away from home a little bit.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: So and you did?
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, sir.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_15: I did.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_15: You're all you're a long way from Kansas.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah, a long way from Kansas, yes.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_15: You're not in Kansas anymore, my son.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_15: You've has anybody ever said that?
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah, all the time.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_15: Like every day.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_15: All right.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_15: So let's talk about you, the tight end and your development.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_15: Yes, sir.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_15: Um, obviously, Ethan Davis is out, so you have a lot more responsibility.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_15: Why do you feel like you're ready to take on more responsibility?
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I feel like Coach Abe has really done a good job preparing me and through the spring, and Dio through the summer, kind of just sitting down mean with him, learning more about defensive structures and kind of helping me in the run game as well.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I feel like he's helped me take those big steps and getting stronger, like I said, with Dio and just adding a bunch of weight and feeling more confident in the box and out in space.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_15: So maybe sounds like a foolish question, but in terms of getting involved in the run game as a tight end and doing better there, what's required?
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely like, because last year I was about 220.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely put on a little weight.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like, if you're the weight's not there, you're not going to really sustain any blocks.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, but definitely that and just the the technique part of it hammocks your hands, your feet, every step matters.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_15: So you and Faison Brandon obviously have a very good relationship on and off the field.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_15: Yes, sir.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_15: Um what is it about him that has given the other players so much confidence in his ability to run this team as a freshman?
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, he's he makes friends with everybody, he's a really likable guy.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, he's very confident in what he does.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_02: Like when he's out there, he's very, very uh loud and vocal, and you just you feel that presence when he's out there, and everyone kind of just has confidence in that.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_15: So when you work with him on the field, what are the main things that you guys are trying to get together on as far as being a passing combination?
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um I would just say um just him going through his reads and just making sure we're always where we where we need to be for him, kind of just showing up for him so he can kind of play more relaxed.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_15: So how do you get more involved in the passing game as this year goes on?
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I feel like just uh making sure I'm getting my check downs, making sure um I'm running my routes clean and getting open, just getting open for him.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_15: So and they're still asking you to do some of the flex out things because you have those you have those wide receiver skills.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_15: Is it hard to keep up with all of the mental that goes into it now that you're having to do more in the box than what you were being asked to do before the Ethan's injury?
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, it was it's a little bit of like a mind switch when from when you're in the box and you're out wide, out wide is kind of more play fast, kind of uh get uh don't let people touch you and kind of get around people and in the box.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's like you gotta turn up that intensity level because you gotta go, you gotta go be physical.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_02: But I mean, I feel like it's just like I've I've kind of handled that well, just kind of playing playing both sides.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_15: So and having to play a lot more plays, yeah, 100%.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean that's that's a role I want to kind of take on this year.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, I'm like I was ready for that.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_15: So so you're embracing all of this as disappointed about Ethan Davis, certainly.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_15: But the opportunity for you, you feel like you're physically and mentally ready to take it.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, sir.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and he he had called me the day that his injury had happened, and kind of we talked for for about an hour or two, and he just kind of told me that you know that I'm ready, and he was he was um he was confident in me.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_15: So you talked for that long.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we talked for a while.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_02: Me and him are pretty pretty tight-knit.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_02: So kind of just talking about him, his plan, what he was what he was going through.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_02: So just kind of being a little the year for him, the kind of event too, a little bit.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_15: So are you having to take more of a leadership role with Trent Thomas and Luca Wolf and the rest of the group?
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I mean just kind of making sure those guys we all show up every day, ready to go to work.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: We kind of just kind of lead those guys through a little bit, most definitely.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_15: You were freshman last year.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_15: Yes, sir.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_15: Luca Wolf is a freshman this year, but he's quite a different freshman than you were based on where he comes from.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_15: Yeah.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_15: How have you been able to help him so far?
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, he'll come into me with questions in the media room, just asking me different things about different schemes.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'll kind of help him through that.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: But he's by far way more physically developed than I was as a freshman.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like he came in ready to go.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_02: He's about almost 255, 260.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_02: So he's a big guy, you know, very limber, can can move really well.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_02: So he's he's definitely ready to play.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_15: Does he do things that surprise you?
