GameQuest: Tennessee Football vs. Chattanooga Game Preview with Ollie Lane

[Music] Happy game day everybody welcome into Game Quest it is of all quest.com game day podcast I'm Eric Kane alongside Grant Ramy hope you guys are enjoying your and we're going to release this Friday night so the end of your Friday maybe you're listening to this on the way to the stadium Saturday morning the offseason is done talking season is done except we're going to do some talking here we get to see football happen here this weekend Tennessee and UTC Grant Ry we made it it's why we do it I know you're a big Hooper guy but uh we all do this because of football and um it's like opening day baby it's literally opening day you gotta love it right it is not like opening day it is opening day even though it is indeed opening day yes even though it's FCS opening day how do we feel about FCS being the opening opponent and it's not it's not just Tennessee I think there's a lot of these games where it's FBS versus FTS week one to me to me and I know I'm in the minority here because you want you want big time football games you want great football games I get that but I mean if I'm a if I'm a BigTime fan of your team you want a game like this to work out the Kinks and to kind EAS some people back into it because I mean how there would be more of an urgency if Tennessee was opening up against NC State tomorrow right or like last year Virginia was actually good like you get to work in some things get Lance herd in shape see what cam Seldon looks like and then the show starts next week so for me I don't mind it but I do recognize that you want to have better football games I I was listening to Rusty Wright Chattanooga's head coach earlier in the week and he was actually talking about somebody asked him like did you watch Austin P last year in terms of what they did uh against Tennessee and how they made that game kind of a struggle for Tennessee he kind of made a good point like first game of the year you're fired up you're ready to go you're ready to hit somebody else you've been in Camp for four weeks whatever that game last year for Tennessee I believe it was the second week of the Season it was squeezed in between Virginia and that trip to Florida and Tennessee kind of looked like they were kind of going through the motions and just kind of they showed up to show up because you know it's their home home opener it's on the schedule whatever but it felt like maybe they were looking ahead to Florida so maybe it is a little bit different because it is your opener maybe that benefits a team like Tennessee where you're not kind of going through the motions you're fired up ready to go ready to be there well I think the anticipation is at a new all-time high I mean we say this every single year going into the season I mean it doesn't matter if Tennessee was going to be lucky to get to eight and four throughout the decade plus stretch a really bad football there were still some Tennesseee fans saying I think they can win 10 games this year 10 and two is a real possibility well everybody but you because you hate the balls obviously um here on the site Pick Tennessee to win 10 games and I mean as long as you stay healthy at a key position I mean you have the depth that you feel like in the talent level to where man this program is just at a much different spot now than where it was a couple years ago and I mean that's realistic possibilities man I mean this should be a good year right yeah when when the when the haters picking nine and three that you means you're in a pretty good place it means you're you're you got a pretty good football team and and a pretty stable football program which we haven't really been able to say that a whole lot over the last you know X number of years I think anticipation wise it's probably a little bit of a perfect stor I mean how long ago did Nico Commit This was how many years ago now this is 20 2021 I guess he committed in March of uh 2022 so it was early 2022 so you've had to wait a while that that carrot has kind of been angled there this is the number one overall player in the on three ratings he's a festar quarterback he's a Cali kid he's all this he's got this whole brand the whole nil stuff involved all that stuff that you've been waiting to see what this kid's going to look like on the field and he got here and you still had to wait Tennesse was coming off an 11 win season electric offense and then hooker doing everything he did in 2022 and then you had to kind of patiently wait out the Joe Milton era the year that Joe was the guy and he was the red shirt senior and he waited his turn he got his turn and and you know it was frustrating at times and now you're waiting you've been waiting it's finally time for Nico he you know he started the bowl game he was great there against Iowa um didn't put up huge numbers but he's really productive really efficient it seemed like so it's I think the anticipation is just because somebody so many fans have been waiting so long for Nico and now it's finally here and you have a pretty good Supporting Cast around him obviously when so many people are picking him to be 10 and two and a fringe college football playoff team yeah and a guy that you know was a part of that process when he was a recruit to when he committed to when he got on campus to when he was a backup and the guy that blocked for him when he got his first start