Jeremiah Telander came out of Tennessee’s win over Kentucky with a clear message: the defense did its job, but the standard only gets higher from here.
The Volunteers held Kentucky to six points on Saturday, with Wildcat kicker Adam Zouagui accounting for all of them. Telander was right in the middle of it, finishing with 10 tackles and helping anchor a unit that kept the Wildcats out of the end zone. On Monday, he broke down that performance and turned the page toward Texas A&M.
Tennessee knew what it was walking into against Kentucky, and Telander said the defense focused on making life difficult early in the down.
“Yeah, we knew that they had an explosive offense coming into this game. We had to start strong on first down and get them behind the sticks a little bit.
There were some drives that didn’t go our way, but ultimately, we didn’t let them in our end zone. So, job well done.”
The win also carried a heavy emotional note for Tennessee because of Tyree. Telander said the team felt that absence deeply, but the response inside the locker room stayed rooted in the next-man-up mentality.
“Yeah. That hurts all of our hearts.
Tyree has been one of the hardest workers on this team. One of the biggest Tennessee guys on this team and that breaks our heart for him.
But at the end of the day, it’s football. It’s the game that we play and next man up mentality.
We’ve had guys working since January behind him. I’m sure that he’s going to help them along the way as well.”
He also pointed to the young defensive linemen who got valuable snaps in a loud Neyland Stadium environment. Telander singled out Finch and Hezi [Hezekiah Harris] while noting the depth across the line.
“Yeah, I think that was huge for them to get in there uh night game and Neyland some of them their first um big time snaps. I think Finch, obviously y’all seen him all year, but he continues to get better every single week and Hezi [Hezekiah Harris] as well coming off the edge. Those are two guys that definitely caught my eye, but we have a great D line from senior to freshman class.”
As Tennessee prepares for the road trip to Texas A&M, Telander said crowd noise and communication will be a major part of the challenge. He framed it as something the Vols have already handled at home and now need to carry away from Knoxville.
“Yeah, that’s one of the biggest takeaways that we have going into this week is I’ve said it before, we have to pack the defense and we’re going to do that this week. And it’s funny some because at home the games are even louder than away games.
So, we handle it fine when there’s 100,000 screaming at home and we’re communicating with hand signals. So, we just got to take it to the road and close the deal.”
Telander said Tennessee trusts its preparation, but the key is executing when the moment arrives.
“Yeah, we believe in our routine. Obviously, we’re going to change some things here and there, what worked and what didn’t, but the routine isn’t the problem.
I think the guys are preparing really well. When it matters the most, you got to go do your job.
Because you could do it right in a walk through three times, but if you don’t do it right when it matters the most, then it doesn’t count, you know? So, when it matters the most, we got to go make it happen.”
The conversation also turned to the return of a coach who clearly meant a lot to the team. Telander said the moment hit hard when he unexpectedly walked into the meeting room last Tuesday night.
“Oh, it meant everything to us. Last week, I think it was Tuesday night that he surprised us and he just walked into the meeting room and it gave me chills all over.
He is a walking miracle, and I wish that y’all could have heard the speech that he gave us when he walked Tuesday night into that room. It’s something that I’ll remember forever and we’re playing for him every single day.”
He added that the coach’s presence brought energy, but not a softer edge.
“Yeah, the guys were fired up. Just it says so much about who he is as a man because he doesn’t have to be here right now, but he is showing up and he’s coaching us up.
And then after the great speech, he freaking got on to us for something that he didn’t like. So, he hasn’t changed one bit and God is great.”
Telander also said the coach’s influence reaches beyond one position group.
“Yeah, he he’s special in everything that he does. If you ask the other position groups, they’ll probably say that he’s one of their favorite coaches of the team. And it just goes to who he is as a as a man and not just a coach.”
The return left a strong impression on the team, and Telander said the coach’s fire was as familiar as ever.
“Yeah, without a doubt. I kind of laughed about it after the meeting because he was getting pretty fiery and I was like, "Hey, coach is back.
He hasn’t lost a step." And then again, it just shows you the kind of coach that he is because he I mean, he’s stuck in the hospital bed watching us play and he wants us to be great.
So, he was just waiting to coach us up.”
“Without a doubt. To know that coaching was back in the house watching us play under the lights. That gave us all the energy and motivation that we needed.”
Telander also owned one mistake from the Kentucky game, calling it a penalty that cannot happen again.
“Yeah, at the end of the day, you have to make a smart full speed decision. And in that scenario, I just needed to match the hand and continue running by and not finish on the ground with that one.
That’s a stupid penalty. And watching back on the film, I mean, that would take us to third and long versus sticks moving forward.
It’s unacceptable and it can’t happen again.”
Looking ahead to Texas A&M, he said the defense has to stay sharp against a quarterback who can beat teams in more than one way.
“Yeah, his versatility. They can pull that pull that ball with the quarterback anytime that they want in that game.
So, we have to be great with our rules. The kid can also throw it all the way down the field, too.
So, we have to be great in all aspects of our defense.”
And with the bye now in the rearview, Telander said Tennessee’s mindset has to stay simple from week to week.
“Yeah, I think coming off of last week in that bye, every single game has been you play your you play every snap like it’s your last snap. And that’s the advice that I give to the guys.
It’s a one week mentality. Each week is a new season and that’s where our mindset’s at.”
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