Tennessee was undone by its preparation before the Arkansas game, according to several Vols who lamented the intensity in practice leading up to the loss against the Razorbacks. Perhaps that was a lesson learned for the best.
“It was just a great week of preparation overall,” Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava said after the Vols beat Florida 23-17 in overtime on Saturday night in Neyland Stadium. “This whole offense, I thought we prepared well. Where I am right now, I feel like i’m still in the same spot, still trying to achieve that same goal as everybody else on the field.”
That goal is to make the College Football Playoff, which would have been a long shot, at best, had the Vols lost to the Gators. Tennessee would have had two losses and had just a 14-percent chance of making the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s prediction model. The Vols now have a 54-percent chance of make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Tennessee’s preparation must have been solid for Iamaleava and the Vols’ offense, which struggled for most of the game, to keep coming back at that Gators. The Vols seemed down and out when they were trailing Florida 10-0 in the third quarter. Tennessee responded with a 75-yard drive on 11 plays that was capped by a six-yard touchdown run by running back Dylan Sampson.
“Very big man,” Iamaleava said when asked about that drive. “We knew we needed to respond as soon as they went up 10-0. I thought our whole offense did a great job of responding. Our O-line was blocking their tails off and receivers making the right reads. I thought we operated at a high level in those scoring drives.”
The Vols had better be at their best in practice this week. Tennessee doesn’t have time to rest as the Vols host Alabama on Saturday.
“I just feel like Alabama is a big team,” Tennessee EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr., said when asked about the quick turnaround from one rival to another. “Tonight was a big win. It means a lot to the culture at Tennessee to go out here and play great anytime that we’re playing a rivalry school. I feel like it’s our job to show as one, prepare the same and get ready to play on Saturday.”
The Vols seemingly now know how to prepare for a legitimate SEC team. We’ll see if they can duplicate last week’s effort before the Crimson Tide come to Knoxville this weekend.
