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The Mike Keith Show | JOSH HEUPEL, DAUNE MORRIS (9.14.26) · The Mike Keith Show

0:00
SPEAKER_11: From the peaks of the smokies to the banks of the Mississippi.
0:06
SPEAKER_11: This is your home for the University of Tennessee.
0:12
SPEAKER_10: That doesn't work.
0:20
SPEAKER_11: This is the Vault Network.
0:28
SPEAKER_11: Behind the scenes.
0:29
SPEAKER_11: From Rocky Top, direct from the coaches.
0:32
SPEAKER_11: Insight from the players.
0:34
SPEAKER_11: The inside draft.
0:36
SPEAKER_11: Mike Keith starts now.
0:40
SPEAKER_10: Glad to have you with us on the Mike Keith show, delivered by Uber Eats.
0:44
SPEAKER_10: This is head coach Josh Heipel of the 2-0 Tennessee Volunteers.
0:47
SPEAKER_10: Tennessee goes to Georgia Tech and knocks off the Yellow Jackets 45 to 24.
0:52
SPEAKER_10: Coach Heipel's visit, sponsored by our great friends at Calhoun's.
0:57
SPEAKER_10: Had to step up the physicality, knew you were going to have to do it.
1:01
SPEAKER_10: Answered the call.
1:02
SPEAKER_21: Yeah.
1:03
SPEAKER_21: I thought both sides of the line of scrimmage were effective for a majority of the evening.
1:09
SPEAKER_21: Some things that we got to clean up.
1:11
SPEAKER_21: I also thought we played physical out on the perimeter, which was a challenge to both sides of the football as well.
1:16
SPEAKER_10: I asked you the question last week: who else do you want to step up in the defensive line after Xavier Gilliam played so well in the opener?
1:24
SPEAKER_10: Seemed like a lot of guys answered that question.
1:26
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, we did.
1:28
SPEAKER_21: You know, Marion Dye continues uh to play his best football and is getting better every every week.
1:33
SPEAKER_21: Uh Carson Gennel uh getting healthy, getting more action, uh, did a really nice job.
1:39
SPEAKER_21: Um you know, so uh there's a there's a core group there that we're gonna need uh all of it throughout the course of the season and uh are all of them and uh uh want to see him continue to take those steps.
1:52
SPEAKER_10: Great to see Arian Carter back at linebacker.
1:54
SPEAKER_10: Jeremiah Telander has a good game.
1:56
SPEAKER_10: Edwin Spielman shows up all the time.
1:59
SPEAKER_10: Tennessee fans continuing to get to know Amari Campbell in the linebacking core.
2:04
SPEAKER_10: What is he adding to this group of guys?
2:07
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, he's uh extremely smart, uh has more time on task inside of our defense.
2:12
SPEAKER_21: Uh I think he was a help to uh that room, you know, gaining the information and uh getting adjusted to the new scheme uh quickly.
2:20
SPEAKER_21: Um he's extremely smart football player.
2:23
SPEAKER_21: Uh he's a really good tackler too.
2:26
SPEAKER_21: Um you know, we grade all of our guys in the offseason.
2:28
SPEAKER_21: We went back and graded him from uh from a year ago at Penn State and um does a really good job uh tackling in space.
2:36
SPEAKER_10: The way that unit is functioning as a group is really impressive right now.
2:41
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, uh a group that uh spends as much time in the building as as any of our position groups.
2:46
SPEAKER_21: Uh they compete extremely hard uh with each other, but they support each other.
2:51
SPEAKER_21: Uh the flexibility within uh Coach Knoll's defensive scheme uh to play a lot of those guys in different spots, different personnel groupings.
2:59
SPEAKER_21: Uh there's a lot of things that uh they've had to master.
3:01
SPEAKER_21: Uh pleased with uh a lot of what we've done.
3:04
SPEAKER_21: Uh there's still room for us uh to grow in in some of the communication we gave them some things um a week ago, but uh really like the group.
3:12
SPEAKER_10: Dijon Lane at safety.
3:14
SPEAKER_10: We saw him score the touchdown, so he, like Amari Campbell, is another name Vol fans are coming to know.
3:19
SPEAKER_10: What is he giving you back there, pairing with TJ Metcalf right now?
3:23
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, uh Data is playing extremely well.
3:26
SPEAKER_21: Um, you know, obviously the big plays that everybody saw, the pick six, um, you know, sees something, recognizes it, pulls his pin, and then goes and finishes the play, uh, you know, catching it and taking it into the end zone.
3:38
SPEAKER_21: Uh but it's been really good communication, uh, formation adjustments, and then uh been really good tackling in the box.
3:45
SPEAKER_10: Why was Tennessee able to run the football so effectively at Georgia Tech?
3:49
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, uh it starts, you know, uh I think the communication, uh us all being on on the same page uh is the start of it.
3:56
SPEAKER_21: Uh we played extremely physical.
3:58
SPEAKER_21: Uh that was the five guys up front um and through the rotations.
4:03
SPEAKER_21: Uh I thought our tight ends did a really nice job um in the in the core in in the run game.
4:08
SPEAKER_21: And then our running backs ran extremely hard physical.
4:11
SPEAKER_21: Um and then when there was grass, they created a big explosive play off of it.
4:16
SPEAKER_10: You mentioned tight ends, Ethan Davis now out for the year.
4:19
SPEAKER_10: How will that change your use of tight ends going forward?
4:22
SPEAKER_21: The next guy's got to step up.
4:23
SPEAKER_21: Uh, I don't see it changing who we are uh offensively.
4:27
SPEAKER_21: Uh I got some young guys that uh we are confident in that we want to see continue to grow, but uh they're gonna take ownership and uh next man's up and let's go play ball.
4:36
SPEAKER_10: Radarius Jackson, three catches the first game, three catches the second game.
4:40
SPEAKER_10: Is he sort of gaining on it right now in terms of his progress?
4:44
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, I thought he played his best football uh on Saturday night, consistent uh through all four quarters.
4:50
SPEAKER_21: Uh did a really good job being in sync with the quarterback uh majority of the night.
4:54
SPEAKER_21: Uh creates the one third big explosive play down the sideline on third and long, does a really nice job tracking the football.
5:01
SPEAKER_21: Um he played really good with the ball uh coming at him as a target, uh, but he did a good job uh uh blocking on the perimeter as well.
5:09
SPEAKER_10: Faison Brandon's performance.
5:12
SPEAKER_10: That next step in terms of opponent, were you pleased with the way he accepted that challenge?
5:16
SPEAKER_21: I was.
5:17
SPEAKER_21: Um, you know, he was sound in his decision making where he was going.
5:21
SPEAKER_21: Uh a couple of tip balls uh that we got to find a window and complete, a couple uh, you know, drops.
5:27
SPEAKER_21: Uh there's a couple things fundamentally that he would do different, but I thought he was extremely decisive, go in the right spot, uh, controlled what we were doing, communication in and out of the huddle, tempo, all of that extremely well.
