Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEWS RELEASE

UT Athletics

Tennessee football is at the halfway portion of spring practice as the Vols’ defense set the tone in the first scrimmage on Saturday in Neyland Stadium.

The two-hour workout was the seventh of the spring, and Tennessee’s defensive depth has shined.

“I thought they tackled well, were disruptive at the line of scrimmage, had good pressure on the quarterback and third-down defense was really good,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “They found a way to get off the field. Lineman assignment, execution and energy from the guys on the field but also guys on the sidelines too. It was very noticeable during the course of the scrimmage.”

The defensive front got significant pressure for much of the day.

“We have great competition on the edges,” Heupel said. “That’s at defensive end—Tyler Baron and Tyre West on the edges, with our Leo’s being Roman (Harrison) to Josh (Josephs) to James (Pearce Jr.) to Caleb (Herring). We have great competition there and can do so many things with our front. I like how our interior is playing. I feel like we’re playing with better pad-level and using our hands better coming off the ball. I’m excited about the growth and looking forward to the back half of the spring.”

The Vols will practice three times next week—Monday, Wednesday and Thursday—before taking off for Easter break. Thursday will serve as another scrimmage day. All practices and scrimmages are closed to the public.

Fans will get a chance to see Tennessee again in the Orange & White Game on Saturday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Neyland Stadium.

Admission is $5 for non-premium seats, and all proceeds will count as a contribution to the My All Campaign. All seats can be secured now at AllVols.com or by calling the UT Athletic Ticket Office at (865) 656-1200. All open sections of the bowl of Neyland Stadium will be general admission seating.