in the in the um chees at Citrus Bowl oi Lane former Tennessee offensive lineman local stand out here in the Knoxville area he's going to join us here in about 10 minutes from now so uh a unique perspective on what he's seen from Nico what he's seen in this offense as coaching staff because um we can talk to a lot of vfl but I I like to get the perspective of guys who just left because they know this team and they know specifically on offens this system and so I think uh our chat with oie Lane coming up is going to be really really good but yeah man I mean Nico obviously when you think of Tennessee football in 24 I mean it's Nico Nik Nico and um I'm just ready to see you know obviously a skill set I'm ready to see what he can do the plays that he can make I'm ready to see um how he adjusts to adversity when he gets hit around a little bit when he throws a pick cuz that's going to happen I mean he's he's a sophomore Like Richard freshman he's a young guy he's going to make some mistakes but I just think that he's going to make so many more plays um I'm excited to see his off platform throws that's what I'm most excited about because I think you know Joe did that pretty well in the Kentucky game and I thought it was one of his best throws of the season but he was not an off-platform guy I mean he was in the pocket you got flesh from the pocket it wasn't wasn't much to look forward to for the rest of that play but Nico can not only run and make make things happen but he can extend the plays keep his eyes down field I'm just pumped to see that type of skill set and you know if if Nico turns in to be who we think and who Josh hpel thinks and who all the know recruiting experts and everybody is then man I mean Tennessee is going to have a good year for sure this year because you piece Nico with this trench play defensive line offensive line This weapons he's got on the outside what we think is going to be a solid Run game um again I go back to this this could be a whole lot of fun this year and it starts today I'm interested to see how Nico Compares and contrast to hinden Hooker and I'm not talking day one he's supposed to be hinden all this stuff but I think Tennessee fans have been thinking since that Orange Bowl ended about how well hinden ran the offense I guess Joe Joe Milton was the quarterback for that orange B but since that 2022 season ended how well hinden ran the offense how it peaked I mean they averaged what 46.1 points per game that year they had so many explosive plays for those two years with hinden at quarterback and it's not that Nico has to be hindon it's just that hinden ran the offense so efficiently and so productive and so explosive that you're trying to get back to what they were in 2022 and 2021 um fast starts uh you know big plays all that stuff Red Zone success a lot better than they were last year they're gonna have to be better there I'm interested to see how much he runs it compared to hinden I think hindon did a lot more with his legs and maybe people remember and kept a lot of drives alive I thought he was really efficient there in terms of you know scrambling for seven on a third and six when he didn't have anything downfield Nico ran it what 16 times in the Citrus Bowl I don't know if that's sustainable for a 12 game regular season and then what whatevers after that um but I'll be interested to see how he uses his legs and just kind of how he looks kind of maybe how he processes the game maybe like H then did kind of how that compares and contrasts and and how quickly he can kind of grow from whatever he is on day one to whatever he is later on in the season how excited are you to see these bad boys out there today huh I'm kind of I'm still kind of surprised that they're doing this I don't know if this is an FCS thing for those listening we're we're showing the we're showing the Smoky Grays that they're going to they're going to wear here in this one go ahead Grant because they wore those Smoky Grays in actually the home opener last year as well against Austin P I didn't think about that till just this second but uh I kind of penciled them in for Kent State in week three that 745 game so I don't know I'm cool with it I think that I think it's a good design I kind of like the smoky gray series and how they tweak it and gives you something to look forward to once a year for sure yeah while we're on the subject I mean I I'm not uniform guy um these seem fine to me I don't now the Smoky Grays they were in 2020 are my favorite I thought those look Shar apparently people hat it I think people hate the uh rendition every single year I thought the 2022 Smokey Grays look good but I think these are fine I mean they're going to wear them one game a year guys I think these look fine get it out of the way I it sucks it's the home opener in my opinion or the opener in general but just get it out of the way and you know get back to orange and white for the big ones the problem with the smoky gray is the first one set such a the original one I should say the original Nike version set such a high standard that it's going to be really hard to live up to that because they were so different in 2015 when they came out I guess that was 2015 and it just you know it rais the bar so high it's gonna be hard to hard to uh cross that and obviously you're changing it every single year the way they announced that smoky gray series for at least four years and then