5:39
SPEAKER_21: Um, you know, had to burn a timeout one time.
5:42
SPEAKER_21: Um, but all in all, uh really pleased with what he did.
5:44
SPEAKER_21: First start on the road.
5:46
SPEAKER_10: Tennessee fans.
5:47
SPEAKER_10: Uh remarkable performance on Saturday night.
5:50
SPEAKER_10: I like usual.
5:51
SPEAKER_10: Yeah.
5:52
SPEAKER_10: Personally, I mean, I I expected a lot of them to be there.
5:55
SPEAKER_10: I did not expect them to overtake the stadium, understanding what a big game that was to Georgia Tech.
6:02
SPEAKER_10: Those Yellow Jacket fans were excited to have Tennessee on campus.
6:05
SPEAKER_10: They were fired up, and yet Tennessee fans still dominate.
6:08
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, absolutely.
6:09
SPEAKER_21: Uh you could feel it on the drive from the hotel to the stadium, uh, young and old uh wearing their orange.
6:16
SPEAKER_21: Uh we get to the stadium, great crowd is uh we're getting ready to walk into the locker room.
6:20
SPEAKER_21: And uh I I came out 60 minutes before kickoff, and at that time it was pretty much all Tennessee Orange uh inside the the stadium, and uh they played a huge part in the in the football game.
6:32
SPEAKER_21: Um our players feed off of that too, so uh never take that for granted.
6:36
SPEAKER_10: Get a chance to come home.
6:37
SPEAKER_10: 100 2,000 of them will be here Saturday night for Kennesaw State.
6:41
SPEAKER_10: Thoughts on the owls as you begin the week of preparation.
6:44
SPEAKER_21: Yeah, uh football team that uh we have a lot of familiarity with their staff, a lot of guys that uh were here um and and some of them that have been with me for a long time, offensive coordinator, uh almost uh you know, eight years uh together.
6:58
SPEAKER_21: Um you know, they did a really good job.
7:02
SPEAKER_21: Won a conference championship last year.
7:04
SPEAKER_21: I think they've won 12 out of the last 14 games.
7:07
SPEAKER_21: Um you know, they got a quarterback that's mobile and can uh push the football down the field.
7:12
SPEAKER_21: Uh their defensive line's really strong.
7:14
SPEAKER_21: Uh return conference, uh defense conference player of the year at linebacker.
7:19
SPEAKER_21: Um it's another step for us to grow as a football team, and that's the focus and ownership, control and the things that we can control.
7:26
SPEAKER_21: Uh but uh looking forward to the game on Saturday.
7:29
SPEAKER_10: Yeah, I don't want to waste our lives away, but looking forward to another Saturday in Hayland.
7:33
SPEAKER_10: Coach Josh Heipel is here with us, courtesy of our friends at Calhoun's A Taste of Tennessee.
7:39
SPEAKER_10: When we come back, we'll visit with Dewan Morris, sophomore running back from Murphy's Brew at a big game Saturday night at Georgia Tech.
7:47
SPEAKER_10: That's next on the Mike Keith Show delivered by Uber Eats.
7:51
SPEAKER_11: This is the Mike Keith Show, inside access, delivered by Uber Eats.
7:56
SPEAKER_14: Today's show sponsored by Pilot, official travel stop of the vault.
8:01
SPEAKER_14: See you out here by First Horizon, Big Bank Muscle, small bank hustle, by Food City, the official supermarket of the Tennessee Volunteers, community medical, the official health care provider of the vault.
8:14
SPEAKER_14: Bradley Roofing, let us Victor Lee, the proud official roofer of the Big Orange.
8:20
SPEAKER_14: By Farm Bureau Insurance, the official insurance of the Vault, Tennessee Insurance for Tennessee Life.
8:28
SPEAKER_21: When you travel across the great state of Tennessee, one thing you're sure to find is big orange passion.
8:33
SPEAKER_21: You see it throughout every inch of the volunteer state, just like you see First Horizon, serving communities big and small, offering big bank products with small bank passion.
8:44
SPEAKER_21: What else do you need?
8:45
SPEAKER_15: Big bank muscle, small bank hustle.
8:48
SPEAKER_22: That's First Horizon, the official bank of the Vols, proudly serving Tennesseans for over 160 years.
8:56
SPEAKER_01: Being at the Vols game saved my life.
9:00
SPEAKER_01: It was a normal day going to the game with my son, but this time it felt like a sledgehammer hit my chest.
9:06
SPEAKER_01: The UT medical team knew exactly what they needed to do and just kept me calm throughout the process.
9:13
SPEAKER_01: It was probably the most serious heart attack that you could have.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: The team took care of me, worked quickly, efficiently, and I did catch the end of the game.
9:23
SPEAKER_15: These are the stories of the region's academic health system.
9:29
SPEAKER_05: Out of here, Passion Travels.
9:59
SPEAKER_13: New homes, new businesses, new opportunities.
10:03
SPEAKER_13: Natural gas powers that progress.
10:06
SPEAKER_13: Efficient energy, reliable systems, dependable when communities need it most, ready for today's demands and the growth happening across our state.
10:16
SPEAKER_13: Because in Tennessee, progress isn't slowing down, it's moving forward.
10:22
SPEAKER_13: Natural gas fueled for the future.
11:04
SPEAKER_10: Bring on the back of the ball day.
11:22
SPEAKER_10: Your local Ford feelers.
11:27
SPEAKER_21: In Big Orange Country, we live for big moments, but we know there are surprises along the way.
11:33
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11:47
SPEAKER_22: That's why I trust Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, the official insurance of the vault.
11:52
SPEAKER_22: Tennessee Insurance for Tennessee Life.
11:55
SPEAKER_10: Not funny, guys.
12:26
SPEAKER_12: The win moved Tennessee to 2-0 while also marking its 20th straight win over a non-conference opponent in the regular season.
12:35
SPEAKER_12: Elsewhere, your top 10 Tennessee soccer team opened up SEC play with a win, defeating LSU down in Baton Rouge 3-1 on Friday night.
12:44
SPEAKER_12: Tennessee Cross Country also opened its season at home on Friday, with the Ladyballs claiming the team title at the Tennessee Invitational by just one point over Kentucky.
12:54
SPEAKER_12: The men finished second overall.
12:57
SPEAKER_12: And her top 20 Tennessee volleyball team swept Coastal Carolina on Saturday in the Food City Center.
13:04
SPEAKER_12: The Lady Balls won the first set 25-19, the second set 25-19, and the third set 25-17.
13:11
SPEAKER_12: Jalen Stout led the way against her former team with a season high, 17 kills, as Tennessee improved to 6-1 on the season.
13:20
SPEAKER_12: That was the Rackley Roofing recap.
13:22
SPEAKER_12: Rackley Roofing, transforming the roofing industry and the proud official roofer of the Tennessee Volunteers.
13:57
SPEAKER_10: Finishing the game the way supposed to be finished.
