KNOXVILLE - Last week Butch Jones was asked about the impatience of fan bases in the Southeastern Conference, where universities spare few resources in pursuit of football championships.
This week the Tennessee coach is experiencing the phenomenon in a major way.
His Volunteers' 26-20 loss to Florida last Saturday set off an internet and talk-radio firestorm of criticism of the fifth-year coach that crept from the online dimension to stone-cold reality Tuesday morning when an iconic rock on Tennessee's campus was painted with the message "Fire Butch Jones."
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop came to Jones' defense later Tuesday during his weekly meeting with reporters.
"First, I want to say this, and this is from my heart: I think some of the criticism of Coach Jones is unfair," Shoop said. "I made the call on the last play."
Shoop explained that Tennessee's defense kept the Gators from running their designed play on Saturday's final play, which forced Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks to improvise. When he did, he found Tyrie Cleveland for a 63-yard, game-winning touchdown as time expired.
"I would have liked to see that one go to overtime," Shoop said. "I think that would have been a hell of a game."
As it is, the Vols are 2-1 (0-1 SEC) heading into Saturday's home game against Massachusetts. Instead of celebrating what would have been the team's first win in Gainesville since 2003, an increasingly visible portion of Tennessee's fan base is ripping Jones and even clamoring for his firing.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones takes the field before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)When asked a general question on the SEC weekly teleconference last Wednesday about the passion of SEC football fans and their restlessness, Jones said, "Football is big. It means a lot to a lot of people."
"Obviously, the expectations internally are always going to be greater than anything that's external," he said. "We live in a week-to-week society when it comes to football. It is what it is."
Jones said he thinks angry fans affect the families of coaches more than the coaches themselves.
"Because your children are in the schools and your wife is in the community," he said. "Where I kind of get in the car, just like any coach, and you drive to work, and you drive home, you go to bed, you get up and you do it the next day. I think that's the nature of our profession. Our families understand that."
The outside noise is hard to miss for players on social media. Sophomore receiver Marquez Callaway said Monday that the players can't let it affect them.
"We see it," he said. "Of course we see it. It's just something we just have to not invest too much in. We know our staff and our team is one whole, and we know the fans, they're always going to love us. I know they're upset, just like we're upset."
Freshman offensive guard Trey Smith is already well-versed in managing the attention - positive and negative - that can come with participating in major collegiate athletics.
His recruitment out of the University School of Jackson in West Tennessee brought coverage from national media outlets. Though just 18 and only three games into his college career, he explained Tuesday that he has a philosophy for dealing with external negativity.
"Tunnel vision, man," Smith said. "Just take it day by day. They can be on your side this week and against you another. A lot of times in life, you're going to have adversities. My dad always taught me that, in life, you're going to get knocked down. Everything is not going to go your way. The shame is in just sitting there and taking it."
Junior running back John Kelly, who leads the SEC in rushing, said the situation of fans calling for Jones' job does not bother him.
"We don't focus on things outside of this complex," Kelly said. "We're all one family. We're all in it together.
"We've still got some fight left in us."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.