Everything From Tennessee DL Coach Rodney Garner Ahead Of Their Matchup Against Mississippi State

On where some of the young guys are, especially Mariyon Dye and Isaiah Campbell…

“Well, obviously, you know, those guys, they've got a tremendous skill set, but still just learning, you know, the nuances of playing D-line in this league. It's a tough league. It's one where you've got to rely on your fundamentals and your technique, and you've got to learn how to strain and finish where you may have been in high school. Those guys usually were the best guys out there on the field, and they were able to get away with some things that may not have been fundamental, which you can't get away with here. The opportunity to play those guys, the number of snaps that they got to play last week, I think it's going to pay tremendous dividends for us going forward and for them going forward. The only way they're going to get better is to actually get out there and have an opportunity to play. I think you see the Campbelll kid, you know, he made some plays last week. He's been getting better every week. That's the challenge to be better tomorrow than we were today. That's the thing that we try to stress in that room that, you know, it's a process. We have to trust the process and keep moving forward.”

On how difficult it is for Bryson Eason and Dominic Bailey to play 60 snaps….

“I've been very pleased and proud of the way Eason and Bailey have stepped up and the things that they've done in the absence of some guys. I know it's a little bit different style than what we've been able to do in the past, where we had, you know, more numbers, you know. Moving Dom inside when Jackson went down, you know, we just made the decision that that was the best thing for this team. For us to pick the best lineup out there on the field was for us to be able to move him inside and move to Weathersby, kid, and West and get those guys more reps. It gave us an opportunity to get Dye (Mariyon Dye) more quality reps. So we just tried strategically, you know, do the things that we needed to do. I think the Robinson (Nathan Robinson) kid is coming along. Been pleased with how he's played thus far. This past week, Campbell took that next step, you know, so we just need for guys to continue to improve and get better so we can take you know some wear and tear, so it's good to be able to get those younger guys more reps this past week.”

On his evaluation of the pass rush and guys like Joshua Josephs, Caleb Herring, and Jordan Ross….

“I think those guys have done a really good job of affecting the quarterback, and in some crucial situations, too. So I think obviously we need to all continue to get better. If we're gonna truly be a good front, I think obviously we need to all continue to get better. If we're gonna truly be a good front, we have to be able to affect the quarterback with a four-man rush. At times, not having to bring five and all that. If we can do that with our twist games and all those things right there, it will help us be a better defense."

On the toughest part of the transition to be a full-time interior guy on the defensive line compared to playing EDGE….

“I'm not saying he's going to be just a full-time interior guy. He's a guy that can do both. You know, so as guys get healthy, you get guys back. Obviously, he gives us the flexibility to be able to do some different things. We did it all last year, in the Rabbits package; it was mostly him and Omar that played inside. So he had inside reps, but they were mainly on third-down situations. So this year, he's had to take more first and second-down reps in there. I definitely think that he will be the Swiss Army knife type of guy that can do both, and we've got to continue to take advantage of that.”

On going against Blake Shapen and all his experience on Saturday…

“This is going to be a very good football team, a great environment to go into. None of these guys, unfortunately, have had an opportunity to play in Starkville, which I told them is a very unique place with the cowbells and all that stuff. It's going to be a great environment. Obviously, this guy (Blake Shapen) is a really good football player, and they have a really good scheme. We've got to make sure that we're focusing on our fundamentals and our technique and that we've got to play, you know, mistake-free football. I thought last week we took a step forward in playing cleaner, you know, because that's one of the things I think against UGA. I thought the guys played really hard, but we didn't play very smart. The guys played really hard, but we didn't play very smart. So, it was good for us to have an opportunity to go out there and play smarter this past weekend. Hopefully, we can build on that because, you know, they're a big offensive line. They’re gigantic. They've got some really big men, and the quarterback's a really good player, and they've got really good running backs and good receivers. It's gonna be a big challenge, you know? So we're gonna have to be the best version of us come Saturday.”

On what he has gotten from Tyree Weathersby and Tyre West….

“Wethersby had a really good game, the first game against Syracuse. He played really well. He gets banged up, and then Tyree West goes out; he has a really good game. He gets banged up. So we gotta just be able to stack some good on some good. Both of those Tyrees, we're a better football team when we can get them at full speed."

On how different the tempo is at practice compared to going against Mississippi State…

“I think they're very similar. I think, you know, Coach Levy obviously worked with Coach Huepel at Central Florida. So, you know, it's something that we've been preparing for. You know, obviously, it's going to be challenging. You know, it always is, even though you try to do it in practice, it's still hard to simulate actual real-time reps, even in practice. So it's going to be a challenge. We've got to make sure that we're hydrated."

We've got to get back, get our eyes set. We got to give them the calls quickly so they can get their feet and eyes set, so they can key and diagnose pre-snap, so we can be more efficient and play better and play smarter.”

On the challenge of the Mississippi State run game…

“They're very similar to us. You know, everybody thinks it's just fun and gun, but we run the ball very successfully. And these offenses, mimic each other. So that's why they're successful, you know, because they have a really good run game. So, you know, we've got to fit our gaps. We got to be gap sound. We've got to win some one-on-one blocks. They do a great job at the point of attack on their combos and moving to the first level, keeping their eyes on the second level. So we've gotta be able to anchor, don't get displaced, and all that. It's gonna be a big challenge for us, obviously, up front. If you are going to play in this league, we gotta play at our best level."

Watch the full interview here:

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