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I mean he's he can actually he's very fast, he's very he's twitched up, you know.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: He he's good in the run game, very strong, very um good low pad level and good hands.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_15: So what does this opportunity against Texas mean to Tennessee?
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_02: It means everything, you know, get to go showcase our skills on a on a national stage and get to go play big time football.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_02: That's why you come to t to Tennessee.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_15: So all right, so let's think back over the last year plus.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_15: What is your Nealand moment so far, Designed Brain?
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_15: As far as Nealand Stadium preserved by pilot.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I would honestly say my first ever Volwok, my freshman year.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um that was a surreal experience.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_02: Just being a recruit, coming and watching it, you know, it's kind of like oh cool as the pole walk, but then when you really get to go through and you get to run through the T for the first time, like you never forget that moment.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a very great great.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_15: So the East Tennessee State game last year.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes, sir, it was.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_02: It was my first time uh playing in the UN Stadium, too.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_15: So ready to score a touchdown?
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_02: I am, yes, sir.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully, hopefully soon, yes, sir.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_02: Do you have a plan for that?
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh no, just kind of whenever it happens, I'm I'll I'll think I'll be ready for it.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_15: So all right, good stuff.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_15: Design, thanks very much.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_15: Design Brahm, number seven, Tennessee tight end.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_15: He's a starter now, playing a lot of football, getting ready to take on Texas in just a few hours.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_15: We got more of the Mike Keith show coming up right after this.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: You're one-on-one with Mike Keith, sponsored by Food City, the official supermarket of the Tennessee volunteers.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: By Farm Bureau Insurance, the official insurance of the vault, Tennessee insurance for Tennessee life.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: By First Horizon, big bank hustle, small bank hustle.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_00: By Highlight, official travel stop of the vault, stay luckier, by Rattle Roofing, let us fix your lead, the traveled official roofer of the big horns, and by UT Medical, the official healthcare provider of the vault.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_03: Let the professional stuff do the work for you.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_03: Just gotta pick up time and your groceries will be ready.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_06: Different seasons, different sports, same volunteer spirit.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_03: For over 30 years, Vall Nation has shown up.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_03: Now it's time to finish strong.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_03: Sort aluminum, sort plastic, keep landfills clean.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_03: And when you see green compost bins on campus, use them because the future is zero.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_06: And we're just getting started.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_06: Sponsored by Eastman Waste Connections, UT Sustainability, and Food City.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_15: Saturdays are all about the big art.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_15: From the roar of Neeland Stadium to the energy of the tailgate, one thing belongs on every game day menu.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_15: Calhoun.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_15: Whether you're dining in one of Calhoun's nine-area restaurant locations, taking the feast to your tailgate, or grabbing a bike from one of Calhoun's locations inside Nealand Stadium, Calhoun makes it easy so you can focus on curing the balls to victory.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_15: Calhoun, a taste of history.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_16: Outta here.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_16: Out of here.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_16: Out of here.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_15: At Rackley Roofing, we are not a one-man team.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_15: We're actually not a two-man team.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_22: Everyone is a critical part of the journey.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_00: Championship teams are not built on one person.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Great companies aren't either.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_22: Like the Vols, coaches and players need to learn to handle the pressure, including the pressure of success.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_07: We invest in the next generation.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_25: We invest in our community.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_07: And most importantly, we invest in our employees.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_19: Want to change the world?
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_19: Change it one roof at a time.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_03: When you travel across the great state of Tennessee, one thing you're sure to find is big orange passion.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_03: You see it throughout every inch of the volunteer state, just like you see First Horizon.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_03: Serving communities big and small, offering big bank products with small bank passion.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_03: What else do you need?
