Vols DB Coach Willie Martinez Responds to Alabama WR Germie Bernard's Comments

Germie Bernard provided some bulletin board material for the Vols DB coach to respond to

Sep 17, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers secondary coach Willie Martinez coaches during the first half against the Akron Zips at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images | Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are set for a major matchup between them and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, which is just days after the Crimson Tide defeated the Missouri Tigers and the Vols defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks.

These two teams simply hate each other. That is the best way to put it, as this is one of the better SEC rivalries of all time. The Vols have won two of the last two, but prior to their game winning kick by Chas McGrath the Vols lost nearly two straight decades in this rivalry.

One of the Alabama Crimson Tide receivers recently made a statement that many describe as bulletin board material. The Crimson Tide wide receiver detailed how the Vols defense and playing against them is like the field of dreams. Here is what he had to say.

Germie Bernard's and Willie Martinez's Comments

Oct 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against Vanderbilt in the moments before halftime at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

"They like to play man-to-man, and they want to bring the house, so I mean it's a great opportunity for our offense. They give up a lot of yards, but that's because they trust and believe in their guys to get the job done. For us to have the opportunity to go against man-to-man, it's a field of dreams. That''s what those receivers want, them man-to-man matchups. It's going to be up to us to go out there and make plays."

Willie Martinez (Tennessee DB coach) was asked about this in his presser appearance on Tuesday. Here was his response.

“I really don’t read what’s being said. That’d be the first time I’ve heard it. I’m sure that they probably listen to stuff like that. Or it’s out there on social media. We just we just care about how we prepare. We know that our opponent is a good team. Obviously, everybody that we play is really good and they’re going to be ready for us. We’ve just got to be at our best when we play them. And they got great receivers. We know that. We faced them last year. They’ve got a couple of a couple of other guys too that are doing a really good job. A quarterback that’s hot. Simpson is doing a really great job of managing the offense and being very productive. So we’ve got to do a good job again on those early downs, trying to get them behind the sticks to force the third down and longs and be efficient and the best we can.”

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