KNOXVILLE – Jalen Reeves-Maybin on Monday didn’t appear to be angry about the targeting call causing his ejection in the first half of Tennessee’s season opener against Appalachian State.
The linebacker also isn’t sure what he would have done differently.
UT’s Jalen Reeves-Maybin (21) waits with Derek Barnett to hear his fate after a targeting call against him in the game against Appalachian State Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 in Neyland Stadium.The Volunteers lost their most important defensive player when Reeves-Maybin made helmet-to-helmet contact with Appalachian State punt returner Jaquil Capel.
“I don’t know, it was kind of a weird play,” Reeves-Maybin said Monday. “I tried to stay away from the head, but once you go in low and somebody’s also going low, it’s kind of hard to avoid. When you’re playing football full speed, I think sometimes people forget you can’t just stop on a dime.
“Once you make a decision, sometimes you’ve got to live with it, but I guess you’ve go to slow it down or try to go in even lower. It’s part of the game. I don’t know, I won’t do it next time. I’ll figure something out.”