Tennessee coach Butch Jones, right, shouts to players as Josh Malone looks on during the Volunteers’ home win over Georgia in October. The Vols have had time to rest — with some players recovering from injuries — since the end of the semester and the regular season, but now they’ll return to practice with preparation for Northwestern and the Outback Bowl in mind.KNOXVILLE – If it worked last season, why change?
The plan of bowl preparation Tennessee used last December paid off as the Volunteers raced to a fast start in a dominating win against Iowa at the TaxSlayer Bowl on Jan. 2.
Thus it’s not surprising head coach Butch Jones is electing for a similar schedule this month as Tennessee readies for the Outback Bowl against Northwestern on New Year’s Day in Tampa, Fla.
After players wrapped up final exams and coaches traversed the recruiting trail last week, bowl practices will crank up for Tennessee this week.
“Every team is different,” Jones said last week. “They have a different personality. They have different leadership. Obviously you look back (at last year), but it’s kind of a formula we’ve had for a number of years of going to bowl games.