Latest / The Mike Keith Show / The Mike Keith Show | ARION CARTER, JOSH HEUPEL (9.10.26)
Transcript
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- 0:50SPEAKER_04: Welcome to the Mike Keith Show, delivered by Uber Eats.
- 0:53SPEAKER_04: I am Mike Keith, and this is Ariane Carter, number seven, University of Tennessee linebacker.
- 0:58SPEAKER_04: Getting ready to play Georgia Tech Saturday night, Bobby Dodd Stadium.
- 1:04SPEAKER_04: How are you, sir?
- 1:04SPEAKER_09: I'm great.
- 1:05SPEAKER_09: How are you doing?
- 1:05SPEAKER_04: I'm so glad to see you.
- 1:07SPEAKER_04: That's so great to be here.
- 1:08SPEAKER_04: I bet this is a week you are looking forward to getting back at it.
- 1:12SPEAKER_09: Exactly.
- 1:12SPEAKER_04: All right, so during the game last Saturday, Tennessee playing Furman.
- 1:17SPEAKER_04: You're not eligible to play, unfortunately.
- 1:19SPEAKER_04: What were you doing during the game itself?
- 1:23SPEAKER_09: Uh during the game, I was just as if I was another coach.
- 1:26SPEAKER_09: I feel like um during the game, just being a shoulder to lean on, uh understanding the young guys are getting a lot of reps, and um, you know, as the game should go as we expect it to go, you know, you want to be there for guys, as we say, the next man coming in and making sure they're ready and prepared for their moment when it um shows itself.
- 1:46SPEAKER_04: Were you able to get something out of seeing Jim Knoll's defense in action in a in a very live situation?
- 1:55SPEAKER_09: Yeah, just seeing how all of the um pieces uh put together in a sense, um like how the gymnastics work versus an offense in a real life situation and seeing how the defense really complements um us per se as in linebackers in the secondary and seeing how we all work together as a defense in the coverage and rush.
- 2:14SPEAKER_04: You like playing in this defense a lot and watching you in practice.
- 2:18SPEAKER_04: I I could see you getting enthusiastic at different points about what you're being asked to do.
- 2:24SPEAKER_04: What is it so much about this defense that you have enjoyed and are now going to get to enjoy in live action Saturday night?
- 2:32SPEAKER_09: Yeah, just the different uh coverages and rushes that we are able to implement and be able to disguise certain things for offenses to give them the same look and um different things post-snap to uh really confuse the quarter quarterback per se.
- 2:47SPEAKER_09: Um and just it's so advantageous to the linebackers, I feel like, and it just gives me so many opportunities to go out there and make plays.
- 2:54SPEAKER_04: For you, the last eight months have been sort of crazy.
- 2:57SPEAKER_04: Does it seem almost like a a dream?
- 3:01SPEAKER_09: Yeah, I mean, it's real life for sure.
- 3:05SPEAKER_09: Um, but it feels like um these last eight months were a dream, um, in a sense for is how I look at it um in my perspective, just understanding you take the good with the bad and the bad with the ugly.
- 3:20SPEAKER_09: And how I looked at it is just another opportunity for me to go out um and just get my all for Tennessee.
- 3:28SPEAKER_09: And then also on the flip side of that, getting my degree, um, being a fourth-year guy, three-year starter, um, and just having a certain level of experience and confidence going into this new in this new season with this new team, um, and just the excitement that I have with all the guys that are just here um and all the pieces that we have together to really uh make a run for this next three to four months is it's exciting.
- 3:54SPEAKER_04: You were playing down the stretch, trying to play down the stretch hurt last year.
- 3:59SPEAKER_04: You didn't expect to have 2026 at Tennessee, but you have it.
- 4:04SPEAKER_04: Right.
- 4:04SPEAKER_04: It's to the point where it's getting ready to happen.
- 4:07SPEAKER_04: Is there almost a sense that this is a bonus moment for you?
- 4:12SPEAKER_09: Yeah, it's like God gave me a second chance in a sense.
- 4:15SPEAKER_09: And that's why I said about uh the perspective part of it, you know, as you look back, and I always told myself and I always made the promise to my mom that I was gonna graduate from college and me um most importantly, uh getting my education and then uh because that's something that they can't ever take away from you.
- 4:32SPEAKER_09: And then two, I feel like coming back, um, having a different perspective, like I said, uh as being a three-year starter and coming in into a new defense, but having a uh repertoire of uh different things that I've been through already as far as coverage and rush um with the previous uh staff and just implementing everything together and you know going out there playing freely and you know being me.
- 4:57SPEAKER_04: Do you feel even more support today from the Tennessee fans than you've ever felt at any point?
- 5:04SPEAKER_09: Yeah, honestly, uh it's just it gives me such um gratitude, honestly, for the fan base that we have here.
- 5:12SPEAKER_09: It's like no other, honestly.
- 5:14SPEAKER_09: And not just when you're inside that stadium full of 102,000 screaming fans, but just the support that you get off the field, um, walking um out on the street, or just on social media, just the people that back me and how my back and how this team's back, most importantly, uh I wouldn't trade anything for it.
- 5:33SPEAKER_04: Mariah Bryant, your girlfriend, is battling breast cancer or has been battling breast cancer.
- 5:38SPEAKER_04: You cut your hair for that.
- 5:40SPEAKER_04: Yes, sir.
- 5:41SPEAKER_04: Um, and then this past week, you told Austin Price of On Three and Volquest the story that you're gonna make a donation of$427 for every tackle to help raise money for cancer research.
- 5:57SPEAKER_04: Um, and you're gonna do that, I guess, with your mother and uh with the girls in real life situations, uh, charity that she has, foundation that she has.
- 6:07SPEAKER_09: Yes, sir.
- 6:09SPEAKER_04: For what that's added kind of into this year, has that been another huge factor in the perspective you've gained?
- 6:17SPEAKER_04: Yes, sir.
- 6:17SPEAKER_04: I feel like it adds on to my why.
- 6:19SPEAKER_09: And I feel like it just gives me even more um, it just gives me a lot more drive and push to go even harder than what I already was um thinking about in a sense, because you're doing it for a purpose bigger than yourself, bigger than myself in a sense, and um, it's for a bigger cause than me.
- 6:39SPEAKER_09: And that's the important part and aspect that I want people to realize that yeah, I want to go out and dominate and gives me more uh it get obviously gives me more um um, I would say, uh push to go out there and make tackles, but it honestly is giving me even more um perspective on being able to raise awareness to something bigger than myself and then something along the lines that could help future generations, I feel like.
- 7:11SPEAKER_09: And that's just something I always uh harped on was being able to leave a place better than where you found it.