14:00
SPEAKER_10: At sophomore running back Dewan Morris and his touchdown run among his efforts in a 10-carry, 98-yard performance at Georgia Tech last Saturday night, had a chance to visit with the youngster out of Murphy's Boro to talk about many things with his development.
14:17
SPEAKER_10: He has a lot of good things to say.
14:19
SPEAKER_10: But I had to ask him first why did you change numbers from 19 to 17?
14:26
SPEAKER_10: You're confusing the announcer.
14:29
SPEAKER_17: I had to go back to my old number.
14:31
SPEAKER_17: My freshman year in high school, we had to earn our numbers.
14:34
SPEAKER_17: So, you know, being able to earn something that that's not given, and you know, being able to have something that has significant value to something that was deep within me, um, I feel like I needed that back to feel like myself.
14:45
SPEAKER_17: Was that at Oakland?
14:46
SPEAKER_17: So I was at Red Bank my first year.
14:48
SPEAKER_10: You were at Red Bank?
14:48
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
14:49
SPEAKER_10: And when did you move to Murfreesboro, Oakland?
14:51
SPEAKER_10: End of my sophomore year going to junior year.
14:53
SPEAKER_10: Those are two distinctive programs for sure.
14:56
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
14:56
SPEAKER_10: I mean, a lot of history and a lot of tradition.
14:59
SPEAKER_10: So when you you decide to come to Tennessee, I mean, you've played in some championship games, some pressure type games.
15:06
SPEAKER_10: How much do you feel like looking back at your freshman year, that that helped your transition?
15:12
SPEAKER_17: I feel like being able to play as a freshman in high school, it give you that it gave you that like edge of like, like dang, I get to I get to do this again with a better opportunity and a better mindset.
15:23
SPEAKER_17: So, you know, just looking back at it as of now, like, I feel like it gave me like a better perspective, but now the perspective I have is way different.
15:32
SPEAKER_17: Being able to actually be in it and being able to just adjust and be consistent within this program every day and just learning.
15:39
SPEAKER_10: Where is Dewan Morris better as a sophomore than he was as a freshman?
15:44
SPEAKER_17: That's a great question.
15:45
SPEAKER_17: I would say just being detailed, um, being consistent, doing things the right way, the minor details, that's what matters in in this game now.
15:55
SPEAKER_17: Like, you know, being in SEC, um, I would say definitely like the minor details, wanting to learn more.
16:01
SPEAKER_17: That's that's another thing.
16:03
SPEAKER_17: Like, you know, as a freshman, you always think you got everything, you you think you know everything, but you know, as you get older, it's really about learning and maturing.
16:11
SPEAKER_17: Like once you once you get to that aspect, I feel like you never want to stop learning and you never want to stop getting that competitive edge over on anybody, whether it's competing or just learning.
16:21
SPEAKER_17: And I feel like that played a big factor in of as of now.
16:25
SPEAKER_17: Is Alvin Kamara one of your idols?
16:29
SPEAKER_17: Yes, sir, he is.
16:30
SPEAKER_17: Why is that?
16:31
SPEAKER_17: His patience.
16:32
SPEAKER_17: Like he can hit it, but he also has his patience within like seeing what he needs to see or just dialing in on like okay, on this play, I maybe I need to maybe I need to be more patient than I was at first, and then I can hit it.
16:45
SPEAKER_17: But his his playstyle and the way he plays is is so different and in certain areas, like when it's when it's ball to the when it's ball in open area, like you got guys who can hit it, but he can he can slow the whole game down in the process of it in the speed of the game and then hit it.
17:02
SPEAKER_17: And I feel like that's where that's where mine's take place at like when I get the ball in the open field, I can be more patient, but I can also show that, oh well, if I need to hit it, then I can hit it with full speed.
17:12
SPEAKER_10: So like Calvin Kamara, you are good in the past game.
17:16
SPEAKER_10: How did you get good in the past game and why was that a priority for Dewan Morris?
17:21
SPEAKER_17: I got good in the past game actually playing slot receiver.
17:24
SPEAKER_17: So when I was when did you play slot?
17:26
SPEAKER_17: I played slot from my freshman year to senior year.
17:29
SPEAKER_17: Really?
17:29
SPEAKER_17: Yes, sir.
17:30
SPEAKER_17: So being able to play in that position, it actually actually helps you as a running back because then you start to learn your structures and safeties.
17:38
SPEAKER_17: You start to learn, well, how can I attack this?
17:41
SPEAKER_17: How can I attack this safety with this leverage?
17:43
SPEAKER_17: And then when you're running the ball, it kind of gives you that same edge on, well, when you get to that third level, how can I attack this safety with this leverage?
17:50
SPEAKER_17: So, you know, having that being able to play slot and then learn the third levels, and then being able to maneuver through linebackers at slot.
17:59
SPEAKER_17: Because in high school, you know, you got times where you got to crack block on a linebacker, or you got times where you got a crack block on a safety.
18:05
SPEAKER_17: So being able to, being able to play that position gives you a wider range of, okay, then I know what this is, then I know how to go about this situation.
18:13
SPEAKER_17: So it just kind of it kind of helps.
18:15
SPEAKER_10: What is the running back room like for you?
18:18
SPEAKER_17: The running back room, very competitive.
18:20
SPEAKER_17: It's a very competitive room.
18:22
SPEAKER_17: You got a lot of smart guys in there.
18:24
SPEAKER_17: We got a lot of talented guys who are willing to work and who are willing to learn.
18:28
SPEAKER_17: And I feel like that's what's gonna take this group as a whole to the next level.
18:32
SPEAKER_17: Like we're pushing each other every day, even on off day.
18:35
SPEAKER_17: We're pushing each other, pushing each other to watch extra film, pushing each other to watch, pushing each other to do extra walkthroughs.
18:41
SPEAKER_17: I know I feel like that plays a big part.
18:43
SPEAKER_10: It's interesting because you were a big recruit.
18:45
SPEAKER_17: Yes, sir.
18:45
SPEAKER_10: Big time recruit.
18:46
SPEAKER_10: Deshaun Bishop was not.
18:48
SPEAKER_10: Javen Gordon was also not a huge recruit.
18:51
SPEAKER_10: What's it like working with guys a little older than you who have that sort of background and you're watching them put in their time and have success?
19:04
SPEAKER_17: It's a lot different because you know, um, like you said, Deshaun has a different background than me.
19:09
SPEAKER_17: So his drive ethic and the way he goes about things and the way he handled things were way different than mine when I first got here because I was a freshman.
19:17
SPEAKER_17: Like you said, a lot of things that I had, I had that was situated for me, he had to go earn and work for.
19:24
SPEAKER_17: So, you know, just being a freshman when I came in, I had to learn the the actual work ethic, the learning, slowing things down and actually understanding the concepts of plays.
19:34
SPEAKER_17: Like you have to learn.
19:35
SPEAKER_17: So as I slowly developed and got mature, like I understood the more that Bish was going and the path that he was walking in.
19:43
SPEAKER_10: What does Deshaun Bishop do well, particularly well as a running back?
19:48
SPEAKER_17: He's very detailed.
