Good morning, HOB. We’ll have Mark Stoops joining us at Noon ET today for his weekly Monday press conference to discuss the Cats coming off the open date and preparation for this week’s matchup with Tennessee. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
MARK STOOPS Q&A:
* Excited about getting back to work this week. Feels like they got better as a team last week, got healed up. Now have to continue to prepare for a great opponent in Tennessee. Calls on fans to come ready to be loud. Really need it against an explosive, up-tempo team like Tennessee.
* The Vols have a lot of balance this year. As a defensive coach, you have to prep for an offense that is as balanced as you can possibly see. It’s practically 50/50.
* On prepping for UT’s unique splits... It’s almost impossible to do that in practice the same way the Vols do it, but you hope to learn from the past and try to avoid the mental breakdowns that UK has experienced in the past. Fundamentals and your mind are such a big part of this matchup.
* Much healthier team than they’ve been in recent weeks, Stoops says.
* Worked really hard last week on getting better in the pass game. Knows they could run the ball a lot more now and do it effectively, but we can’t grow as a team if we’re doing that. Knows they have to get the pass game where it needs to be if they’re going to get where they want to be.
* Barion Brown has worked through a lot of discomfort and frustration because he’s not been 100% It’s been tough on him with all the expectations and pressure that was on him entering the season. Wants so bad to be helping the team. “We certainly need him.”
* On the players-only meeting last week… Not a big thing, something they do often, but a chance to refocus and commit to each other. What I saw last week was a team that wanted to improve.
* Tennessee QB Joe Milton threw some really good deep passes last week at Alabama. They can be really explosive like they were last year with Hendon Hooker.
* On punting game… Gotta have that net back over 40, in the 42-43 range at worst, because they’re covering them well.
* Thinks they’ve moved on and put that Mizzou loss behind them. Team knows it comes down to execution. Feels good about the team and where their collective mind’s at.
* Was pleased with Daveren Rayner’s play at ILB with Trevin Wallace out against Missouri. Made some plays.
* Ty Bryant played well for a true freshman. Getting some quality snaps now. A kid who is very serious about how he practices and prepares. It comes very natural to him when he gets on the field.
* Repair, reflect, re-adjust… Stoops’ take on open date focus. But the staff also has to recruit and look at that side of things, too.
* On the pass rush and how important it is against Tennesseee… It is when they take deep shots, but there’s also times when they get it out extremely fast and it’s almost impossible to get there. Guys have to be dialed up and relentless to get there. You also have to be aware of Milton’s ability to pull it down and run. They’ll do some designed runs with him. Also have to be prepared to play without substitutions. You can’t sub people in and out unless there’s a break in the action.
* On DBs communicating… Was really bad at Georgia, a little better against Mizzou. Still working on it. Hopefully, it will be better against Tennessee being a home game.
* Thinks you can over-analyze things sometimes in the passing game. Just have to go throw and catch. You know who we’re playing against this week, you have to make plays.
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