The Tennessee Volunteers made no qualms about it: last Saturday’s loss to Florida hurt.
A lot.
But with that heartbreaking loss to their SEC East rival in the past, only one question remains: Will the Vols be able to bounce back?
“Our team is very motivated,” sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton said. “We’re willing to learn. We know that we can’t dwell on the past and things that we don’t have control of anymore. We know we have to keep pushing forward, keep playing for each other.
“Hopefully the rest of the season goes as planned.”
The post-Florida season for the Vols begins Saturday when they face off against the Chattanooga Mocs – the 12th-ranked team in the FCS – in their homecoming game.
The matchup between the two schools separated by a mere 90-minute drive down I-75 will be the first since 1969, with the Vols owning a 37-2-2 record all-time against the Mocs.
Tennessee also has its own homecoming history on its side, owning a 68-19-3 record in such games.
The previous two homecoming contests, however, haven’t gone exactly the way Tennessee would have liked. Last season, UT was crushed by Auburn 55-23, and in 2012, the Vols narrowly escaped with a 55-48 win over Troy.
With the Vols currently riding a three-game losing streak, the hope is that Saturday’s homecoming contest won’t be anything like the last two.
“A win would be tremendous,” offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said. “Obviously we have been working week in and week out, and not having the check mark in the win column the past few weeks has been a struggle, but our guys have great perseverance, resiliency and they will keep fighting.”
To get that win, the Vols will have to execute on offense better than they did against the Gators, when they only managed to put nine points on the board.
A key to getting the offense’s wheels moving will be increasing the effectiveness of the running game, which could only muster 28 yards on the ground.
“I think it’s going to be huge for us this week,” senior quarterback Justin Worley said. “I think being able to establish a run can help build some confidence for these front five guys, as well as create some balance and stop some tendencies that we have.”
As for the question of whether or not the Vols will be able to get over that emotional hump, second-year head coach Butch Jones has an answer.
“(Our) mission remains the same,” Jones said. “We talk about being relentless. We are not going away. It was just one game. In this conference and in college football, every game, every week is a new season in and of itself. We have to keep pressing along.
“This is the first time this team has really suffered some adversity and some noise and some clutter … I know our football team pretty well, and I think they will be ready to go.”
The Vols’ contest against the Mocs kicks off at 4 p.m. EST and will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