19:49
SPEAKER_10: Detailed.
19:50
SPEAKER_17: He's very detailed, whether it's writing in a notebook or whether it's talking or whether it's going over a play that we watching over film, like that's one person I can say.
19:59
SPEAKER_17: Like he's very detailed within his notebook and he's very detailed on the field.
20:03
SPEAKER_10: How do you see that on Saturday in him?
20:05
SPEAKER_17: You see it when it's when he's just running the ball or when he's pass blocking.
20:08
SPEAKER_17: Like, you know, you can see a lot of stuff that Deshaun Bishop do on the weekends that he does during the week.
20:14
SPEAKER_17: Like hit his during the week habits, they turn over to the weekend.
20:18
SPEAKER_17: And when he's playing, he slows the game down because he understands the scheme.
20:22
SPEAKER_17: He understands everything that he's gone through the week.
20:24
SPEAKER_17: So it kind of it kind of helps him on that Saturday when it's time to play, then he knows well, hey, there's this front, and I can go backside gap or front side gap.
20:32
SPEAKER_17: So, you know, him just being smart and him being very detailed helps him play at a faster pace within himself.
20:38
SPEAKER_10: Bishop's gonna play, Gordon's gonna play, you're gonna play.
20:42
SPEAKER_10: How do you make sure you're fully ready to go when it's your time, understanding that you're not going to get every snap at running back.
20:51
SPEAKER_10: Nobody is.
20:52
SPEAKER_17: In that aspect, you know, like Kosim say, just be there, be ready when your name called.
20:56
SPEAKER_17: Like, do everything the right way, even if you're starting or not starting, like continue to build those right habits that's gonna lead you to when your name is called.
21:05
SPEAKER_17: Like, do the small things right, like I said, the details.
21:08
SPEAKER_17: The just doing everything right will lead up to your time being.
21:12
SPEAKER_17: Like, don't think about it too much.
21:14
SPEAKER_17: Don't don't don't pressure yourself because you're not getting the amount of plays or reps you may want.
21:19
SPEAKER_17: Just make sure you know that the details and your plays, like make sure you know your job.
21:24
SPEAKER_17: So I think that plays a big part in it as well.
21:26
SPEAKER_10: Duan Morris, why are Tennessee running backs so successful, not only at Tennessee, but at the next level?
21:33
SPEAKER_17: I feel like that plays a part in being in this program.
21:36
SPEAKER_17: And when you're in this program, like you start to learn, like, well, this is how I carry myself on and off the field.
21:42
SPEAKER_17: And whether it's if you got the right playing time or whether it's if you did like what you did, I think this program makes you who you are.
21:50
SPEAKER_17: And um, just going to be more mature and past college, I feel like that carries on in life.
21:56
SPEAKER_17: And this program builds you as a man, not just football, but On and off the field habits.
22:01
SPEAKER_17: So I feel like that's why the people who've came out of here are continuing to still be great people and continuing to still just do great things on and off the field.
22:08
SPEAKER_10: I have a card.
22:09
SPEAKER_10: I have to ask you a question.
22:10
SPEAKER_10: Yes, sir.
22:11
SPEAKER_10: All right, are you ready?
22:12
SPEAKER_10: We end with a question.
22:14
SPEAKER_10: What's your favorite order from Uber Eats?
22:17
SPEAKER_17: My favorite order, I'll probably go with I'll probably go with Chipotle bowl from Uber Eats for sure.
22:22
SPEAKER_10: Everybody loves the Chipotle.
22:23
SPEAKER_17: You can never go wrong with it.
22:25
SPEAKER_10: I would agree.
22:27
SPEAKER_10: When we come back, Brett Hubs joins me to discuss Dewan Morris and the rest of the Tennessee volunteers.
22:34
SPEAKER_10: That's next on the Mike Keith Show delivered by Uber Eats.
22:38
SPEAKER_11: Back with more Big Orange Insider Access.
22:42
SPEAKER_11: Direct to the stores with the voice of the Valls.
22:45
SPEAKER_11: And you, we are the Vall Network.
23:06
SPEAKER_10: What was his recruitment like?
23:08
SPEAKER_04: Slow initially, uh which is a good one.
23:10
SPEAKER_04: Which is surprising considering he's very fast.
23:12
SPEAKER_04: Uh Tennessee was in a does he fit?
23:16
SPEAKER_04: Can he get big enough?
23:17
SPEAKER_04: Sort of a deep, longer evaluation on him and how he would work in this offense and how he would fit.
23:25
SPEAKER_04: And so he was very much a speed to the corner kind of guy.
23:29
SPEAKER_04: Could he become a between the tackles guy?
23:31
SPEAKER_04: Could he get physical enough?
23:32
SPEAKER_04: And obviously he is showing that in year two.
23:34
SPEAKER_04: One of the most improved players on the team?
23:36
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think so.
23:37
SPEAKER_04: And I think it's a couple of reasons, Mike.
23:39
SPEAKER_04: One, physically, he's obviously much better, but there's a real learning curve for him when he got to Tennessee about running between the tackles and running with some patience.
23:49
SPEAKER_04: Uh such a big play guy, was always looking for the home run because that's the way high school went for him.
23:55
SPEAKER_04: And so he had to understand four yards is a good game.
24:00
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
24:00
SPEAKER_04: And then it was like, hey, this is hard.
24:02
SPEAKER_04: You're not just gonna out-athlete everybody.
24:05
SPEAKER_04: So there was a real learning curve for him to play between the tackles, as coaches like to say, to play behind your pads, which simply means to play more physical, finish runs following forward.
24:16
SPEAKER_04: You gotta know when to go and you gotta know when to kind of let it all clear out in front of you.
24:20
SPEAKER_04: And if you look at that last touchdown run, he's got just enough patience to let Design Brain get across where he's get to on the lead block to give him the crease to go.
24:32
SPEAKER_04: Those are things that you just have to get a feel for, and you're seeing him get a feel for that.
24:36
SPEAKER_04: That's why he's so improved.
24:37
SPEAKER_10: In your column on vaultest.com after the ball game, you refer to Faison Brandon as an eraser.
24:44
SPEAKER_04: What do you mean by that?
24:45
SPEAKER_04: Eliminating negative plays.
24:47
SPEAKER_04: Uh and I think there's a lot of talk about his legs and how many yards is he gonna get.
24:51
SPEAKER_04: Is he gonna rush for 60?
24:53
SPEAKER_04: Is he gonna rush for 80 this game?
24:55
SPEAKER_04: How many will he get?
24:56
SPEAKER_04: For me, the stat is how many negative yards are there for him?
25:00
SPEAKER_04: And you look at what he did, and this is where it frustrates defensive coordinators, and you got NFL commentators talking about it on their broadcast.
25:09
SPEAKER_04: You get somebody in third and six, and you got it all blanketed, you got it all covered, and then you look up and he's squirted out for seven yards, and it's a first down.
25:18
SPEAKER_04: Take the fourth down play.
25:20
SPEAKER_04: Georgia Tech couldn't have played that play any better.
