Tennessee Players Ready for Georgia

Tennessee on-field leaders Brandon Kennedy, Henry To’o To’o and Ty Chandler, who’s 176 rushing yards lead the SEC so far this season, discuss their expectations for their upcoming matchup at Georgia on Saturday with members of the media. A top-15 clash, the No. 14/12 Vols look to extend their FBS-leading win streak to nine against the undefeated No. 3/3 Bulldogs. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Brandon Kennedy, R-Sr., OL
On the offensive line’s strong performance on Saturday…
“It was great to see and very exciting. I think, as an offensive line, any time you see a linebacker in front of you and hear the crowd cheering, I think that was great. We also had a lot of yards that we let out there. As an offensive line, we knew that we wanted to be physical going in, but we kind of left a few things out there. In the next game, we want to be able to pick up on those things and be a little bit better.”

On how good it was to have Cade Mays for the Missouri game and how big of a game it will be for Cade this weekend at Georgia…
“It’s great to have Cade back. He’s worked really hard and for him to have the opportunity to play is great. This week, we’ve kind of just been focusing on what we have to do as a team in order to be successful and go 1-0 every week. That’s the kind of goal we set out at the beginning of the season and we’ve focused on being 1-0 every week.”

On if going for it on fourth down gives him confidence to make plays and give him that “extra juice”…
“Yes, so the offensive coordinator and head coach put the responsibility on us to get the first down, and it is always important to us, so I feel like as an offensive line we bear down and are able to do what we need to do to get the first down.”

On how he plans to handle the Georgia’s different defensive fronts…
“Anytime a defense has multiple fronts, I put the responsibility on me as a center to keep us on the same page, so what I have been doing this week is going back and looking at some of the games they had last year, and also the first two games this year just seeing the multiple fronts they could give us. So when we get into the game, I’ll know what to expect and to keep us on the same page and have success.”

Henry To’o To’o, So., LB
On if there’s been some extra excitement this week or if they are treating this just like any other game…
“We come out with the mentality that it’s another game. We give our all in every single week that we have and that’s something that Coach Pruitt harps on. He tells us that every single week is another opportunity to be the best players you can, be the best team that you can. Yeah, this is a big team, but we got to just have the same mentality throughout the entire season no matter who we’re playing.”

On what questions Quavaris Crouch and Jeremy Banks ask him most about playing inside linebacker…
“Just like what I see and how I react to things. They ask me where I place my eyes. We kind of try to feed off each other, but mostly they kind of just ask me about the playbook because I’ve been in there. You know JB (Jeremy Banks) was on the offensive side of the ball and Q (Quavaris Crouch) was an outside linebacker, so Q had a good grasp of it, but just the little things that they try to ask me about, how the playbook is and just the schematics. You know they’re great football players. They both have tremendous instincts, so I just try my best to help them out in the playbook.”

On the guys who have rotated in at outside linebacker…
“It’s helped out our team tremendously. It’s given us a chance to have guys in there that are fresh so that we’re able to rush the edge, that we’re able to play the run. It helps us being able to rotate guys like that, being able to especially have the young guys contribute to the team. Every single person in that outside linebacker group helps out tremendously.”

Ty Chandler, Sr., RB
On being the SEC-leading rusher…
“It’s a blessing, I have to thank God and big shout out to my momma. And shout out to the offensive line, all those guys: Trey (Smith), Cade (Mays), Darnell (Wright), Jahmir (Johnson), BK (Brandon Kennedy), Wanya (Morris) and all those guys are doing a great job and I want to give back to them. Work for them like they work for me.”

On what John Kelly taught him and what he teaches the freshmen…
“Those guys were great mentors for me. They helped me find my way along here at the University of Tennessee. That’s what I’m trying to do for these guys, give back and be there for them when I can. If there’s something they need I want to be able to help them get that; I just want to see them be successful here. That’s my main thing.”

On how he and Eric Gray complement each other as running backs…
“A great one-two punch. He’s a great running back himself and he comes into the room ready to work every day and that pushes me and has me ready to work. I love being in the room with him, great dude on and off the field. I love having him in the running back room.”

On what a Georgia matchup means to him…
“A respectable opponent. They have a tough defense, they’re known for that, and I think everyone is looking forward to it. It’s just another game for us but as long as we focus in on our details and do our job, I feel like we can be great. That’s what I’m looking forward to; just going out and being able to get better.”