- 7:17SPEAKER_09: And whenever you see a place that needs help or uh anyway, any way, shape, or form that you can help, um, you be able to do so.
- 7:26SPEAKER_09: And this is just another avenue that I felt like I could be able to do um uh a great uh role and being able to um, like I said, give back to not only a community that is in need of help um and cancer research, but also be able to relay perspective on um young women who go through harsh reality that we won't ever, you know, sometimes uh get to see as men, but um with the breast cancer aspect, but also cancer in general with my family.
- 7:57SPEAKER_09: Um a lot of people don't know on my dad's side, cancer is um in my family, uh on that side of the family.
- 8:03SPEAKER_09: So it kind of hits home for me and wanted to be able to uh relay the message and raise awareness, most importantly, to be able to help for the cause.
- 8:11SPEAKER_04: The$427 figure, did you think of that yourself?
- 8:16SPEAKER_09: Yeah, I mean it was kind of just a yeah, it was uh kind of like I was like, man, why can't I not turn a negative into a positive?
- 8:25SPEAKER_09: Sure.
- 8:25SPEAKER_09: Honestly.
- 8:26SPEAKER_09: Like I was like, hey, the circumstances are the circumstances, and I can't change that.
- 8:31SPEAKER_09: So let's make a smile and put a let's let's put a smile on that uh negative and make it a positive.
- 8:35SPEAKER_04: Good stuff.
- 8:36SPEAKER_04: All right, so I want to end up by asking you about the jersey patch.
- 8:40SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
- 8:40SPEAKER_04: First Horizon is on the jersey patch.
- 8:43SPEAKER_04: I know you you work with First Horizon.
- 8:46SPEAKER_04: Looks pretty good.
- 8:47SPEAKER_04: Were you surprised that it blended in as well as it did?
- 8:50SPEAKER_09: Yeah, I was.
- 8:51SPEAKER_09: It was kind of a uh a new look.
- 8:53SPEAKER_09: I mean, I've never seen that before, obviously, with the jerseys beforehand, and uh um I feel like it was a great addition.
- 8:59SPEAKER_09: Honestly, you know, they're uh they've always been um great to us, and you know, we want to be able to pay our respects to them and you know, put a patch on the jersey, and I feel like it looks great.
- 9:08SPEAKER_04: So pulling on that jersey Saturday night, um any idea if it will feel more emotional, different, knowing that it's been a long eight months waiting to get to do this one more time, something that you at this time last year didn't think you were probably gonna do again.
- 9:27SPEAKER_09: Yeah, I feel like it's gonna be an electric feeling, um, an unfathomable feeling, honestly.
- 9:32SPEAKER_09: And it's just gonna give me a sense of uh reassurance being out there on the football field and doing what I love to do every single day.
- 9:40SPEAKER_09: So um, like I said, man, I have so much gratitude for this fan base, so much gratitude for the coaches, the staff, and people like yourself who uh support us day in and day out.
- 9:49SPEAKER_09: And I just want to be able to repay that on Saturday.
- 9:52SPEAKER_04: I was sitting right here when we got news you were coming back for another year, and I got excited while we were live on TV and uh so excited to see you play Saturday night against Georgia Tech.
- 10:01SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
- 10:01SPEAKER_04: Yes, sir.
- 10:02SPEAKER_04: I appreciate y'all for having me, Mr.
- 10:03SPEAKER_04: Arian Carter, who is a very, very talented young man and gonna help this defense a lot.
- 10:09SPEAKER_04: Can't wait to see what's gonna happen Saturday night as we get ready for Tennessee and Georgia Tech.
- 10:14SPEAKER_04: More of the preview upcoming of Saturday's game on the Mike Keith Show delivered by Uber Eats.
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- 12:56SPEAKER_12: Being at the Vols game saved my life.
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- 13:06SPEAKER_12: The UT medical team knew exactly what they needed to do and just kept me calm throughout the process.
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- 14:33SPEAKER_04: This is Bill Mayo, former Vol All-America Guard, 1981 through 1984.
- 14:41SPEAKER_05: It's going to be a long time ago, Mike.
- 14:45SPEAKER_04: Bill Mayo, part of the Vol Radio Network, you heard him Saturday in our broadcast and for the Tennessee Furmin game, and glad to have him with us.
- 14:53SPEAKER_04: And also glad to lean on you for different sorts of knowledge specific to what's going on with Tennessee football right now.
- 15:00SPEAKER_04: Let's start with the fact that Tennessee is playing a freshman at quarterback.
- 15:07SPEAKER_04: You played when you got off the bus as a freshman.
- 15:12SPEAKER_04: And now you weren't here from January on.
- 15:16SPEAKER_04: You got here in uh August.
- 15:18SPEAKER_04: You got here in August, and then the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia, you go rolling down there and and start against them.
- 15:26SPEAKER_04: As you as you make the jump, and you have coached some high school football, you know the game, as you make the jump from high school to college, regardless of position, what's the biggest challenge?
- 15:38SPEAKER_05: I one is you you would think the immediate answer is uh the the competition, but one of the first things I remember about that that day in Athens in 1981 was we ran out on the field.
- 15:51SPEAKER_05: Now I'd been in the stadium, I'd been in Georgia Stadium at games on the as a visitor in other stadiums.
- 15:56SPEAKER_05: Because you're from Dalton, Georgia.
- 15:57SPEAKER_05: Right, right.
- 15:58SPEAKER_05: You know, and when I was being recruited.
- 15:59SPEAKER_05: But when you run out on the field as a player, and I I re I distinctly remember hitting the field, and I just stopped and I looked, and I was all these people, and they're all the noise is just unbelievable.
- 16:10SPEAKER_05: The that that atmosphere and getting just getting yourself accustomed to that and used to it, it doesn't take too long, but it's really a shock to your system the first time you go out there.
- 16:19SPEAKER_05: It's one thing to be as a fan or as a player at the game, I mean or as a uh recruit, but when you're a player and and people are looking at you, so I think the amount of and and it's even more so now with with digital media and all the things going on, the scrutiny on these guys and the evaluation of their play and how have they done.
- 16:37SPEAKER_05: I mean, if you if you don't have a thick skin, you can that can get to you real fast, especially as a young kid.
- 16:42SPEAKER_05: You think about it, all these guys were the first or second best player on their high school team.
- 16:48SPEAKER_05: Now they're here and they're they're playing against other people that were the first and second best player on their team.
- 16:54SPEAKER_05: And and so if they get beat and they have a bad day, uh, and then now it gets publicized in the media.
- 17:00SPEAKER_05: So that's something they've got to really be cognizant of and make sure they don't let that get in their head.
- 17:04SPEAKER_05: Just keep doing what you're doing and keep working hard.