25:22
SPEAKER_04: They've got the tight end covered, he's not gonna get two yards on the quick out.
25:26
SPEAKER_04: They've got everything.
25:27
SPEAKER_04: So where is he gonna go?
25:29
SPEAKER_04: They've got a free rusher at him, and all of a sudden he erases the gotcha.
25:35
SPEAKER_04: Like they think they've got Tennessee.
25:37
SPEAKER_04: We've diagnosed the play, we know it, okay, we got him, and he erases that with his ability to make somebody miss, find the sticks, move the chains, move forward.
25:45
SPEAKER_04: That's why running quarterbacks are fro so frustrating for defensive coordinators.
25:49
SPEAKER_04: That to me is going to be his biggest strength and needs to be his biggest strength with his legs as a quarterback.
25:55
SPEAKER_10: What's Josh Hypel like as a play caller with that element in his offense?
26:00
SPEAKER_04: Well, I I think it it frees you up to do a a lot of different things, you know, because you feel comfortable that okay, now we can maybe go in a short-yarded situation.
26:10
SPEAKER_04: We got different options here.
26:12
SPEAKER_04: I've got a quarterback who understands, stay ahead of the sticks.
26:16
SPEAKER_04: Um you know, I think it gives him the freedom to to do some of the things that they want to do.
26:21
SPEAKER_04: I don't know how much quarterback run they're gonna call.
26:24
SPEAKER_04: I don't know that they called anything Saturday night, just a direct draw or a straight quarterback run.
26:30
SPEAKER_04: But it again, it just gives him the freedom to say, hey, I I don't know that I'm gonna find myself in third and seventeen because he's gonna make he's gonna make somebody miss.
26:39
SPEAKER_04: He's gonna get back to the line of scrimmage, he's gonna give us a chance to stay ahead of the sticks throughout a whole series.
26:45
SPEAKER_10: Tennessee showed some quarterback run in the first game, but showed very little in the second game.
26:50
SPEAKER_04: And that's the beauty of this.
26:52
SPEAKER_04: I mean, it really is.
26:53
SPEAKER_04: What what do you think you do well?
26:55
SPEAKER_04: How are they playing you?
26:56
SPEAKER_04: What do you want to try to accomplish?
26:58
SPEAKER_04: I thought Josh Heipel in the second half of that game from a play calling standpoint was pretty interesting.
27:04
SPEAKER_04: He took the air out of the ball.
27:06
SPEAKER_04: Uh, I know some Tennessee fans were, you know, what are we doing here?
27:09
SPEAKER_04: You know, he's sitting on the ball, etc., etc.
27:11
SPEAKER_04: His defense was a little bit beat up.
27:13
SPEAKER_04: They had some guys in and out of the tent.
27:15
SPEAKER_04: Uh it was hot, it was humid, his run game was winning.
27:20
SPEAKER_04: He felt like he could win against a loaded box as the game went on.
27:23
SPEAKER_04: He started war wearing people out.
27:25
SPEAKER_04: And he played complimentary football, which is um again, not something we've always seen in the Josh Heipel era.
27:32
SPEAKER_04: I think it tells you what he believes where his defense is, the coordination and the com communication he has with his defensive staff, how do we manage this game down the stretch here?
27:43
SPEAKER_04: They had a seven-minute drive that came up empty, but that was a great seven-minute drive.
27:47
SPEAKER_04: I mean, it really, really changed the complexion of the game just because they ate up the clock the way that they did.
27:54
SPEAKER_04: It was a different style of game in the second half in terms of how he called the football game.
27:59
SPEAKER_10: Do you think that's simply because he trusts his defense more?
28:03
SPEAKER_04: Well, I think it was because he trusts his defense more.
28:05
SPEAKER_04: I think he felt like it was gonna be hard for Georgia Tech to score.
28:09
SPEAKER_04: Um, I think it was he felt like they were gonna have to be methodical to get the ball down the field because they was dinking and dunking in the passing game and they weren't hitting a lot of real big plays.
28:19
SPEAKER_04: Um he trusted his quarterback.
28:21
SPEAKER_04: It did not have anything to do with a lack of trust for his quarterback.
28:24
SPEAKER_04: I think he more trusted his run game and where they were, trusted his his coordinator and his defense and where they are right now.
28:31
SPEAKER_04: And hey, we got a 21-point lead, let's get out of here.
28:35
SPEAKER_04: You know, um I I think when you open the second half on an eight-play drive and seven of them are runs, and you get in the end zone, you're thinking at that point, if we get a one defensive stop, this thing gets this thing may get, quote, out of hand for Georgia Tech.
28:50
SPEAKER_04: They didn't get the stop they wanted there, but the game got shorter, and as the game and the clock was winding down, that third quarter went fast, he changed the way he played down the down the stretch of that football game.
29:01
SPEAKER_10: The other part that jumped out to me about what Tennessee was able to do during the course of the ball game is the offensive changes in the second half, Faison Brandon, five of fifteen passing in the first half.
29:14
SPEAKER_10: Some of those were d high degree of difficulty, deep throws.
29:18
SPEAKER_10: He had a couple of drops as well.
29:19
SPEAKER_10: But in the second half, he's five of six passing.
29:22
SPEAKER_10: You mentioned all the running, and it just felt like Tennessee executed what it wanted to do very consistently.
29:29
SPEAKER_04: Well, and one of the things that we uh don't know about uh in a lot of things is what all the quarterbacks being asked to do to manage the run game.
29:38
SPEAKER_04: And I think when you talk about the growth of of Faison Brandon, uh the viewership of it, the fans are gonna view it as what are the passing numbers?
29:47
SPEAKER_04: What all do they let him do?
29:48
SPEAKER_04: How wide open are they, and everything.
29:50
SPEAKER_04: But from the quarterback perspective, there's a lot of things that you have to do in managing the run game.
29:55
SPEAKER_04: And Josh Heipel talked about it after the game.
29:57
SPEAKER_04: He he's he's taking inventory every play, every series, every quarter, every half, every game of what he's learning phason is.
30:07
SPEAKER_04: And I think that to have a guy in his second start be able to manage the clock, manage the run game the way he did, tells you the trust that they have in Faison.
30:16
SPEAKER_04: I mean, they could have called some more run or some more throws if they wanted to, but they were winning so effectively on the ground.
30:24
SPEAKER_04: Why?
30:24
SPEAKER_04: You know, why why why do that?
30:26
SPEAKER_04: Why put the ball in harm's way and Faison's fine with it, but he managed the game well, uh, you know, from the standpoint of it's all tempo tempo, right?
30:34
SPEAKER_04: And then you get there and you lead the play clock.
30:36
SPEAKER_04: Do those types of things.
30:37
SPEAKER_04: I I I just love his command.
30:39
SPEAKER_04: He's you know, look, he threw some balls in the dirt, he had some freshman moments, all those things.
30:43
SPEAKER_04: But his command in week two was ever been as good as his command in week one on the road against a better opponent.
30:50
SPEAKER_10: He's playing winning football.