see what happens after that so it's going to be really hard to please people because you started at such a high point um that you got to live up to a bunch just to just to make people happy a lot is in store for Tennessee against UTC we'll take a look a little bit at who UT UTC is personnel-wise we'll give some uh key to the games we'll give players to watch all that and more that's going to come up in about 25 minutes we got a little extended show here on the opener but we're going to get to my conversation with Oly Lane uh here in just a second uh really unique at perspective on you know who this Tennessee team is you know inside the Huddle his thoughts on helmet communication how it'll affect Tennessee's offense how difficult it is to play center in this offense what you seen from Nico really good chat with uh with with former Tennessee guard and Center um Gibbs High School alum oi Lane who's out there in the real world real world making more money than Grant and I combined I would imagine so that is coming up next and then Grant and I will come back and finish the show and give you get you guys set for Tennessee and UTC but I do want to remind you guys about a sponsor this show back on the on the show here this year that is price picks no better time to to get in on all that action than over price picks this football season here uh first game of the season price picks it's the largest independently owned daily fantasy Sports DFS platform in North America um easiest and most exciting way to play DFS it's just you against the numbers instead of battling thousands of other players sometimes pros and sharks all you have to do is pick more than grant grant Raymond like to do more than a lot always always more than or less than two to six player stat projections and watch the winnings roll in so um I had a blast last year winning up to 100 times of my money that last football season I'm gonna do it again this year as well you just select two or more players you pick more than or less than their projected stats value and place your entry testing my skills on price picks this football season is the most 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and foremost olly thanks for for joining us but how different is it this this go around for you I mean your your game days today and um you're not you know taping up and you're not you know getting the the ice and stem to get ready and everything you're literally a former player fan now looking on from a different through a different lens how different is this for you this feeling this year compared to last year uh I mean to be honest it's a lot more relaxing than it was last year that's for sure uh definitely I can remember vividly going into that Virginia game last year I was so nervous going into that I you know ended up not not really needing a big reason to be nervous for that game but I you know uh definitely a lot better being on the other side of it not having to you know think about it stress about it as much and just you know get get out there and get to enjoy football instead of being stressed about what my performance is going to be I I don't have to worry about me anymore I worry about just the team and everybody else so what's your plan for game day are you g to be at the game you going to be in a suite on the sideline at home watching the game uh no my my plan this Saturday is to be at the game uh you know get to enjoy tailgating again I've never gotten to do that so that'll be fun um so I'm looking forward to it so yeah tailgating the right way I guess the last time you went to a game as a fan and probably you know hung out outside the stadium I guess that was 20 what 2017 golly man that was Lot Chang long time ago yeah um when you as a player were getting ready for a game like this and I mean you know when you're in that locker room you never want to disect your opponent you never want to overlook your opponent I know that but you're not in the locker room anymore so you know we in the media World We Do just that when you prepare for a game like this that's you know it's a 35 or 38 and a half Point favorite for Tennessee it's expected to be a big win what's your mindset as a player kind of entering a game like this maybe as a starter like you've been and then maybe as a backup like you were earlier in your career uh definitely I mean if looking at it from a starter perspective especially with this one being the home opener there's a lot of uh excitement that still goes into it obviously it's not your high tier opponent uh but there's still some excitement just because it's the opener so I mean this your first opportunity to really get out there kind of show what you got figure out that did you fix everything you did in the offseason it's like your first real real test you know obviously you got scrimmages and stuff but this is like your first live uh recorded test um and so you know I think uh going into these games now when you get like later in the season going into these games it could be hard to kind of keep your focus on to it especially when you got bigger games coming up uh but you know the coaching staff down there does a really good job of making sure everyone's focused in on what we got now because it's always it's the next one we have what's uh the most important game to us is what's next the next game for us and so we focus on that game that's coming up we don't try to look past it uh