By Adam Bache
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Volunteers experienced a gut-wrenching 44-41 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend. Although the defeat was painful, the team is committed to building on what went well and fixing what went wrong, focusing on preparation and execution as they get ready for this week’s game against the UAB Blazers.
Running back Star Thomas reflected on the team’s mindset following the tough loss, and said, “I feel like we could have made more plays,” and that the team “left a couple plays out there.”
Despite the setback, he emphasized that the team remains focused and energized during practice.
“Taking it day by day, just getting better,” Thomas said. “Using this week to get better and focus on UAB now.”
Safety Edrees Farooq echoed the same idea, while also stressing the importance of keeping signals and communication on the field clean, especially in loud environments like the one at Neyland on Saturday.
“What we can improve on is just being able to communicate better,” Farooq said. “So that players aren’t confused and just being able to execute my job too.”
Edge rusher Joshua Josephs also acknowledged the importance of attention to detail and said, “If we could have applied it to a play or two, it would have been completely different.”
Despite struggling against Georgia and allowing 44 points, the most a Tennessee team has let up since 2022, Josephs remains confident in the team’s potential.
“I haven’t truly played how I should yet,” he said. “I believe that for the defense too.”
Tennessee now prepares to face a UAB team that has started the season 2-1 with wins over Alabama State and Akron, as well as a loss to Navy.
Tennessee enters the game as a 39.5-point favorite, and the Volunteers are intent on using lessons from Saturday’s loss to stay sharp on both sides of the ball.
With a renewed focus and unwavering commitment to improving each day, Tennessee is ready to wash away the Georgia loss and assert itself against UAB. The team understands all its preseason goals are still in front of them, and they aim to get back on track in the pursuit of a successful season.