- 17:06SPEAKER_04: The freshman part of it, they've already played a game now.
- 17:10SPEAKER_04: They played against Furman, and that was at Nealand Stadium, and there were a lot of people there.
- 17:15SPEAKER_04: Saturday night, you go to Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field, and you're gonna be in hostile territory.
- 17:22SPEAKER_04: Does it help that they've played in front of a big crowd, even though it was a home crowd?
- 17:27SPEAKER_05: I it absolutely does.
- 17:28SPEAKER_05: It's kind of an indoctrination or initiation into the uh that world.
- 17:34SPEAKER_05: But playing on the road is again a different thing.
- 17:36SPEAKER_05: And and I'm so uh excited that we're back playing Georgia Tech again for a long time.
- 17:41SPEAKER_05: We played tech every year, and it was such a great rivalry for so many years.
- 17:45SPEAKER_05: I played in four George Tennessee Georgia Tech games when I was in when I was in school.
- 17:50SPEAKER_05: Uh so I'm really glad to see you back.
- 17:51SPEAKER_05: But they they have a they don't like us, even though you know they're in the ACC and then they they've got all that going on, but they there's a thing, Bobby Dodd hated Tennessee, right?
- 18:01SPEAKER_05: And he's from the state of Tennessee, and that that that's carried over for a long time.
- 18:04SPEAKER_05: I have tech, I live in Georgia, and I have tech friends at home, and they they hate us maybe a little less than they hate Georgia, but it's there's a pretty good, healthy uh rivalry there still.
- 18:14SPEAKER_04: All right.
- 18:15SPEAKER_04: You played with a freshman quarterback when you were a freshman.
- 18:20SPEAKER_04: Uh Alan Cockrell had a chance to get out there and run around a little bit before, unfortunately, he had a knee injury.
- 18:27SPEAKER_04: What's the best way Tennessee can continue to help phase on Brandon as that freshman quarterback, especially going into the hostile situation on Saturday night?
- 18:37SPEAKER_05: I think one they one thing that they can do is they can put we have an experienced offensive line, you have experienced running backs, you have experienced receivers.
- 18:44SPEAKER_05: Put some of the decision making on those guys and some of the responsibility on those position groups until he gets more comfortable.
- 18:50SPEAKER_05: Don't expect him to read the defense and make make checks from day one.
- 18:55SPEAKER_05: Let let some of the other guys take some of that load off of him, and that will help him a lot.
- 18:59SPEAKER_05: And just and give him same side throws.
- 19:04SPEAKER_05: Just easy plays to kind of get him going, especially early the first couple of series of the game.
- 19:09SPEAKER_05: Handoffs, quick throws, things like that that don't put the pressure on him.
- 19:12SPEAKER_05: Because it's gonna come, the pressure's coming, right?
- 19:14SPEAKER_05: It's gonna be third and eleven, and we need a first down to to have a chance to win the game against Alabama.
- 19:20SPEAKER_05: And so you want to kind of build up with decision making and responsibilities until you get to those critical moments in the game, and then he's more prepared and more comfortable.
- 19:30SPEAKER_04: Are high school quarterbacks more ready to play in college than they were when Alan Cockerell took the reins or even Brent Schaefer in 2004?
- 19:40SPEAKER_04: Are they more ready today?
- 19:43SPEAKER_04: And if so, in in what way specifically do they have advantages?
- 19:49SPEAKER_05: I I think they're might be a little bit more ready these days because there's just so much more passing work that goes on.
- 19:55SPEAKER_05: All the seven-on-seven stuff that happens all summer long for high school quarterbacks and high school teams prepares them and they're playing out of the shotgun.
- 20:04SPEAKER_05: You don't have high school kids playing under center and then and you got to transition to the shotgun.
- 20:09SPEAKER_05: Uh they're all playing out of the gun in gun-based offenses now.
- 20:13SPEAKER_05: So I think that helps them.
- 20:14SPEAKER_05: But the the other I think the other biggest change that you notice uh as a young player coming into the and especially this league, is the speed of the game.
- 20:25SPEAKER_05: It's so much faster.
- 20:26SPEAKER_05: I I mean you just can't describe uh it's funny when when we have when we have guys, when we would have college guys come back that played for us, would come back to visit the Dalton High School, and I'd be talking, they'd be a practice or anything.
- 20:37SPEAKER_05: I said, I said, are you shocked how little and slow everyone is?
- 20:41SPEAKER_05: And they say, Coach, I can't believe it.
- 20:43SPEAKER_05: I can't believe this was us doing this.
- 20:45SPEAKER_05: I said, I I know.
- 20:46SPEAKER_05: I said when you're when you're doing it, you think, man, I'm just I'm I'm going as but when you come back and see it from that perspective, after being in the middle of of an SEC team or a big whatever it is, and then you see a high school team is like, oh man, those guys are little and they're not very fast and they're not in each other, you know, just it the perspective changes.
- 21:03SPEAKER_05: So I think getting that realization as a as a player and getting adjusted to that is a big thing for, especially for a quarterback, a throw that he could make an out throw with with a defensive back right up on him, you know, maybe he's got his arms big enough in in high school to make that throw and not worry about getting interception, but he the timing and all that of now you've got an SEC cornerback that comes in and picks your pass and goes for a pick six, that kind of stuff, just it takes adjustment and takes getting used to.
- 21:33SPEAKER_04: Is his running gonna be more important in say the rest of September into early October?
- 21:39SPEAKER_05: No doubt.
- 21:40SPEAKER_05: That that's a bailout for him.
- 21:42SPEAKER_05: You know, if everything breaks down, the great thing about him is he can take off and run and and get us out get himself out of a bad situation, get the offense out of a bad situation situation with his athleticism.
- 21:53SPEAKER_05: So that'll really, really help him.
- 21:54SPEAKER_05: If he was an immobile quarterback back there, trying to make those decisions, and then he did so now you're Looking at a sack or an incompletion or an interception now with his ability to run, he can pull it down and go.
- 22:06SPEAKER_04: Are there specific things in Tennessee's run game for the offensive line and for the backs that they really have to do well, especially early in phase on Brandon's tenure?
- 22:17SPEAKER_04: They've got to be able to run against a loaded box.
- 22:20SPEAKER_05: People are gonna say, okay, this is a freshman quarterback.
- 22:23SPEAKER_05: We're gonna man up on the receivers and we're gonna put an extra guy in the box at the line of scrimmage.
- 22:28SPEAKER_05: We've got to be able to run the football against that.
- 22:30SPEAKER_05: Because once we do that, then that'll make them uh have to back up a little bit and not be able to load up on us on the on the outside.
- 22:39SPEAKER_04: Let me ask your thoughts on this.
