KNOXVILLE – There’s no football game for Jacques Smith to play today.
As tempting as it might be for the Tennessee defensive end to relax and catch up on some much-needed rest, Smith is choosing a proactive approach.
“I’m ready to get better,” the Volunteers’ sophomore from Ooltewah said this week. “I feel like we have a great team, and I definitely want to win the next games. I don’t plan on losing to anybody this year, and I hope our team feels that way as well. I feel like we do.
“I feel like we come out hard and we practice and sometimes we don’t do it to the coaches’ expectations, but sometimes it’s hard to do it to their expectations. We’ve just got to continue to get better and know that that we’re a good, sound football team and keep our confidence up.”
UT’s early open date might seem to limit any of the usual gains from off weeks, as the Vols have two weeks before playing a Buffalo team that’s won just three of its last 15 games. There’s no respite after the game with the Bulls, though, as UT hosts Georgia before playing LSU, Alabama and South Carolina – three of the Southeastern Conference’s top teams – in succession.