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Tennessee not looking past Western Carolina after overtime loss to OU
By Randy Capps
Published:
It was there for the taking.
Tennessee had a 17-3 lead over Oklahoma in the fourth quarter last weekend. Neyland Stadium was rocking, and Oklahoma’s vaunted “Air Raid” offense had been grounded.
But instead of a signature win over a ranked opponent, the Volunteers got a furious fourth-quarter rally and an overtime loss to the Sooners, 31-24.
It’s a bitter pill for coach Butch Jones and his team, but it’s time to turn the focus to Western Carolina.
“We expect to win every time we step out onto the football field,” he said. “It’s a week-to-week season. We talk about a snap-and-clear mentality. We are going to learn from it. We are going to move on. We are going to prepare to play our best game against Western Carolina.”
It may also be a chance to get a little deeper into the roster with a trip to Florida looming on Sept. 26.
That’s particularly true on the defensive front seven, where the Volunteers will have to play without linebacker Curt Maggitt, who suffered a hip injury against Oklahoma.
“Kyle Phillips will have a great opportunity this week in practice and preparation to get game-ready, so we’ll get him going,” Jones said. “And then, it’ll be pretty much everyone else in that position group. I did think Shy Tuttle, playing really his first extensive period of downs in a very meaningful game and a hard-fought game, I really, really like what he brought to the table. His playing time will increase at D-tackle.
“I thought Kahlil McKenzie did some very good things too, this being his first real live-game action. I think both of those individuals, in terms of their volume of repetitions, will continue to increase.”
It may also be a chance to get running back Alvin Kamara more involved in the offense, as the sophomore had only four carries and one catch against the Sooners.
The Catamounts are 1-1, with a win against Division II Mars Hill in the opener and a 28-10 loss to The Citadel in Southern Conference action last time out.
After last week’s scare for Auburn against a FCS opponent, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs says that the Catamounts have his team’s full attention.
“Our team understands that every game is important,” he said. “You have to be thankful for each opportunity that you step on the field, and you can’t look ahead to other opponents. We know to focus on this week’s task. Florida will come when it will come.”
WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS CLOSER LOOK
Top offensive player: QB Troy Mitchell — The senior from Houston has thrown for 485 yards and rushed for 88 more in two games this year, and was a second-team All-SoCon selection in 2014.
“Western Carolina comes in really dynamic on offense,” Jones said. “They have a really good quarterback. He manages their offense, is very athletic and can extend plays.”
Top defensive player: LB Daniel Riddle — The sophomore from Raleigh leads the team with 21 tackles, including 14 last week.
Top special teams player: P Ian Berryman — The redshirt freshman from Marietta, Ga., has a 42.7 yards-per-punt average in 11 attempts.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