- 22:40SPEAKER_04: Is a loaded box in college football seven guys because they play so much nickel, or is it eight guys like most people would think of in high school or the NFL?
- 22:50SPEAKER_05: Well, if you got six, if you got five offensive linemen in an H back or a fullback or whatever position you want to do, then a loaded box is six, right?
- 22:59SPEAKER_05: An extra guy.
- 23:00SPEAKER_05: Where the quarterback run games helps is now that gives you basically an extra blocker, right?
- 23:04SPEAKER_05: With with now the running back can get into the mix of blocking.
- 23:08SPEAKER_05: So now you're six on six or seven on seven, and your quarterback's carrying the football.
- 23:12SPEAKER_04: So would you like to see design running plays for Facebook?
- 23:15SPEAKER_05: I love quarterback run, right?
- 23:16SPEAKER_05: Design.
- 23:17SPEAKER_05: Design quarterback with power, quarterback counter, speed option, all that kind of stuff are just really, really great weapons.
- 23:24SPEAKER_05: Uh and and and Tennessee runs a lot of that now already.
- 23:28SPEAKER_05: We saw speed option a couple of times last year uh with Aguilar, and it's such a great play.
- 23:33SPEAKER_05: And the nice thing about speed option is you don't have to block everybody, right?
- 23:36SPEAKER_05: The line blocks down, and you let that end man on the line of scrimmage be wrong.
- 23:40SPEAKER_05: You know, and so there's a lot of good things about that.
- 23:43SPEAKER_04: Well, in today's game, too, the end has no idea how to trick the quarterback when he doesn't get blocked.
- 23:50SPEAKER_04: He's just running straight at the quarterback, which is why it's almost always a pitch because he declares so fast when you played in the era of the wishbone and the different offenses that utilize the option, those uh those defensive ends could be cagey.
- 24:06SPEAKER_05: Oh, absolutely.
- 24:07SPEAKER_04: Not so much today.
- 24:08SPEAKER_05: You know, we'd run uh when Bill Pace was the offensive coordinator when I was a when I was a freshman, and and we ran the twirl option.
- 24:15SPEAKER_05: I have to look it up.
- 24:16SPEAKER_05: So you're in an I formation.
- 24:18SPEAKER_05: Quarterback, fullback, and tailback all reverse out and then go down the line, and it's a fake to the fullback, reading the defensive end, and then he the quarterback either gives it to the fullback, keeps it and runs, or pitches it to the tailback.
- 24:30SPEAKER_05: I mean, there's and that took a lot of that took a lot of discipline on the defense.
- 24:34SPEAKER_05: Somebody's got the somebody's got a job man, somebody's got the quarterback, and somebody's got the pitch man.
- 24:39SPEAKER_05: And if they if the defense blows in assignment, then that guy, one of those guys is off to the races.
- 24:45SPEAKER_04: Is the twirl option the play you ran against Alabama for that?
- 24:49SPEAKER_05: No, that was that was counteroption.
- 24:50SPEAKER_04: The two-point play.
- 24:51SPEAKER_05: That was counter option.
- 24:52SPEAKER_05: Okay, which is different.
- 24:53SPEAKER_05: You fake the trap and then he reverses out, but he's the only one.
- 24:57SPEAKER_05: I I I also see if I can find a video of it.
- 24:59SPEAKER_05: It everybody reversed out and went, but this was just the uh the trap option is what we ran.
- 25:05SPEAKER_05: That was the play that Johnny Jones ran in 1983, went 66 yards.
- 25:09SPEAKER_05: Wasn't that third and ten?
- 25:10SPEAKER_05: It was.
- 25:11SPEAKER_05: And and and Allen actually, this is another advantage of an experienced quarterback.
- 25:15SPEAKER_05: He he opposited the play.
- 25:17SPEAKER_05: So it was supposed to be, I think the number was 48.
- 25:19SPEAKER_05: It was supposed to be forty-eight, and he switched it to 49, uh, which meant we went from the right side to the left side because he saw the defense how they lined up and and had enough experience at that point to realize that.
- 25:30SPEAKER_05: And then round the counter option, and Johnny went 60-something yards with it.
- 25:33SPEAKER_04: 66 yards to beat Alabama in 1983, and then the two-point play for the great comeback to beat him 20.
- 25:40SPEAKER_04: To beat him 28, 27.
- 25:41SPEAKER_05: It was the same play.
- 25:43SPEAKER_05: Tony Tony Robinson on the just going the other way.
- 25:44SPEAKER_05: Was Tony supposed to keep that or yeah, well see, it is.
- 25:49SPEAKER_05: You can get the great can be quarterback keep.
- 25:50SPEAKER_05: Alan didn't want to run the ball, so he'd always pick up.
- 25:52SPEAKER_05: He knew he had baseball.
- 25:53SPEAKER_05: That's right.
- 25:54SPEAKER_04: All right.
- 25:54SPEAKER_04: So, what's it gonna mean to Bill Mayo to go help call a game at Georgia Tech this Saturday night?
- 26:00SPEAKER_05: Oh my gosh.
- 26:01SPEAKER_05: Just such a such a neat experience for me to be a part of this team, and I and I greatly appreciate the opportunity.
- 26:06SPEAKER_05: I'm excited.
- 26:07SPEAKER_05: Uh growing up, listening to John Ward, being around him when I was here, and then of course, Bob Kessling was was the sports guy at WBIR.
- 26:15SPEAKER_05: Oh yeah.
- 26:16SPEAKER_05: You know, so he always came over and interviewed us, and he loved talking to the offensive line guys, so we loved Bob.
- 26:20SPEAKER_05: Uh so we've long history with Tennessee media, and to have an opportunity to be a small part of it is just really exciting.
- 26:26SPEAKER_05: I'm you know, just gonna be such a neat perspective for me too.
- 26:29SPEAKER_05: Uh one of the things sitting in the stands, you know, it's it's it's sometimes the fans around, they don't they you know, they're not very patient sometimes.
- 26:38SPEAKER_05: So it'll be it'll be fun to sit in a different perspective and kind of kind of see what's going on.
- 26:42SPEAKER_04: I can't wait to call a game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
- 26:45SPEAKER_04: I mean, the history of Grant Field and you know, Tennessee has some great wins there, one of the biggest wins in school history in 1956.
- 26:52SPEAKER_04: And uh this is one of those places where if you're a college football fan, you you wanna you want to have experienced a game and especially prime time.
- 27:00SPEAKER_05: They used to throw stuff at us too.
- 27:02SPEAKER_05: Did they really?
- 27:03SPEAKER_05: They weren't the best ice and Georgia and hot dogs.
- 27:06SPEAKER_05: Oh yeah, you'd be sitting because the when we came off the sidelines, there was a chain link fence, and we're sitting right there, and the stands are literally maybe five feet behind you.
