Vols coach Derek Dooley hasn't beaten a ranked team since he has been at Tennessee. But he'll get an opportunity over the next month. UT faces four ranked teams, starting with 5th ranked Georgia on Saturday in Athens. Said Dooley, "We all know about Georgia. There's no sense in me talking about how good they are."
But Coach Dooley is going to do it anyway. He really can't stop talking about Dawgs quarterback, Aaron Murray. "You can tell the confidence they have in him. They can open it up at any time. And you can just see him triggering the ball a lot quicker than he ever has. Lot more accurate than he has been. And that just comes with experience."
Last year, Tennessee didn't win a road game. And this Saturday will mark their first true road test of the season. Said Dooley,"The good news is, most of or a lot of our guys have been in these environments. So it shouldn't be as overwhelming. You've got to learn to enjoy playing in that kind of environment."
The Vols had negative rushing yards in their loss to Georgia last season. But this season, they head into the game with Rajion Neal coming off a 150-yard rushing performance. Said Neal,"I've got confidence in myself. Just get more and more confident in the guys around me that have helped me. We get the run game started. It's going to be a long game. We're going to have an even flow and an even keel."
The Vols will be decided underdogs. Georgia is already favored by nearly two touchdowns. Said defensive lineman Maurice Couch,"This week, we don't mind being the underdog. Just motivates us." Added tight end Mychal Rivera, "You know, we have a chip on our shoulder. We want to prove to people that what is written out there."
