Everything Jeremiah Telander Said Ahead of Tennessee's Matchup With Arkansas
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Tennessee linebackerJeremiah Telandermet with the media during Arkansas week as the Volunteers prepare for another SEC road test.Telander discussed Tennessee's early success under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the challenge of playing at Arkansas, the development of several teammates and the mentality behind the Vols' defense.
Here is everything Telander said during his Arkansas week media availability.
On how quickly Tennessee's defense has found success under Jim Knowles
"Yeah, I mean, at first it was definitely a lot on our plate, but we have so many veterans on this defense that we took it as a challenge and we tried to see how fast we can learn it like the back of our hand. And I'm not surprised at all. We got a great group of guys, and we've done a great job so far."
On Tennessee's recent history at Arkansas
"Yeah, we haven't won in Fayetteville since 2001. Obviously, I was there two years ago in a one-possession game, and it didn't go in our favor. That's obviously fuel for us, and Arkansas is a huge rival for just the Tennessee program. It's a border war, and we can't wait to go down there and play some ball."
On the difficulty of playing SEC road games
"Yeah, obviously you plan a trip over there. Every SEC stadium is a great environment. At the end of the day, we just got to pack our defense and have a great time on offense as well."
On what he sees from Arkansas' offense
"Yeah, super big offensive line. They had a great game against Texas A&M up until the end. They have two great quarterbacks, three good running backs and a wide receiver that is outstanding in No. 6. We just got to show up and play assignment football and do our job, our one-eleventh."
On his favorite Jim Knowles saying
"Well, all summer we've been saying, he says, 'Give us an inch,' and 'We will defend it,' is what we say back. We've said that like 50 times now, and then just going back to last game, that fourth-and-one stop, it was just awesome to see that come true.
"He called the freaking big boys on the field, man, and he took a chance on us, and we made it happen for him. So that would be my favorite quote."
On how much fun he's having playing football
"Yeah, I'm having probably the most fun I've ever had playing football, but I say that every year."
On playing off the edge
"Yeah, so much fun. You know, I'm sometimes on the edge, sometimes in the middle, sometimes on the other side. It's been a great change-up for me, and just my driving ability to get the front set has been a blast for me."
On Xavier Gilliam's level of play
"Yeah, you cannot put a one-on-one block against him. I've never seen anything like it. His quickness and his strength on top of that as well. But honestly, whenever I first met him, I knew that he was going to be a dog, so it doesn't really come as a surprise for me.
On what stood out about Gilliam when they first met
"Yeah, obviously watching some Penn State tape and seeing, OK, this guy is a dog, but also just his mentality in the weight room and on the field. He's the loudest guy out there in change-of-direction drills, screaming. And I was like, 'Oh yeah, this guy's going to be a dog.
On whether Gilliam is louder than him
"Yeah, he is louder than me. I will say, because we usually don't run together in the offseason, and I was watching him one time. I was like, 'Oh yeah, he's going to be a dog.'"
On supporting linebackers coach William Inge
"Yeah, obviously the 'Inge Built,' he really has built that room to what it is. He came in my sophomore year and a lot of the guys' freshman year. And it means the world to go out there and play for him.
"Obviously, his two daughters were at the game last Saturday, and just to be able to see them and see them in the fight as well, it's just such a blessing that he's still fighting and able to be there for us. We're just giving our all for him."
On Arion Carter's level of play
"Yeah, extremely well, extremely violent. As y'all can see, he's setting the edge extremely well. He's playing lights out. He's not hesitating whatsoever, and he's going to continue to keep getting better every single week."
On drawing inspiration from Inge
"Yeah, without a doubt. Honestly, I thought about that this morning because you get into the day-by-day things, and I'm like, Coach Inge is in there giving everything he's got, and we have no choice but to give everything that we have, especially to do it for the game that we love."
On Tennessee's fourth-quarter conditioning
"Yeah, I just think that that's our mentality on defense. Play every single play like it's your last, and I know that's the mentality that I have. Sometimes we're going to have to win the game on defense, sometimes the offense is going to have to win the game on offense, and I just know that we're going to do our part, no matter if it's in the first quarter or the fourth."
On why Tennessee's secondary is playing so well
"Yeah, it goes back to their intelligence. A lot of people want to say that they're freaky fast, freaky strong, and they are those things, but it comes back to how much film they're watching, the football IQ that they have. I mean, all of our secondary now, they're vets. They've been in big-time games, and they just can't wait to go make a play."
On Tennessee's bend-but-don't-break mentality
"Yeah, sudden changes, we practice that all the time in fall camp and spring practice. You have to be ready to go at any point. We could get a fourth-down stop, the offense could throw a pick, we're right back up on the 20-yard line. It don't matter. We got to be ready to go.
"I think there were some times in that game that we could have done an even better job in those sudden-change moments. But yeah, we're going to continue to keep getting better at that."
On fans calling him "Power Telander"
"Yeah, I think since Coach Inge has made that a long time ago, people have started talking like that."
"I mean, I love it. Whatever they want to call me, I'm cool with."
On recognizing what was coming on Tennessee's fourth-down stop
"Yeah, so they had this guy that we called Big Red up on the weak side of the line. From my film study, I knew that that was a guy that they would use in their bone personnel, short yardage. They also used him on their punt team.
"So that was the thing. I was like, 'Oh, Big Red's over there. They really might throw it over there.' And then everything was just read and react since the ball snapped."
On Nathan Robinson's play on fourth down
"Yeah, it was an extremely athletic play. Nate was super bummed that he wasn't able to play the week before that, but he never changed his film study and his preparation in the weight room. Nothing ever changed, and he's due for a breakout season. That was a great moment of his career."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tennessee as Everything Jeremiah Telander Said Ahead of Tennessee's Matchup With Arkansas.
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