Pruitt speaks 48 hours after big loss to Georgia State
Published 12:54 am Wednesday, September 4, 2019
- Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt throws up his arms in disbelief after a no-call on a pass that had all the details of a defensive pass interference call on Georgia State.
Tennessee Volunteer head coach Jeremy Pruitt took the podium for his weekly press conference after his team suffered an unfathomed loss to Georgia State just 48 hours earlier.
Here are some statements from Pruitt about that game after having time to reflect.
Opening statement:
“Just a little bit of recap on this past week’s game, if you look back and look at it offensively, I said after the game that we turned the ball over three times. If you count the two times on fourth down turning the ball over on downs, that’s five turnovers and we only got one, so we’re five to one in the turnover margin,” said Pruitt.
“We were two-for-four in the red area on scoring touchdowns. We have to be able to score points in the red area, and if you flip it to the other side, we didn’t make Georgia State kick field goals in the red area. So, we lost the turnover battle and the red area battle. If you look at third downs, there were plenty of opportunities to get off the field on third down defensively and we had a chance to convert some and we didn’t, starting with a third-and-one in the second quarter.
“Everybody in the program had to look back in the mirror and say ‘what can I do better.’ It’s what you do after every week and it’s what we’ll continue to do after this week.
“We have a really good opponent coming in here that traditionally is a very tough football team. There’s lots of experience with their coaching staff. They had a game last week where they turned the ball over, they’re in a rivalry game, it was back and forth and they had a few turnovers.
“Defensively, they’re a team that has lots of experience, an older team,” continued Pruitt. “They really played hard, really ran the ball well on their offensive side and to me, it starts with their quarterback, a guy that kind of reminds me of Johnny Manziel.
He can run around, extend plays and make all of the throws. He turned the ball over a couple of times last week, unfortunately, but he’s a guy that we have to find a way to get on the ground. They have a really good tight end, they’re big upfront and have good skill players so we’ll have a tremendous challenge.
“They had some new guys in the kicking game, but their new kickers kicked the ball really well in the last game.”
On if he is concerned about his team’s confidence:
“I believe in the guys in our locker room. I’ve said this all along, I really like this team. Just because I like them, doesn’t mean that we’re where we need to be, but I like their work ethic, I like their want-to,” Pruitt stated.
“When you look at the offensive side, there’s a lot more experience as opposed to the defensive side. As you break it down, the offense is going to look and say they left a lot of plays out there.
“Defensively, there are lots of guys – you start with Savion Williams, Darel Middleton, Kurott Garland – those guys weren’t here in the spring. So, it’s the first chance that they’ve gotten a chance to get out there with multiples.
“Same thing with Henry To’o To’o and Warren Burrell. These guys are going to continue to get better and some of those guys played as good as anybody on our team.
“And we have other guys that didn’t play as much in the game, whether it’s Quavaris Crouch or Roman Harrison, guys that will have an opportunity to kind of increase their load in the game. It takes a little bit of time for guys to understand exactly how to play the game,” continued Pruitt.
“There’s more to it than just getting lined up and running out there and tackling and hitting people. We have to get those guys an opportunity and they have to prepare themselves so they are ready to play in the game plan.”
On what he saw when he looked in the mirror:
“I told myself the same thing I told the players, everyone in the room has Tennessee on their chest, so what can we all do to improve to be at our best.
“It all starts with me. Obviously, on the defensive side, we’ve got to improve. We’ve got to be able to execute. We’ve got to be able to make adjustments in the game, and if you look at it, they convert a third-and-ten.
“We have ten guys that did it right, but one guy that doesn’t, that’s where the ball gets completed. There’s another third-and-nine; we have ten guys doing it right (and) the one that doesn’t. The quarterback scrambles out there for a first-down. There was a lot of that in the game, so we need to eliminate those mistakes.
On what his message would be to disappointed Vol fans:
“I hope they are disappointed because I know everybody in this building is disappointed,” said Pruitt. “For us, we’ve got to go back and go to work. We’ve got to go back and practice the right way, work on creating the right habits.
“I’ll say it again. We’re young and inexperienced and we’ve got to continue to grow. The most you improve is from the first week to the second week. We’ve got a great opportunity, starting today, to do that.
“If we’re made the right way, and I’m talking about what’s inside of us, about wanting to go back and having a little bit of pride about whom you represent and whom you play for, then you go back and you dig a little deeper, try a little harder, and maybe watch a little more film here, or do a little extra in the weight room.
“Whatever it is, look in the mirror and figure out what we’ve got to do, each and every one of us, to get better and that’s what we’ve got to do in this building.”