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_00: Big bank muscle.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: Small bank hustle.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's First Horizon, the official bank of the Valls.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_03: Proudly serving Tennesseans for over 160 years.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_20: Being at the Vols game saved my life.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_20: It was a normal day going to the game with my son, but this time it felt like a sledgehammer hit my chest.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_20: The UT medical team knew exactly what they needed to do and just kept me calm throughout the process.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_20: It was probably the most serious heart attack that you could have.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_20: The team took care of me, worked quickly, efficiently, and I did catch the end of the game.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_00: These are the stories of the region's academic health system.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_15: Jason Swain is clearly ready for Tennessee, Texas.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_15: He's been preparing for it for 16 years, and that's just from the broadcast side.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_15: Andy Brock Takes Us Deeper, presented by Google Gemini, official Gen AI partner of Tennessee Athletics.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_08: So you're cool when people think Jason Swain, it's it's all Tennessee.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_26: Absolutely.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_26: That's what I want people to think, especially when I leave the state.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_26: I go travel somewhere else.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_26: Like, hey man, that's the that's the guy from Tennessee.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_26: That's a Tennessee guy.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_26: I met my wife here, I raised my family here, some of my best friends I met here.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_26: Uh I grew as a as a human being, as a man here.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_26: Like, man, I love I love this school.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_26: I love uh Tennessee, I love our fans.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_26: Man, this is a dream come true.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_08: You you were talking, you know, off camera here, just the response from fans, from people you knew congratulating you, seeing response on Twitter.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_08: What was that like?
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_08: The sheer amount of volume that of love that you received.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_26: It was unbelievable.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_26: It was really hard to put into words.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_26: You know, every year I get a ton of birthday texts, birthday messages on Facebook and Twitter, X and you know other platforms.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_26: This was this was 100 times more than that.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_26: It took me a couple days to go through and tell everyone thank you.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_26: And tell everyone, hey, I appreciate you reaching out.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_26: I appreciate you being on this journey.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_26: I appreciate you supporting me.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_26: And I'm gonna do my best for you guys because it was like we made it.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_26: It wasn't just me.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_26: It was it was a us thing.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_26: And so I went through and let everyone know that you know I really appreciate their support.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_08: Now you were on the Vol Network team with Mike last season, but this was not just something that you walked into.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_08: You had to earn it and you had to go through a series of auditions and working with Mike, and he took it very seriously to figure out who was going to be the next color analyst.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_08: What what was that like earning this role?
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_26: It felt like being a freshman all over again, you know, coming from Huntsville, Alabama, uh, you know, being highly rated, but still having to go in and earn your stripes and prove that you can perform at this level.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_08: Your X's and O's last year was a a game changer for the broadcast.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_08: What makes you so strong in terms of being able to dissect the game?
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_08: I know when you see it from up there, you kind of see it play out in a in a in a really cool way, but what gives you that eye for seeing it like that?
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_26: Because I mean, you watch so much fam as a player, and you analyze it the way your coaches analyze it as a player, and like you do it now, and it just becomes second nature.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_26: You watch film the same way, so you pick up on tendencies.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_26: Um, football at the end of the day is football.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_26: People may have different terminologies for different things, but at the end of the day, curl flat is curl flat, smash, route, steal smash.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_26: It's still the same.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_26: It just it maybe comes out of different formation.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_26: Um, but just man, just loving this game and loving um how it's played and how people um strategize to find different ways to win.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_26: I think it's awesome.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_08: What's your top moment of being on the field as a sideline reporter when you started DeVall Network?
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_26: Uh 2024, of course, right?
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_26: Yeah.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_26: We we beat Bama.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_26: I'm over here, I look over to the stands, and I started to see people making their way to the field.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_26: And I was like, don't do it.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_26: Don't do it.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_26: We don't rush the field for beating anybody.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_26: This is Tennessee.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_26: Like, we we're supposed to beat people, but like I saw it happen in real time.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_26: And by the time that everyone's down here, I was like, you know what?
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_26: It's pretty cool.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_26: I looked over and my wife and kid was on the field too.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_26: I was like, get out of here.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_26: But as a sideline reporter, that was really cool.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_26: My first assignment was the Kentucky game.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_26: So we had the black uniforms, and Kentucky had no shot.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_26: Like it was, it was touchdowns, it was turnovers, it was Tennessee's night that night.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_08: You more than most, you know the significance of this place, what the Vol Network means, having been on the crew for a few years now.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_08: What what does it mean?
