University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Report: Practice Grind
December 13, 2016 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee football head coach Butch Jones and UT student-athletes spoke to reporters on Tuesday after practice on the indoor field of the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center.
Senior defensive lineman Corey Vereen, junior offensive lineman Jashon Robertson and sophomore defensive back Micah Abernathy discussed the team's energy and focus in bowl practices this month.
Tennessee (8-4) will play Nebraska (9-3) in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The game will feature a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. The Vols are ranked No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings. The Cornhuskers are No. 21 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
Butch Jones | Head Coach
"I liked the way our kids approached it, the habits we needed to get back. To tackling and the fundamentals, obviously preparing for a very good 9-3 Nebraska football team. Tomorrow will be a very, very special day, going to Rocky Top Sports Complex in Gatlinburg and sign autographs for elementary-aged kids. They've done some things with some invitations and that's the least we can do. Once that's done, we're going into and we'll have our annual team dinner and then spend about an hour out in the streets and let our kids enjoy that. That community means so much to us and Jim Ogle is such a great friend of the program and personally. We're looking forward to that time and spending time with everybody in Gatlinburg."
#50 Corey Vereen | Senior Defensive Lineman
Vereen has enjoyed a strong senior season, making 35 tackles and posting career highs of 6.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, two fumbles recovered and three pass breakups. Jones praised Vereen for his consistency and hard work, two traits that have made him one of the most respected players on defense. Several of UT's younger defensive linemen look to follow in Vereen's footsteps.
"Guys like Kyle Phillips, Dimarya Mixon and even Shy Tuttle come to me and ask me how I stay focused day in and day out. I tell them, 'You have to keep pushing. You have to focus on your technique and you can never be satisfied, no matter what you do. You can't be satisfied by what you did on a Saturday or what you do on a Monday. You're only as good as your last game or last practice.'"
#75 Jashon Robertson | Junior Offensive Lineman
Robertson has been one of Tennessee's mainstays on the offensive line this season, playing in all 12 games with 11 starts at left guard. Redshirt freshman Venzell Boulware has started each of the last two games at right guard. Robertson credits Boulware's dedication in the weight room and on the practice field to his increased playing time.
"Venzell is a really strong dude. He gets it done in the weight room. He's a hard worker, just a grinder. I've seen him, since day one, just working his tail off. That's really what it comes down to at the end of the day. His preparation for this opportunity allowed him the chance to capitalize on it. That's what he's pretty much done."
#22 Micah Abernathy | Sophomore Defensive Back
Abernathy has been one of the Vols' breakout stars this season. He is second on the team with 66 tackles and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions and six passes defended. Abernathy made a big splash early in the year, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors back in Week 2 when he recovered three fumbles in UT's win over Virginia Tech. He has also led the Vols in tackles in each of the last three games. The sophomore intends to use this month's bowl practices to continue to grow his game.
"I feel like it's the same as last year. It doesn't matter if you're a young player or a veteran, you need to work on yourself after practice, during practice and individual and just work on the things you don't do well or things you don't believe you did well according to the coaches or anything like that."
