Vols Hold Bowl Practice at Neyland Stadium

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Butch Jones had a holiday version of "Sudden Change" for Team 118 on Sunday afternoon.

The Volunteers held practice in Neyland Stadium, providing a big-time atmosphere for the final full day of on-campus preparation for the TaxSlayer Bowl before breaking for Christmas.

"Obviously it’s very special any time you can come in and play in Neyland Stadium," Jones said. "It was kid of a change in scenery, but we’re going to be playing in a big NFL stadium, so to be able to come in and get those sight lines. Also, for our seniors, this is their last visit in Neyland Stadium in a practice, so it was very fitting that we end bowl preparation with coming in here."

One more practice in Neyland Stadium was a great gift for redshirt senior and Knoxville native Jacob Gilliam.

"It was a great feeling," said Gilliam. "It was really good to get to come back here and end on a good note. I left a good mark here for my last practice in Neyland."

Gilliam was one of 17 players that took part in one of the great Tennessee traditions, the last tackle. The seniors ran through a gauntlet of teammates before laying out a tackling dummy set up on padding. The takedowns ranged from the standard to the unique, from perfect form to dropkicks and pro wrestling moves.

"It was a lot of fun," said Gilliam, who took the tackling dummy clear off the padding with a huge hit. "It was something that I saw a lot of other guys get to do and I knew my time was coming. I had to plan something and I decided I was going to go straight through it like a freight train."