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_08: Just knowing the history, knowing, you know, how game days run, being a Vol Network crew member, what does it mean to you?
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_26: Everything.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_26: Uh getting a chance to especially after my playing days, getting a chance to talk to our fans and understand why they became Tennessee fans.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_26: And the thing I get so much that touches me is the moment they became Tennessee fans.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_26: It was when they were younger and they were kids and they went to the games with their dad or their granddad or their grandparent or listening because they didn't have a TV to watch the games, or the games were not on TV at the time.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_26: So Vol Network were their eyes and ears.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_26: And so just hearing that story um makes me understand even more how big of opportunity uh this is and how important Vaughn Network is to our fans.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_08: It's a very unique position to be in now because in your position you have to be critical in some ways, but also you know what it's like.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_08: You've been in the athlete's shoes.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_08: You you can't be, you know, overly critical.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_08: You know family's watching.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_08: They they are, you know, 18-year-old kids oftentimes.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_08: How how do you balance doing your job, being critical of what you're seeing, but and being real while also understanding athletes?
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_26: I lead with love and I treat the players like they uh are my brother.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_26: So how would I talk about my brother?
• 48:29
  SPEAKER_26: I would prefer someone tell me the truth and be honest with me, but at the same time, um, you know, do it in a loving way.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_26: And that's how I do it.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_26: That's how I try to do it, and uh, it's worked for me.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_08: How unique is it that you made so many memories on this field as a player, and you still at this time get to make memories in this stadium on game days, get to be a part of it.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_26: Man, it's it's cool.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_26: Uh there's gonna be a lot of kids that will will grow up and say, Man, I my dad, my dad listened to to Jason Swain on the radio, and during the games he listened to him on the radio, and you know, Jason Swain's a part of my my Tennessee football childhood.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_26: Like that's that's so cool.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_26: Because I got a chance to learn from our fans.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_26: That's how they became a fan.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_26: Listening to the radio with their grandpa or listening to the radio with their with their fathers, uh, watching the game, you know, with their mom.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_26: And um I'm excited to be a part of the next big time ball fans childhood.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_26: When I was announced as the top color analyst, the followers were more excited than me because they felt like we made it.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_26: And um that's what's really special because they saw the journey.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_26: They saw when I first started this wing event, they saw me load a bunch of remote equipment to go to a remote, a business that I had to talk into.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_26: Hey, I'm new, I'm just starting, I'm not on this big station, but this is what you're gonna get, and this is what I could do for you.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_26: Like they saw all of that and they experienced all that.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_26: The signing day parties that we would do, like they showed up and we packed out buildings.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_26: Um, so they saw all that stuff, and it's just it's just really cool to you know be able to celebrate uh with them, but um a lot of ideas that you just kind of do it.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_26: You know, when you're starting a business and you're doing it by yourself, you don't have to try to get it clear by anybody, you just do it.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_26: And then if it fails, it fails, and then you just go to the next one.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_26: So a lot of things that we're doing now um that no one else was doing before, it was like, hey man, let's let's let's just try and see what happens.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_26: And it's it's worked out so far.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_26: So it's been it's been cool.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_26: Uh I know uh how big this is, how important our jobs uh are, and uh I'm looking forward to it each and every week.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_26: It's like a vacation uh on Saturdays.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_17: Getting you ready for the game.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_17: The Mike Keats Joe, delivered by great ball network.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_15: Tennessee and Texas kickoff shortly afternoon Eastern time at Nealand Stadium, preserved by pilot.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_15: Here are some important times for you to remember so that you don't miss a minute and get into Nealand Stadium as easily as possible.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_15: Stadium gates open at 9 a.m.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_15: The vol walk takes place at 9 45 a.m.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_15: Pride of the Southland Band's march to the stadium takes place at 1020 a.m.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_15: Okay.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_15: Entering Nealand Stadium just right after the vol walk is encouraged to cut down on congestion and wait times.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_15: But if you don't do that, making sure that you're lined up to enter by 1030 a.m.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_15: is absolutely encouraged to make sure that you don't miss a thing.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_15: If you can't make it to Knoxville, you can always look at the door.