Ninth Ranked Vols Ready For Top Ten Showdown With 8th Ranked Aggies

The Vols miracle finish in Athens is history.
Now ninth ranked Tennessee must prepare for a top ten road test against 8th ranked Texas A&M.
Said head coach Butch Jones-“It’s about an hour and 10 minute ride to Kyle Field from the hotel you’re staying in. This is going to test our mental fortitude and our mental toughness.”
Tennessee fell behind 17-0 to Georgia last week, a first half trend that has plagued Tennessee all year.
Said defensive lineman Khalil McKenzie-“It’s just about playing better off the bat knowing that teams are going to give us their all and everything like that, so we have got to match that intensity.”
Added quarterback Josh Dobbs-“We need to come out stronger in the first half. Not make uncharacteristic mistakes in the first half to put us in large deficits that we have to fight out of. Just come out and execute from the beginning of the game. We need to play a full 60-minutes game.”
The Vols know they’ll face an aggressive Aggies defense.
Said Butch Jones-“Their front seven is phenomenal. When you look at first-round draft picks across the board, very, very deep in the interior front of their defensive front.”
Said offensive lineman Jack Jones-“I have been impressed with them watching film. They are definitely going to be a challenge, but I think it’s something that as an offensive line we look forward to. We look forward to the chance to make another statement this week.”
The game will feature two premiere defensive linemen in the Vols Derek Barnett, and the Aggies Myles Garrett.
Reporter-“Y’all have been compared so often. Do you keep tabs on how he is doing and measure yourself against him. And do you know him personally at all?”
Said Barnett-“No I don’t know him, and I don’t keep tabs on him. I keep tabs on myself and my team. That’s what I’m worried about.”
Kickoff is at 3:30pm on News 12 Now, and the game will be streaming on our web page at wdef.com.