Tennessee EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr., decided to go out and get his own birthday present in an overtime win against Florida on Saturday night in Neyland Stadium.
Pearce, who turned 21-years-old on Oct. 12, plucked the football away from Florida quarterback Graham Mertz as he was trying to push his way into the end zone. The Gators were on the verge of taking a 10-0 lead late in the first half before Pearce striped Mertz and recovered the ball.
“I saw that he was trying to reach,” Pearce said when asked about the play. “Game planning said the (quarterback) sneak was coming. I just tried to crush it as much as possible…the ball came out.
“Great birthday present for me.”
Tennessee’s entire fan base has been gifted with something it never thought possible just a couple of years ago when the Vols were ranked as one of the worst defenses in the nation. Now, Tennessee has a defense that is widely considered one of the most disruptive units in college football.
“I feel like everybody is playing great,” Pearce said. “We’re playing as one. We’ve got some things that we can clean up, but we’re playing as one. I feel like that’s what is driving our confidence.
“I feel like that no matter what we put on the stat sheet, we play as one. Eleven hats getting to the ball and we’re getting the ball back to (quarterback) Nico (Iamaleava) like we’re supposed to.”
Pearce, who had seven tackles, including one for a loss, against Florida said he hasn’t been frustrated by his play this season. Despite being considered one of the top EDGE rushers in the nation, Pearce’s play has been limited to keep him fresh throughout the season. That has hurt his statical production as the junior has just 1 1/2 sacks this season.
“It’s my job to play in the scheme of the defense,” Pearce said. “Coach is going to dial up what we need to win. We’re just going to go out there and play as a team on the D side.”
When asked about his lack of sack production in the Vols first five games, Pearce said, “Just know that the games out in front, the games that we still play, that we play as a team, no matter if I’m playing as many snaps.
“I know that down the back stretch that the team is going to need me. As long as I keep playing in the scheme of the defense until it’s my time, I’ll be okay…Numbers are cool, but you’ll like winning more and more than numbers.
“I said that before the season even started.”
And before he celebrated his birthday by beating the Gators.
