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Butch Jones pulled no punches when talking about his disappointment in his special teams unit on Sunday, even after a dominant 38-7 opening win.
“I was not pleased at all with our performance on special teams,” Jones said during his weekly press conference. “We did not play winning football. In the teams game, we spend, we invest too much time in our special teams game and everyone taking ownership of their role, executing their assignment and doing their job.”
This puts the pressure on special teams coach Mark Elder to have his unit ready for the Vols’ matchup against Arkansas State this Saturday. Elder is aware that his unit needs to make progress as they face the athletic Red Wolves.
“We have to get better,” Elder said. “Our coverage units weren’t where they needed to be and kick placement needs to be better, so those are places where we definitely need to improve.”
Kickers George Bullock and Aaron Medley continue to compete for the starting kicking spot. Medley went 1-for-2 in field goal attempts and made a 36-yard attempt.
“We feel that we have two guys that are performing at about the same level,” Elder said. “We are always going to go with the guy that is performing best and with the highest consistency leading up to the game. If it is close enough, we may have to pick based on who is kicking best that day, but that is a good thing. It is a good thing to have competition.”
Tennessee’s special teams did account for one of the biggest plays in Sunday’s win. Following their first touchdown, Vols linebacker A.J. Johnson forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by freshman Todd Kelly Jr. This set up Tennessee’s second score, a 15-yard reception by Brendan Downs.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
