KNOXVILLE – Less than 24 hours after the disappointing upset loss at South Carolina, Tennessee’s football team held a meeting with coaches and players to turn the page and set the tone for the season’s final month.
Multiple players said Tuesday it was exactly what the Volunteers needed.
The negativity around the program understandably swelled in wake of the listless loss to the Gamecocks, but instead of hitting the panic button, Tennessee regrouped and hit the reset button.
“Coach (Butch) Jones came in and talked to us about effort and energy, and then the players talked to one another,” safety Todd Kelly Jr. said. “We know what we need to do, and that’s between the team. We’re just going to handle business one week at a time.
“I don’t think it cleared the air. I think it just kind of helped our team come together a little bit more. Whatever needed to be resolved or brought up was brought up in that meeting, and now people are held accountable for what they need to do. Everyone’s going to try to do one thing to make this team a better team overall.”