30:52
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's I think there's a kind of that's who he is quality to him.
30:57
SPEAKER_04: You know, some guys sort of have a bit of an it factor.
31:00
SPEAKER_04: He feels like he has it.
31:02
SPEAKER_04: I I'm not saying they're gonna win every game.
31:04
SPEAKER_04: I'm not saying he's gonna be this.
31:05
SPEAKER_04: But to be 18 years of old eighteen years of age and to manage it at this point in his career the way he was managed it, I I think gives you um a lot of hope on what the the growth and the development of him is gonna be, not just this season but beyond.
31:21
SPEAKER_10: Well, you look at it, you have a punt blocked for a touchdown against you.
31:25
SPEAKER_10: You have too many penalties.
31:27
SPEAKER_10: If you have one big mistake by the quarterback in that game, you're in a lot of trouble.
31:31
SPEAKER_10: They did not have a big mistake from the quarterback at all.
31:35
SPEAKER_04: I don't know that you can look back at any throw he's made and say, man, the ball was put in harm's way.
31:40
SPEAKER_04: It was a bad throw, bad decision, bad read.
31:43
SPEAKER_04: Um some of that they're probably helping him with a little bit, but I I think his situational awareness at this point in his career is pretty savvy.
31:53
SPEAKER_04: He knew exactly where the sticks were on fourth and two.
31:55
SPEAKER_04: Sure did.
31:56
SPEAKER_04: Exactly where they were and what he needed to get to.
31:59
SPEAKER_04: The third and six, he knew exactly where he had to get to.
32:02
SPEAKER_04: Um I I just you don't see that a lot of times out of young players to have that kind of situational awareness.
32:09
SPEAKER_04: And he has shown a good bit of that through two games.
32:12
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's one of the things they like about him as a player.
32:15
SPEAKER_10: I end this segment with you with this.
32:17
SPEAKER_10: You started your career covering this team with freshman quarterback.
32:22
SPEAKER_10: Okay, you that's when you began 1994.
32:24
SPEAKER_10: And you have seen all the freshman quarterbacks since then.
32:28
SPEAKER_10: In terms of expanding the offense, you start at a lower level and then it expands.
32:35
SPEAKER_10: How quickly in your history do you see that come during the course of a year?
32:40
SPEAKER_04: Oh, that's a great question.
32:41
SPEAKER_04: I I think that depends uh largely on what you have around you, you know, um, in terms of what you think the quarterback can do.
32:50
SPEAKER_04: And I I go back to ninety-four, and I think if Peyton were sitting there, he would tell you they could spoon feed it slowly or with him because of the run game that they had, the offensive line they had with him.
33:01
SPEAKER_04: I think I think he got to a point where he was like, I n can can I have some more please of this offense to kind of grow and expand it that way.
33:09
SPEAKER_04: I I think you look back at 2000 when Casey Clausen comes in.
33:14
SPEAKER_04: Now he's halfway through the year when he comes in and plays.
33:18
SPEAKER_04: They had a really good run game with Travis Henry, but everybody was loading the box so bad on that.
33:24
SPEAKER_04: They needed somebody who could make a few plays.
33:26
SPEAKER_04: And they needed a guy with some I hate the word swagger, but a little edge to him.
33:31
SPEAKER_04: And and he played with that edge and brought some confidence there.
33:35
SPEAKER_04: So that one accelerated pretty fast with him uh in that particular year.
33:40
SPEAKER_04: And oh four, I mean, it was a quarterback out of the get-go.
33:43
SPEAKER_04: I mean, you you get to week two, and Eric Aynes has got to throw it in the second half against Florida to go win it.
33:49
SPEAKER_04: That one went fast.
33:51
SPEAKER_04: So I think part of it depends on what you're dealing with around you.
33:55
SPEAKER_04: I think that's why the run game for Tennessee through two games has been so important.
33:59
SPEAKER_04: Now the question is this week before you get into the gauntlet, how much do you try to grow this week with him and the with Faison in the passing game and get all of it more in sync so you could really start to evolve this offense?
34:13
SPEAKER_04: Or do you not show any more before you get to the game?
34:17
SPEAKER_04: Depends on how confident you are in what he can do.
34:20
SPEAKER_04: Does he need you need to see him do it in a game, or do you feel like what you're seeing on the practice field he can execute in front of 105,000 people and you hold a few more things back for another week?
34:30
SPEAKER_10: We'll talk defense with Brent Hubbs when we return.
34:33
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38:13
SPEAKER_08: Sometimes it's hard to protect the quarterback.
38:16
SPEAKER_08: Sometimes it's ordinal.
38:18
SPEAKER_08: Sometimes it's there knowing it's good.
38:22
SPEAKER_02: We protect each other.
38:23
SPEAKER_02: We prefer to stay ready.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: Protect and look different, depending on where you stay.
38:28
SPEAKER_02: Whether it's protecting the quarterback or protecting what matters at all.
38:31
SPEAKER_02: The responsibility is five minutes.
38:34
SPEAKER_02: Design to expect, made to protect, driven.
38:43
SPEAKER_10: Tell me what you think, George Marion got.
38:47
SPEAKER_16: Yeah, I think Marion's a guy that's gonna step into a really big role this year, especially on third down, rushing the pastor.
38:51
SPEAKER_16: I think he's a guy who can be very dynamic, but also be on the field in first, second down, stopping the run.
38:56
SPEAKER_16: You know, he's he's completely changed his body since I met him.
38:58
SPEAKER_16: I would say he's a little more like intense.
39:00
SPEAKER_16: Like he knows like this is the year and it's his year to go take it.
39:02
SPEAKER_16: So Marion, that's my guy.
39:05
SPEAKER_08: That's your guy.
39:06
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, that's my guy.
39:06
SPEAKER_08: Me and Marion, I met him actually throughout the recruiting process, you know, being on the same visits, same schools, just knowing familiar faces and whatnot.
39:13
SPEAKER_08: And I was actually one of the guys blowing his phone up to get him committed.
39:16
SPEAKER_08: So once he committed, we kind of our friendship just kind of took off for there.
39:19
SPEAKER_08: Like we were roommates when we first got here, like we kind of do everything together, whether that's extra work, watch a film, and practice, we always just give each other pointers and whatnot.
39:27
SPEAKER_08: And like George said, like, he definitely knows like the time is now, especially, you know, with a lot of question marks around our defensive line.
39:32
SPEAKER_08: Like he knows he's gonna be one of those guys that have to step up and he's ready to step up.
39:35
SPEAKER_08: And although he may come across as a quiet guy, like y'all definitely see a flash of just what number nine can do out there for sure.
39:43
SPEAKER_10: That was from our conversation earlier at Axel Logistics, obviously with George McIntyre and Ethan Utley, talking about their fellow sophomore, Marion Dye, Elkhart, Indiana.
39:55
SPEAKER_10: How did he get to Tennessee?
39:57
SPEAKER_10: Um don't say by card.
39:59
SPEAKER_04: By play.
