KNOXVILLE - Tennessee football coach Butch Jones said Monday that "nothing has changed" since Saturday night when Jones said he "absolutely" expects to have the support of athletic director John Currie with the last four games of the regular season.
Several hours later, Currie weighed in, breaking his silence on the state of the program.
"I believe that supporting our staff and supporting our players getting ready for the Southern Miss game is the best thing I can do for our football program right now," Currie said in an evening interview on the Vol Network's "Big Orange Hotline" radio program.
Tennessee lost 29-26 at Kentucky last Saturday night to drop to 3-5 for the season, 0-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The Volunteers host Southern Mississippi this Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
"I understand everybody being upset," Jones said during his weekly news conference on campus. "If I was a fan, I would be upset, too. I bleed with them, but also I understand we need to win some football games, and I'm going to do everything in my power for our players, for our university, for our program to get that done."
Four consecutive losses have guaranteed a final win total below the nine victories Tennessee posted under Jones in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After playing Southern Miss, Tennessee closes the season at Missouri and at home against LSU and Vanderbilt.
"In terms of record, obviously very, very disappointed," said Jones, who is in his fifth season at Tennessee. "But not discouraged. I understand the expectations of Tennessee football. So do our players. It's been one of those years. When you look, I think we've had four plays come down to the final play of the game. It's being able to close games out. But just like anything, things don't always go according to plan. I would say football is life just sped up a lot faster. That's truly what it is."
Currie, who is in his first year as athletic director, said he and Jones have built "a really strong relationship" and have worked to be supportive of each other. Currie began as athletic director on April 1, taking over for Dave Hart, who hired Jones in 2012. Currie served eight-plus years as the athletic director at Kansas State before he was hired at Tennessee. He never hired or fired a football coach at Kansas State, where legend Bill Snyder remains the coach at age 78.
"You've got to take a step back and take a big-picture view of where you are," Currie said before sharing an anecdote gleaned from his late father, who was a surgeon. "The surgeon's creed is there's no problem you can't make worse by operating."
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said after Monday's practice that Sunday was "business as usual" at the Tennessee football complex as the coaching staff graded video from the Kentucky game and began preparation for the Golden Eagles while rumors swirled about Jones' future.
"Nobody is stupid, and we all know what is going on," Shoop said. "I choose, rather than to look at that, to look at the opportunity we have to go out in Neyland Stadium Saturday night.
Sophomore receiver Brandon Johnson said Sunday was like any other Sunday.
"Obviously, we're people," Johnson said. "We hear what's going on. But we don't pay it any mind. We're just focused week to week on our opponent. We don't focus too much on the outside noise and the negative. We don't focus on that."
Tennessee would owe Jones roughly $8 million if he were fired this week. But if he were to get another coaching job elsewhere after being fired, Tennessee's financial obligation to him would be decreased "dollar-for-dollar" by his new income, according to his contract.
Attendance may also be a factor in how long Jones is allowed to continue coaching. An effort among some fans to boycott Saturday night's 7:30 game has surfaced on social media.
Attendance typically declines as the season progresses. An announced crowd of 98,104 attended Tennessee's most recent home game, a 15-9 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 14. Neyland Stadium's capacity is 102,455.
"I know folks are frustrated with the won-lost record," Currie said. "I am, too. Coach Jones is. We all are. I believe right now the most important thing to do is support our players. Those seniors have three more times running through that 'T.' And I know there will be a lot of great Tennessee fans there supporting them Saturday night."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.