and I know that that's something that Hy and then preach on a lot it's like we're focusing on this week we'll get to next week when next week comes um and so I think that helps especially with h you know knowing what the spread is and stuff having the idea that we're going to go in there and beat them up pretty good it gives you still that key to focus on I mean obviously had issues like last year at Austin P thinking it was going to be one of those games then it turned out to be quite an interesting one um so I think it's important uh especially from a starter's mindset that you know you go into these games you still keep that Focus there but I mean you also you still have that realistic ideal that uh you know this one's probably going to get out of hand and as a starter you're probably thinking I'll be out of the game about halftime and be able to move on enjoy the rest of my Saturday and I mean going into that one as a backup too from that perspective you're thinking all right this is my opportunity I'm gonna get some playing time this game I'm gonna get to go out there and kind of do some things and uh be on TV show my stuff a little bit uh and so I think that's kind of the mindset I think these games are a little more exciting for the backups just because they know they're going to get opportunities and uh time to play uh but I mean it's also exciting just for the starters to you know go out there and just play and you know they're going to have uh good opportun to go against some people that aren't as good as them so I mean they can show off their talent show how good they are and so I think that's kind of what builds that excitement for that let me ask you this um I know the focus is always on you getting better every single day um and all that and um it's not always like this you open the season but a lot of times you get kind of a game like this and then a big a bigger week two so did you guys ever spend time not a lot but just ever like a couple periods maybe like during the back end of fall camp like saying okay we got game week for UTC coming up this week but you know here's what NC State will look like on offense like here's a scout team draw these plays like spending just a little bit of time maybe looking at NC State the back half a camp whereas once you got in the game week it's all like UTC yeah no I mean it it depends on just what that uh size of the opponent is you know I'm sure they've probably thrown in some looks that they've noticed when because I mean before the season they go through everybody's film already and have that stuff broken up for us and so I'm sure what they probably and what we've done in the past is like if there's some certain looks that they know that we might get in week two they'll go ahead and throw them out there at the end of Camp just so before the Pittsburgh game like the 2122 yeah yeah so we would get some of their looks and kind of go over it now we wouldn't focus on it or put much attention towards it um but it just be like here's these looks just we're going to run some plays against them see how it looks uh but then like like you said when we get to the game week get just strictly on that team that we're playing that week yeah and of course during the season you don't have time to do anything but focus on that game but in Camp different um I've been saying it all week long I mean I'm not so far removed I mean I remember the feeling where you just want to you know throw up but like you can be in Peak Athletic you know shape in June and July because you're just training and you're working and you're in shape and then you put the pads on you go into fall camp and like you think okay I'm in the best shape ever doesn't matter how much in shape you are that first game smacks you in the face every year oh yeah I go ahead sorry I was going to say and then you couple in the tempo with it I mean it's it's got to be magnified right yeah no I I can remember vividly Virginia last year I think it was one of those really long drives we had I'm standing here breathing heavy and I look over to uh Andre he's breathing heavy then I look over to sprags he's breathing heavy I'm like man we we gota score a touchdown We're not gonna make it that much longer but you know obviously like you know it's hotter beginning of the year and like you think you're in shape because you know you just went through uh the toll of fall Camp uh but then you just don't realize like oh like this is a different level of uh need in you know every play in a game you're like I gotta empty the gas tank on this game you know in practice you can kind of vary and pace yourself a little bit make it through the practice in a game there's no patience like you got to go full go every time and not everybody realizes how much that's taxing on you so I would imagine it's good to get that feeling out of the way um like this week before NC especially guys like for Andre who's missed a little bit of camp for Lance herd who's missed some Camp John Campbell kind of work out all those Kinks this week and then and then feel more regular I guess before NC State yeah and I mean it makes it easier for guys that are returning and coming back because they're used to it and they know what to expect I'd say it's a lot harder for like some of the new guys that are coming never played a season especially not a season in the SEC I don't realize just how taxing uh some of those games