39:59
SPEAKER_04: Uh you know, I think Tennessee Tennessee did a great job in recruiting him.
40:03
SPEAKER_04: He had a good relationship with with a coach who's not here now.
40:06
SPEAKER_04: Uh, but I think that helped.
40:08
SPEAKER_04: I think they won Mom over a good bit.
40:10
SPEAKER_04: There was a lot of assumption that he was going to Ohio State.
40:13
SPEAKER_04: I don't know that he loved the assumption that he was going somewhere.
40:17
SPEAKER_04: And I I think the opportunity to play in the league or in this league and the weather and just the culture he found here, I I think he felt like it was the the right fit for him.
40:28
SPEAKER_04: And man, I I just you said it on the broadcast Saturday night.
40:31
SPEAKER_04: It feels like the last three weeks for him coming out of the late in fall camp into the first couple of weeks of foot of games, that he's found a different gear.
40:41
SPEAKER_04: I mean, it just feels like his confidence in the way that he's carrying himself and the demeanor he's playing with right now is a guy that really seems like the game's slowing down.
40:52
SPEAKER_04: He's starting to figure it out.
40:55
SPEAKER_04: He is so long.
40:57
SPEAKER_10: I mean, when he walked in here to do an interview with me, it's like you're looking at a 30-year-old man who's played in the league for 10 years.
41:05
SPEAKER_10: I mean, he's got d incredibly long arms, long legs.
41:08
SPEAKER_10: He's 6'5, he's he's a full 270 pounds.
41:12
SPEAKER_10: I mean, he is a grown-looking dude.
41:15
SPEAKER_10: But learning how to use that, you know, because most people don't have that at that age.
41:21
SPEAKER_10: They grow into it.
41:23
SPEAKER_10: Learning how to use that leverage and that balance, that's what Rodney Garner's been focusing on with him.
41:30
SPEAKER_10: And I I you gotta feel like he's come back in this building this week and gone, let's go some more, let's learn some more, because this is working.
41:38
SPEAKER_04: Well, I and I again I think that's where the confidence grows from what he's had to learn is what so many superstars learned coming out of high school.
41:46
SPEAKER_04: It was easy.
41:47
SPEAKER_04: Okay, he's long, he's physical, he's kind of pushes some people over if he wants to, right?
41:52
SPEAKER_04: I mean, he he can he can be really effective that way.
41:55
SPEAKER_04: Then he gets here and and he's going against a tackle who's a really good player.
41:59
SPEAKER_04: Uh maybe he's going against somebody who's 22 years of age, who's got some physicality.
42:04
SPEAKER_04: And so you can't just you can't just drop your head and run.
42:08
SPEAKER_04: And I think that what he is learning when you watch him play now, play recognition, the way he's playing with his eyes, um his first sack was not about his physical play, although it showed his athletic ability, dipping his shoulder and doing some things, but it was a great play recognition because his eyes were in the right place, playing with greater discipline, uh, all of those things.
42:32
SPEAKER_04: And and you're just seeing it seeing it grow because now when you have a mental understanding of it, to put with the physical body that you're talking about, when those marry together, suddenly you you become a college football player.
42:45
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's what we're seeing out of Mary I die, is those things are marrying together.
42:50
SPEAKER_04: His physical traits, which will allow him to win and have always allowed him to win, are still there and are better than they've been.
42:57
SPEAKER_04: But now with the understanding of how to execute it in the eye in the defense and what Jim Knowles wants and what Rodney Garner wants, really allows him to play with more confidence, with more speed, with more quickness, and more efficiency.
43:10
SPEAKER_10: Linebackers did a whale of a job.
43:12
SPEAKER_10: Spillman showed up again, obviously, Ariane Carter with eight tackles, Amari Campbell with eight tackles, and then Jeremiah T.
43:21
SPEAKER_10: Lander.
43:23
SPEAKER_04: It's pretty phenomenal when you look at at him and just what he's embraced.
43:28
SPEAKER_04: You know, he he knows what was thought, you know, when Amari Campbell came in.
43:32
SPEAKER_04: You know, he was just kind of have a role and he wondered what his role was gonna be.
43:36
SPEAKER_04: And Jim Knowles has fallen in love with him, and he's really embraced this linebacker position that's kind of been created for him in a lot of ways.
43:45
SPEAKER_04: I think he'll be the first to tell you he's got to play the edge a little better, got to set the edge at times a little bit better.
43:50
SPEAKER_04: Um, but it's it's in his wheelhouse because he's playing really downhill.
43:55
SPEAKER_04: Now I know he had the interception, which is in coverage.
43:57
SPEAKER_04: You say, Well, there's nothing downhill about that.
43:59
SPEAKER_04: Sure.
43:59
SPEAKER_04: Which they're Wasn't, but a lot of his stuff is downhill more in the box.
44:03
SPEAKER_04: I think it's tailor-made for him.
44:05
SPEAKER_04: This is a guy in high school who played some nose tackle, you know.
44:08
SPEAKER_04: He played a lot in the A-gap.
44:10
SPEAKER_04: They would play him off the edge.
44:11
SPEAKER_04: They would move him around and do some different things with him.
44:14
SPEAKER_04: And he was pretty effective closer to the line of scrimmage.
44:18
SPEAKER_04: I think that that he's figured out a way and he's figuring out a way to make that work for him at this level.
44:22
SPEAKER_04: And Jim Knowles is putting him in positions to have him be successful, and he's certainly embracing it right now.
44:29
SPEAKER_04: Play him well.
44:30
SPEAKER_10: If there's a cliche anywhere in sports, it's like, well, we have really four starting outfielders, or we've really got six or seven starting players in basketball.
44:41
SPEAKER_10: Tennessee really does have four starting linebackers in terms of how their utilization is.
44:48
SPEAKER_10: I mean, that's the mindset Jim Knowles has, and he's using it as a luxury.
44:53
SPEAKER_04: Jim Knowles is about finding his best 11 players and getting his best 11 players on the field.
44:59
SPEAKER_04: Now, sometimes you have to adjust based on what the formation, scheme, personnel, or situation.
45:03
SPEAKER_04: Situation.
45:04
SPEAKER_04: But that the best 11 starts at the linebacker position.
45:08
SPEAKER_04: And you kind of build around from that standpoint.
45:11
SPEAKER_04: So that's why you saw some four linebacker sets.
45:14
SPEAKER_04: You may see some more of those four linebacker sets.
45:17
SPEAKER_04: Because Amari Campbell is an effective football player.
45:21
SPEAKER_04: Arian Carter's only going to get better as he continues to knock some rust off and play.
45:26
SPEAKER_04: And he was not like he was bad on Saturday night, but he's only going to get better.
45:30
SPEAKER_04: That was his first time really playing in the scheme other than a scrimmage.
45:33
SPEAKER_04: T Lander's got a role.
45:35
SPEAKER_04: Spillman's playing really fast right now.
45:38
SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, they do.
45:39
SPEAKER_04: I mean, I think they feel like they're really interchangeable at the linebacker position with their best 11.