- 27:15SPEAKER_05: So here comes ice, you know, hot dog a couple of hot dogs waiting on different day.
- 27:20SPEAKER_04: Different day.
- 27:22SPEAKER_04: Go Mayo, thank you.
- 27:23SPEAKER_04: See you Saturday in Atlanta.
- 27:25SPEAKER_04: We've got more of the Mike Heath show delivered by Uber Eats coming up right after this.
- 27:29SPEAKER_08: It's time now for the block of the week presented by Cracker Barrel.
- 27:33SPEAKER_08: Life gets busy this fall.
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- 27:45SPEAKER_08: Welcome home to Cracker Barrel.
- 27:48SPEAKER_06: This is your home for coaches and players one-on-one from Rocky Top.
- 27:53SPEAKER_06: This is your ball network.
- 28:07SPEAKER_04: Time now for a visit with Tennessee head football coach Josh Heifel.
- 28:11SPEAKER_04: Andy Brock had a chance to sit down with the head coach to preview Georgia Tech presented by Cal Hoods.
- 28:18SPEAKER_04: A taste of Tennessee.
- 28:20SPEAKER_08: Coach, near 48 hours now until kickoff.
- 28:23SPEAKER_08: What have you liked about your team's preparation leading up to it this week?
- 28:26SPEAKER_16: Uh it's it's gotten consistently better uh throughout the week.
- 28:29SPEAKER_16: Uh just dialed into the details of the game plan, all three phases of the game.
- 28:34SPEAKER_16: Uh, we've had a good mental approach.
- 28:36SPEAKER_16: We need to finish it off the right way before kickoff to go play our best football.
- 28:40SPEAKER_08: What kind of unique challenges does a true road game like this present early in the season?
- 28:44SPEAKER_16: Yeah, uh when you're on the road, uh the ordinary things, uh communication, um, to be in the right alignments, assignments, uh, everybody on the same page, all 11 in every phase of the game.
- 28:56SPEAKER_16: Um so it's nothing extraordinary, it's just doing the ordinary things at a really high level.
- 29:00SPEAKER_16: Uh our guys settling into the football game and uh um playing the next next play uh independently will be really important.
- 29:08SPEAKER_08: Georgia Tech, they have a deep rotation at the defensive line group.
- 29:11SPEAKER_08: What do the offensive line and the running back group need to do well to prevent them from preventing the run game?
- 29:17SPEAKER_16: Yeah, uh the the line of scrimmage is gonna be important uh on both sides of it, offensively and defensively.
- 29:23SPEAKER_16: Uh offensively, uh they're big, thick, uh, strong uh with their front four.
- 29:29SPEAKER_16: They play multiple guys uh at every spot.
- 29:32SPEAKER_16: Uh identification and uh communication, everybody being in sync uh with their targets is gonna be extremely important early in this football game.
- 29:39SPEAKER_08: We saw Javen Gordon make some big plays on Saturday.
- 29:42SPEAKER_08: How do he and Deshaun Bishop really compliment each other?
- 29:45SPEAKER_16: Yeah, uh two smart uh football players uh that work extremely hard.
- 29:50SPEAKER_16: Uh they've both continued to grow so much in the uh understanding of the game.
- 29:54SPEAKER_16: Uh they play well without the ball in their hands.
- 29:56SPEAKER_16: Uh that can be in protection.
- 29:58SPEAKER_16: Um, and uh uh both of those guys do a great job of pressing uh the line of scrimmage, aiming points, delivering uh their blockers up front to the second level and and escaping to space and uh hopefully creating some big explosive runs on Saturday night.
- 30:15SPEAKER_08: So on the other side, Georgia Tech, they've got two running backs who averaged seven yards of carry last year.
- 30:19SPEAKER_08: What does a successful day look like for this defense from a run stopping capability?
- 30:24SPEAKER_16: I've talked about it with our our uh our defensive unit uh all week long.
- 30:28SPEAKER_16: I know Coach Knowles and the staff have been uh imploring how uh important it is for us to win at the line of scrimmage.
- 30:34SPEAKER_16: Uh you can't let those guys get get started uh when they get out uh to space uh or even in the core on a second and third level uh when they got their pads going vertical.
- 30:44SPEAKER_16: Uh they have the ability to run through you.
- 30:46SPEAKER_16: Uh they play with good pad level, they got the ability to make you miss.
- 30:50SPEAKER_16: Uh we got to do a great job uh with our front and and our second level, reading our keys, playing our gaps, uh, and destructing blocks and not letting them get uh get started and get to space.
- 31:00SPEAKER_08: Massive debut for Xavier Gilliam against Ferman.
- 31:03SPEAKER_08: What makes him such a disruptive player?
- 31:05SPEAKER_16: Yeah, I think it all starts uh for him, just who he is, uh his approach every single day.
- 31:10SPEAKER_16: He's got great understanding of what we're doing uh defensively within the scope of our scheme.
- 31:14SPEAKER_16: He plays with great fundamentals, continued to work and grow in that way uh from uh from January.
- 31:20SPEAKER_16: Um, but his approach is uh is elite.
- 31:23SPEAKER_16: He's the the same competitor every single day inside of our building.
- 31:27SPEAKER_08: So step one for phase on Brandon was getting the start last week and getting a win against Furman.
- 31:32SPEAKER_08: As a freshman quarterback, a young guy, what is step two for him this week against Georgia Tech?
- 31:36SPEAKER_16: It starts with getting a win at uh at Georgia Tech.
- 31:39SPEAKER_16: Um but uh it's doing the ordinary things at a really high level.
- 31:42SPEAKER_16: Uh on the road, the communication, um playing each play independently, uh being extremely decisive with the the football.
- 31:50SPEAKER_16: Uh that's one of the things that I really liked about him in week one.
- 31:53SPEAKER_16: Um he was very decisive with where he was going with the football.
- 31:57SPEAKER_16: Uh we're gonna need that from Saturday, uh him on Saturday night.
- 32:00SPEAKER_08: The football went to Mike Matthews for two touchdowns last week.
- 32:03SPEAKER_08: What have you noticed maybe from last year to now that's that's different in his game?
- 32:07SPEAKER_16: I just think uh continued growth.
- 32:09SPEAKER_16: Um as a as a young guy, year one, uh battled through some injuries, uh, but in year two so much more mature in how he approached everything that he was doing every day, the meeting room, taking care of his body uh when we weren't on the practice fields or in the weight room.
- 32:24SPEAKER_16: Um, and he's continued to grow that way.
- 32:26SPEAKER_16: He's got great understanding of what we're doing.