45:44
SPEAKER_04: And at times their best 11 may feature four linebackers.
45:47
SPEAKER_10: Run hub's hot take, delivered by Firehouse Subs.
45:51
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45:55
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45:56
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45:58
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46:02
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46:08
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46:12
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46:15
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46:20
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46:57
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47:00
SPEAKER_10: This is Brunt Hubbs of BallQuest.com and the Ball Radio Network.
47:03
SPEAKER_10: It's time now for Brunt Hubb's hot take of the week, delivered by Firehouse Subs.
47:10
SPEAKER_10: You got a hot take?
47:11
SPEAKER_04: My hot take this week is Dewan Morris hits the century mark for the for the first time uh in his career, a hundred yard rushing day for Dewan Morris.
47:20
SPEAKER_04: Love the way he's playing right now.
47:22
SPEAKER_04: I love the confidence that he has.
47:24
SPEAKER_04: I I think that you're gonna continue to see some big plays out of him.
47:28
SPEAKER_04: Uh I think as the games wear on, you know, as Coach Hepel likes to say, four becomes six and six becomes twelve, and you start popping something.
47:36
SPEAKER_04: I I think this is a hundred-yard game for Dewan Morris because he's in such a good rhythm and he's feeling it, and it's getting better and better.
47:43
SPEAKER_04: And I think he's gonna get um a good number of opportunities this week as the running back, and I think he's gonna continue to push um to be, you know, in that conversation as the number two back.
47:55
SPEAKER_10: Why is the running back room so good right now at Tennessee?
47:59
SPEAKER_04: Because A, it's talented, B, it's a high group of high-level competitors, and it's a group that understands they are the the sum of their parts, the whole, is better than the individual part.
48:14
SPEAKER_04: And I think that starts with Deshaun Bishop.
48:17
SPEAKER_04: Deshaun Bishop is a guy who coming out of Cars High School carried it 487,000 times.
48:23
SPEAKER_04: Like, I mean, it was literally what's Deshaun Bishop's line?
48:25
SPEAKER_04: Well, he's got 48 carries, you know, and so he's a guy who's used to getting a high volume of carries.
48:30
SPEAKER_04: He's had to learn that I can be a really effective back with a smaller number of carries and how to maximize that.
48:38
SPEAKER_04: So he has really embraced the help.
48:41
SPEAKER_04: Okay, we're better as a group than we are as individuals, and everybody understands a role, and I'm okay when I'm out of the game and Dewan Morris is playing well, or Gordon's doing something, or Baker's doing something.
48:54
SPEAKER_04: I think it starts with Deshaun Bishop embracing that room.
48:59
SPEAKER_04: And I think players see how he works and they works and they kind of gravitate towards him.
49:04
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
49:05
SPEAKER_04: I mean, one of the guys who spent a lot of time with Deshaun Bishop this offseason, Dewan Morris.
49:10
SPEAKER_04: Understanding what you have to do to your body to get yourself in a position to be an SEC back, sort of attached himself to Deshaun Bishop.
49:20
SPEAKER_04: You know, here's Gordon asking a lot of questions, and Deshaun Bishop has helped those guys understand that.
49:26
SPEAKER_04: And so I think you have great camaraderie, great chemistry in that room with a bunch of high-level competitors that know everybody's got a place.
49:35
SPEAKER_10: And then when you get your chance, you've got to make the most of it.
49:38
SPEAKER_04: Yep.
49:38
SPEAKER_04: And I think that you understand the line there of trying to make the most out of it, but not trying to press and do too much because that's an easy thing to do.
49:48
SPEAKER_04: Okay, I don't know how many chances I'm gonna get, so I've got to do.
49:51
SPEAKER_04: I think Gordon is still learning that a little bit because I think maybe he's hunting for something a little bigger from time to time.
49:58
SPEAKER_04: That's why I love what Morris did on Saturday night, because I never felt like he was pressing.
50:03
SPEAKER_04: I never felt like he was trying to hit a home run.
50:05
SPEAKER_04: I felt like he was looking for five and hoping five becomes seven and eventually you pop, and it did for him.
50:12
SPEAKER_04: So there's a balance of, hey, I don't know how many chances I'm gonna get, I gotta make the most versus I gotta play within the framework of what we're asking, they're asking us to do.
50:21
SPEAKER_04: I think Bishop is helping guys understand that.
50:24
SPEAKER_10: Special teams in the return game, also something Tennessee's looking to get more out of, but haven't really had a chance much so far with Quay Moss with the punt returns and only two kick returns for touchdown.
50:37
SPEAKER_10: Only two kick returns even able to be returned.
50:40
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, I don't think the kickoff return game is ever going to be a whole lot.
50:44
SPEAKER_04: I just think these kickers are so good with the ball and the kick.
50:47
SPEAKER_04: I think there's a lot of fair catching it.
50:49
SPEAKER_04: There's a lot of put it down at the 25, balls through the end zone.
50:53
SPEAKER_04: It's becoming a play in college football that doesn't have a whole lot to it because of how the kickers kick the ball and the effectiveness.
51:00
SPEAKER_04: I mean, Josh Turbiville was outstanding Saturday night and doing his job of not allowing a return to happen.
51:06
SPEAKER_04: So I don't know that that's ever going to be this magnanimous play on special teams for Tennessee.
51:11
SPEAKER_04: The punt return game is interesting.
51:13
SPEAKER_04: Are you still fully confident in Quay Moss after the fumble that he had that he got back on?
51:18
SPEAKER_04: It was a big play.
51:19
SPEAKER_04: Huge play.
51:19
SPEAKER_04: I love the fact that he tried to field that punt.
51:22
SPEAKER_04: You just got to make that catch because he's gonna save you 30 yards of hidden yards, which is what you need to do.
51:28
SPEAKER_04: But are you fully comfortable with with him and how clean he feels it?
51:32
SPEAKER_04: I think the interesting thing about Quay Moss, really great athlete, still learning how to be a punt returner, wants to be the punt returner.
51:38
SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
51:39
SPEAKER_04: I mean, badly, and but he doesn't have a ton of experience doing it.
51:42
SPEAKER_04: So we'll see how that competition continues.
51:45
SPEAKER_04: But I think as he gets more and more comfortable, that can be a positive play for Tennessee and some some hidden yards they can gain.
51:51
SPEAKER_10: Good stuff, Brent Hubbs.
51:53
SPEAKER_10: Thank you so much.
51:53
SPEAKER_10: Thanks, sir.
51:54
SPEAKER_10: He is Brent Hubbs with VolQuest.com and the Vol Radio Network.
51:57
SPEAKER_10: He will be with us Saturday night for Tennessee and Kennesaw State.
52:02
SPEAKER_10: We'll be on the air at five o'clock Eastern Time, four o'clock central with coverage, and we're looking forward to having you join us for that.
52:10
SPEAKER_10: For our fine staff, Mike Keith says, thanks for being with us, and we'll see you next time.
52:22
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52:26
SPEAKER_11: We are the Fall Network.