- 32:28SPEAKER_16: He's playing with great fundamentals and technique, understands how to attack uh you know corners, safeties, depending on the scheme, uh, based off the the leverage and the technique that they're playing, and uh we're gonna need him to go make some big plays for us.
- 32:41SPEAKER_08: What makes Georgia Tech special teams unit uh special?
- 32:45SPEAKER_08: Um, as I think it has been talked about this week, and and how important is special teams gonna be this week?
- 32:50SPEAKER_16: Yeah, uh third phase of the game that's extremely important.
- 32:52SPEAKER_16: We need to win the the field position battle.
- 32:55SPEAKER_16: Uh when you're playing a good team, a physical football team, uh that's gonna come into play in a big way.
- 33:00SPEAKER_16: Um, you know, obviously huge kick return uh last week, brought it out from you know five, six yards deep in the end zone, uh very aggressive with their returns.
- 33:09SPEAKER_16: We've got to do a great job of recognizing the return and and uh you know playing the right leverage and then uh getting off and making a play.
- 33:17SPEAKER_16: Um uh you know, their their field goal block, uh their punt, uh return unit, um they have some weapons that can apply pressure to the uh to the kicker or to the punter.
- 33:28SPEAKER_16: Uh we do need to do a great job at the line of scrimmage and not let those guys win there.
- 33:32SPEAKER_08: Ariane Carter returns back to the team this week.
- 33:34SPEAKER_08: What makes him so special and and so important for this team, not just as a whole, but also individually for the defense and linebacker group?
- 33:42SPEAKER_16: Well, uh his his maturity, his leadership, his ability to communicate, uh all those three things are paramount uh inside of your program uh as a defensive unit and uh in particular when you go on the road.
- 33:54SPEAKER_16: So uh having him back uh gives us uh uh great trust in him and and uh his ability to get everybody in sync.
- 34:01SPEAKER_08: Coach fired up, see you Saturday.
- 34:03SPEAKER_04: I appreciate it.
- 34:04SPEAKER_04: This visit with Coach Josh Heipel on the Mike Keith Show is presented by Cal Hoods, a taste of Tennessee.
- 34:11SPEAKER_04: We've got more of the show when we return right after this.
- 34:15SPEAKER_11: You're one-on-one with Mike Keith, sponsored by Food City, the official supermarket of the Tennessee volunteers.
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- 35:47SPEAKER_04: Not funny, guys.
- 35:51SPEAKER_14: Sometimes it's not just protecting the quarterback.
- 35:54SPEAKER_14: Sometimes it's holding the lobby.
- 35:56SPEAKER_14: Sometimes it's making sure no one is here.
- 36:00SPEAKER_14: We protect each other, we prepare, we stay ready.
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- 38:23SPEAKER_01: It's time for this week in Big Orange Country presented by Visit Knoxville.
- 38:28SPEAKER_01: While Tennessee football is on the road this weekend, Tennessee Cross Country begins its False Late Friday with the Tennessee Cross Country Invitational.
- 38:37SPEAKER_01: This takes place at the Cherokee Farms Cross Country Course on the banks of the Tennessee River.
- 38:43SPEAKER_01: Admission is free with the race beginning at 8 a.m.
- 38:45SPEAKER_01: Eastern Time.
- 38:46SPEAKER_01: Volleyball returns home on Saturday with an afternoon match against Coastal Carolina.
- 38:51SPEAKER_01: Her serve is at 3 Eastern time.
- 38:54SPEAKER_01: That was a look at this week in Big Orange Country presented by Visit Knoxville.
- 38:59SPEAKER_01: Plan your trip at VisitKnoxville.com.
- 39:02SPEAKER_08: It's time for the Sonic Big Play Moment.
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- 39:30SPEAKER_08: Sonic cheeseburger, small premium chicken bites, medium drink, and your choice of a medium tot or fry.
- 39:39SPEAKER_06: The Mike Gate Show delivered by this is your ball network.
- 39:56SPEAKER_04: As we get ready for Tennessee, Georgia Tech on Saturday night, Brent Hobbs is here from BallQuest.com and from the Ball Radio Network.
- 40:05SPEAKER_04: Bobby Dodd Stadium.
- 40:07SPEAKER_17: You haven't been there.
- 40:08SPEAKER_17: I have not.
- 40:08SPEAKER_17: I've driven by it, but I've not been there.
- 40:09SPEAKER_17: I've driven by it as well.
- 40:10SPEAKER_17: I've not been there to see it and to work it and be a part of it.
- 40:15SPEAKER_17: It feels like it's pretty condensed.
- 40:16SPEAKER_17: Everybody's right on top of you.
- 40:17SPEAKER_17: It should be fun.
- 40:18SPEAKER_04: I was excited when the announcement came down that we were not going to play this game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, that we were going to play at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
- 40:26SPEAKER_04: Not because I have anything against Mercedes-Benz.
- 40:29SPEAKER_04: It's a lovely facility, but just the history of this.
- 40:33SPEAKER_04: I mean, this is the old Grant Field.
- 40:35SPEAKER_04: This is, you know, 70 years ago, Tennessee and Georgia Tech played one of the great games in the history of college football at Grant Field.
- 40:43SPEAKER_17: And the feel of this is going to be exciting.
- 40:46SPEAKER_17: Yeah, I mean, this is what you would like in these matchups.
- 40:49SPEAKER_17: And I'm not a I'm not an anti-neutral psych guy either, but I like going to new places and seeing, you know, different venues.
- 40:56SPEAKER_17: And these two teams and these two programs have a history of playing each other and some unusual games at times, some really, really good football games through the years.
- 41:06SPEAKER_17: So yeah, I mean, I think it's great that it's that it's a a true home and home.
- 41:10SPEAKER_17: And um Tennessee's got to go down there and play well, but I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, this historic venue that um is right in the middle of downtown, and it should be a lot of fun.
- 41:19SPEAKER_17: That that's a crowd that should be ready to go.
- 41:22SPEAKER_17: It's another night game for them.
- 41:23SPEAKER_17: I thought they were loud in their opener against Colorado, and I think they'll be revved up, ready to go for this one Saturday night.
- 41:29SPEAKER_17: All right, you know much more about this than I do.
- 41:31SPEAKER_17: Give me the overall perception of Georgia Tech under Brent Key.
- 41:37SPEAKER_17: Physical.
- 41:38SPEAKER_17: Got a demeanor about him, got a mentality about him.
- 41:41SPEAKER_17: I think that's why you've seen some of the reaction you've seen from the week one loss to Colorado.
- 41:48SPEAKER_17: It wasn't just that they lost the game, they lost in the line of scrimmage, which is a big, nah, that's not what Georgia Tech's about.
- 41:55SPEAKER_17: When you look at what they've done the last couple years with Haynes King as their quarterback, it's been a lot of single wing.
- 42:02SPEAKER_17: Everybody in the building knows you're gonna run it.
- 42:05SPEAKER_17: You can still effectively run it because you're a physical team in the line of scrimmage.
- 42:10SPEAKER_17: They weren't as physical as you have seen out of them in the past on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
- 42:16SPEAKER_17: Brent Key saying after the game the defensive line stuff is fixable.
- 42:19SPEAKER_17: He's not overly worried about it.
- 42:21SPEAKER_17: He thinks it's fixable.
- 42:22SPEAKER_17: But he's an offensive lineman, and from an offensive line standpoint, they're gonna be um they're gonna be revved up, they're gonna play at a different level.
- 42:31SPEAKER_17: Tennessee's gonna have to match that intensity because you know his personality, he's fiery, he has challenged that group for sure.
- 42:37SPEAKER_04: Well, they have people on the defensive line.
- 42:40SPEAKER_04: That's the thing in terms of talent.
- 42:42SPEAKER_04: They have a new defensive coordinator, Jason Seymour, who has spent time at Marshall and has been at Southern Miss.
- 42:49SPEAKER_04: And so it was a it was a first game for them overall.
- 42:53SPEAKER_04: You have to figure they're gonna challenge Tennessee's offensive line with what they're gonna do in their front.
- 42:58SPEAKER_17: Yeah, I mean, I think for them, first game was new in a lot of places.
- 43:02SPEAKER_17: New quarterback, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator.
- 43:05SPEAKER_17: So, you know, the whole coaching notion is you make your biggest strides from week one to week two, there's a chance they could be very different in week two than they were in week one.
- 43:16SPEAKER_17: Um, I'm gonna be curious to see offensively, do they pair some things down from what all they tried to do?
- 43:22SPEAKER_17: Defensively, do they pair some things down?
- 43:24SPEAKER_17: Because they were trying to get lined up, they got caught several times, not really lined up, ready to go.
- 43:29SPEAKER_17: Maybe the call was late coming in.
- 43:32SPEAKER_17: Was it too complex to get in in an inner amount of time?
- 43:35SPEAKER_17: Tennessee's gonna try to play fast.
- 43:37SPEAKER_17: So do they pair some of that stuff down and kind of hang their hat on what they think they can do best this week?
- 43:43SPEAKER_17: Uh they've got to stop the run, which they had a harder time doing against Colorado.
- 43:47SPEAKER_17: Colorado was just sort of methodical.
- 43:48SPEAKER_17: They didn't bust a bunch of long runs, didn't average five or six yards of carry.
- 43:52SPEAKER_17: It was less than four yards of carry, but they were very committed to it.
- 43:55SPEAKER_17: Colorado ended up with some one on one opportunities on the outside.
- 43:58SPEAKER_17: They couldn't take advantage of them if.
- 44:00SPEAKER_17: Tennessee gets those.
- 44:00SPEAKER_17: You've got to take advantage of those in the passing game, and you've got to effectively run the football.
- 44:05SPEAKER_04: George Gotze is the offensive coordinator.
- 44:07SPEAKER_04: People remember him as a quarterback at Georgia Tech at the turn of the century.
- 44:12SPEAKER_04: That's hard to believe, but that's exactly what it was.
- 44:14SPEAKER_04: He was the quarterback at the turn of the century.
- 44:17SPEAKER_04: George Gotsey has been in the NFL for 15 years.
- 44:21SPEAKER_04: This is his first trip back to college since 2010.
- 44:25SPEAKER_04: Last week it was a lot of running, and Alberto Mendoza threw just 23 passes.
- 44:30SPEAKER_04: He was sacked three times.
- 44:31SPEAKER_04: Do you expect to see much of a difference from the Godsee offense this week?
- 44:36SPEAKER_17: Well, I think if they don't feel like they can run the football effectively and they didn't run it as effective as they needed to against Colorado, they're probably going to put it more on Mendoza.
- 44:45SPEAKER_17: Now, they said, Godzilla and Brankey said in the preseason, they were going to try to protect Alberto some, not put too much on his plate, particularly early in the year.
- 44:55SPEAKER_17: Best lead plans sometimes don't work out that way.
- 44:58SPEAKER_17: Sure.
- 44:58SPEAKER_17: Do they put more on his plate?
- 45:00SPEAKER_17: I thought what was most interesting about them in week one is they were a sprinkle of everything.
- 45:06SPEAKER_17: They were five wide.
- 45:08SPEAKER_17: They were trips.
- 45:09SPEAKER_17: They were four wide.
- 45:10SPEAKER_17: They were twins.
- 45:11SPEAKER_17: They were two tights.
- 45:12SPEAKER_17: They were pistol.
- 45:13SPEAKER_17: They were shotgun running back on a hip in a zone read look.
- 45:17SPEAKER_17: They were eye formation.
- 45:19SPEAKER_17: They were a lot from a personnel and formation standpoint.
- 45:23SPEAKER_17: Do they shrink that a little bit down and say, you know what?
- 45:27SPEAKER_17: This is where we're going to be rooted in what we do as we grow and evolve.
- 45:32SPEAKER_17: That's what I want to know.
- 45:33SPEAKER_17: Because it felt like they were sampling everything.
- 45:35SPEAKER_17: Like the menu was pretty big and they were trying to get to everything on the menu.
- 45:39SPEAKER_17: I wonder if they pare it down.
- 45:41SPEAKER_17: Not simplify it.
- 45:42SPEAKER_17: Don't get me wrong.
- 45:43SPEAKER_17: I'm not saying that, but if they pare down some of the all the things they were trying to do in week one.
- 45:48SPEAKER_04: That would make sense because due to the level of their opponent, Colorado, Georgia Tech had to show more than Tennessee did against Furman.
- 45:59SPEAKER_04: So you feel like you've seen more from Georgia Tech, but if they pare it down, then you've prepared for all these things, and maybe Georgia Tech says, well, we can do these things better, and Tennessee had to prepare for all of this other.
- 46:15SPEAKER_17: I think that they want to lean on the run game.
- 46:17SPEAKER_17: Um, I think that's where they want to be.
- 46:20SPEAKER_17: The question is, what were you most effective as a running team?
- 46:23SPEAKER_17: Out of what look?
- 46:25SPEAKER_17: Okay, is is the zone read stuff a real look for you if the quarterback's not going to keep it a lot?
- 46:30SPEAKER_17: Does he run this week?
- 46:31SPEAKER_17: He didn't run.
- 46:32SPEAKER_17: He didn't run in week one.
- 46:33SPEAKER_17: He got sacked three times for minus 22 yards, but he was not a big weapon.
- 46:37SPEAKER_17: He scrambled around some, but there was not design runs for him.
- 46:41SPEAKER_17: Do they get his legs involved with some of that stuff?
- 46:44SPEAKER_17: Um, or do they get back and play a little more I formation football and play some two tight end sets and try to condense it down a little bit because they feel that's their best way to run it with Justice Hayes, their their running back?
- 46:56SPEAKER_17: So I I think that there's going to be an early feeling out for Jim Knowles on exactly what direction Georgia Tech wants to take some things offensively coming out of week one, going into week two.
- 47:08SPEAKER_04: What was the book on Alberto Mendoza coming out of high school in terms of skill set?
- 47:13SPEAKER_17: A guy who had accuracy but had to develop physically, you know, and and had to get stronger with with his arm.
- 47:19SPEAKER_17: And um got some, you know, he can be an athlete, but he's not a true runner.
- 47:24SPEAKER_17: Um not not a not as athletic, I guess, as his brother ended up showing that he could be.
- 47:30SPEAKER_17: You know, I I think the book on him was a little bit like his brother.
- 47:33SPEAKER_17: They were both under-recruited, and just everybody kind of wondered what their development was gonna be.
- 47:39SPEAKER_17: He's earlier in his development in terms of getting to play uh in some ways than his brother was, and we'll we'll see what it looks like.
- 47:46SPEAKER_17: They they were they were certainly trying to protect him some early in that game.
- 47:50SPEAKER_17: I think at this point now you probably are gonna turn him loose.
- 47:52SPEAKER_17: I think they will use him in a different way and and let him sort of sling it a little more than they did in week one.
- 48:00SPEAKER_04: Where does Tennessee have to make the most improvement to go get a win at Georgia Tech, Brent Hubbs?
- 48:04SPEAKER_17: I think they have to get out of the gates better with the offensive line.
- 48:07SPEAKER_17: Um, I think they've got a block better up there.
- 48:09SPEAKER_17: I'm not saying that their 300 yards weren't real yards, but there was a little bit of a hollowness to that with the way they played.
- 48:15SPEAKER_17: They've got to be cleaner that way.
- 48:17SPEAKER_17: You can't turn it over.
- 48:19SPEAKER_17: You can't have the mistakes that they had there.
- 48:21SPEAKER_17: Um so I think that's where you stand up.
- 48:24SPEAKER_17: I don't think we know a lot about this secondary yet because they were not tested.
- 48:28SPEAKER_17: The corners weren't tested at all.
- 48:30SPEAKER_17: So there's still a bit of an unknown in the back end.
- 48:33SPEAKER_17: I think Georgia Tech's gonna try to test that a little bit, may test you in the middle of the field.
- 48:38SPEAKER_17: How does Tennessee play in the back end when you're dealing with a very different type passing game than what you played a week ago against Furman?
- 48:45SPEAKER_04: Brent Hobbs, Bill Mayo, and Jason Swain start our Vol Network coverage along with Larry Stone at 4:30 Eastern, 330 Central on your local Vol Network station.
- 48:57SPEAKER_04: Check uh for availability in your area.
- 49:00SPEAKER_04: And of course, we'll have the game kicking off just after 7 o'clock, according to how long the U.S.
- 49:06SPEAKER_04: Open final goes.
- 49:08SPEAKER_04: That will determine exactly what time we kick off.
- 49:12SPEAKER_17: If you're a big tennis guy, I'm a big tennis guy.
- 49:14SPEAKER_17: I'm not a big I'm not a big fan of Saturday night slides on TV start times, right?
- 49:18SPEAKER_04: Hopefully it doesn't slide too far and we get to start like right around 7.05, 710-ish.
- 49:25SPEAKER_04: That would be preferable.
- 49:26SPEAKER_04: Tennessee and Georgia Tech renewing the rivalry Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
- 49:31SPEAKER_04: There are moments in time that can never be forgotten, and football can certainly occupy those moments in time.
- 49:38SPEAKER_04: Seventy years ago, Tennessee had one of those moments in time with a football game in Atlanta where they beat Georgia Tech six to nothing.
- 49:48SPEAKER_04: The 70-year anniversary of Tennessee's famous 1956 win over the Yellow Jackets.
- 49:55SPEAKER_04: Why was it such a big deal?
- 49:57SPEAKER_04: Well, the game is considered one of the great displays of the 20th century in strategy, kicking and defense.
- 50:06SPEAKER_04: People involved?
- 50:08SPEAKER_04: Bobby Dodd, Georgia Tech's great coach, Tennessee graduate.
- 50:15SPEAKER_04: Also at Tennessee.
- 50:16SPEAKER_04: General Nealand was on hand as Tennessee's athletic director to watch the game.
- 50:21SPEAKER_04: But how those four people fit together in that moment in time is very telling and very special.
- 50:28SPEAKER_04: What led up to the game, the highlights, because the game was in Atlanta.
- 50:34SPEAKER_04: It was one of the first games in southern football history that was actually on a national stage.
- 50:41SPEAKER_04: All of these things factor in to make it incredibly special.
- 50:46SPEAKER_04: A lot of Tennessee fans, especially younger ones, don't know the story about the 1956 Tennessee Georgia Tech game.
- 50:54SPEAKER_04: On the Mike Keith show on Friday, we will tell you the story.
- 50:58SPEAKER_04: You'll have a chance to hear and even see some of the great things that happened in that game, points that have never been covered before, and some that certainly have been.
- 51:10SPEAKER_04: But you will get a full coverage of the story.
- 51:14SPEAKER_04: If you like Tennessee football history, tomorrow night's Mike Keith show will be one for you.
- 51:20SPEAKER_04: You can listen to the show on ball network stations throughout the state.
- 51:24SPEAKER_04: Check your local listings.
- 51:27SPEAKER_04: You can certainly watch it on TV throughout the state.
- 51:30SPEAKER_04: In particular, the Tennessee Valley Sports Network at 7 o'clock Eastern Time tomorrow night.
- 51:36SPEAKER_04: Or locally in East Tennessee, CW Knoxville at 7 o'clock Eastern Time.
- 51:42SPEAKER_04: If you don't have any way to get those, well, we've got it available for you at the Tennessee Athletics YouTube channel.
- 51:50SPEAKER_04: That'll be 8 o'clock Eastern Time.
- 51:52SPEAKER_04: Remember that you can subscribe to the Tennessee Athletics YouTube channel and get a lot of great content.
- 51:58SPEAKER_04: Wherever you get your podcasts, the Mike Keith Show is available.
- 52:02SPEAKER_04: So any way you want to enjoy it, we've got it there for you tomorrow night.
- 52:08SPEAKER_04: Coming up Tennessee, Georgia Tech 1953.