can be just yet and I mean they'll get used to it as they kind of go along but no I mean it it it does take a minute to kind of build up that solidified like this is my gas tank this is how much energy I'm going to have for each game so Oly a lot of talk has been on this defensive line in front seven entering this year um about how good they can be uh you have practiced against those guys for years I mean they're the same guys right I mean it's Big O Bryson Omar Norman lot you know so on and so forth James Pierce um how good is that unit how good were they last year and in 2022 and in 2021 and you know how much how good can they be this year that defensive front yeah I mean they've been great and uh they only continue to get better you know in 21 they were still a really good uh front uh but obviously they still had room to grow and they just continued to grow and grow and uh continue to evolve their game and I mean to where they're at now I think the hype matches up with the the real estate uh uh preview of what they're going to do uh you know I think they're going to put a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks this year year the Run game I think they're going to be able to hold that down uh and hopefully you know it'll all kind of come together that front seven is going to put a lot of pressure and help the secondary out too uh you know kind of messing with the quarterback and stuff uh so you know I look forward to what they're going to be able to do I know Big O and uh Omar are gonna control that interior I mean they're both really talented offensive lineman and they got guys to back them up that are just as talented as them and then you got James Pierce on the other side he's going to he's going to call a lot of attention this year and I think it's going to free up a lot of space for Don Bailey on the other side and whoever else comes in and rotates in that position to make some big plays so you know I think there's going to be a lot of big plays from a lot of them this year and I think it's going to be from some different people than just what a lot of people are probably think it's just GNA be the James Pierce show but I think it's going to be a combination of all seven making huge plays this season yeah yeah no doubt um you know Tyler Baron had a great year last year a l that had to do with you know James Pierce I think Joshua Jus has a chance to flourish when he's on the field and at least been my next question um you know from a fan perspective know pass rushing situations they put in that rabbit's package you know you get in there and it's a lot of quick guys and they usually keep a defensive tackle on the field like Omar maybe Omar Norman lot or Mar or Omar Norman lot but they also bring down a Dom Bailey or a Tyrie West inside yeah how as an interior offensive lineman when they bring a quicker maybe smaller but a quicker guy inside for pass down like is is that a harder guy to block because they're quicker quick twitch I how's that for you uh yeah you know it just depends you know obviously interior dealing with more your heavy set defensive lineman so it's just like I gota get get hands on them you'll be fine but with the speed guys you kind of got to sit back a little bit you kind of want to make them show what they're going to do because they're going to work some kind of move you're not going to get from a twitched up Guy moving inside it's not going to be just a bull rush and be done with it which a lot of heavier interior guys will do and I mean that makes for an easier block but they're going to try to mess you up go inside outside swipe rip all that stuff and so I mean interior when you get those looks you just got to be more cautious of your hands where you're throwing them um and understand like this guy I'm gonna have to actually pass set and play with for a little bit I can't just jump on him get on him now because then he could just whip right by me uh how difficult is it to play center in this offense it was like I know I've talked to you about this before but was feels like it was like 12 days out from the opener last year and it's like okay well we got to find a center now like we can't wait around so they slid you down and and then you Andre went to guard of course Dane you know worked a little bit there at Center too um how we know it's important but how difficult is it to play center in this scheme with the tempo and all that uh I mean it's not easy that's for sure uh you know it's there's a lot of moving pieces that go with it they simplify the offensive calls down uh enough to where we can still be quick and on time with our Tempo but you know as a center it's your job like you got to get you got to be the first one on the ball every time you got to make sure everyone gets lined up on you you got to get the play call successfully get the calls out to your guards that hopefully you're getting it out to their tackles and I mean as Center you want to be loud enough so all four uh four of them can hear you but obviously in some certain situations you just got to pass down and then you also you're controlling the tempo to a point I mean obviously the quarterback's the one snapping the ball but you got to be ready to snap it whenever because I mean as soon as that plays call the quarterback's ready to snap the ball and so it's just on us uh making sure that we're ready and you know i r into some issues with that last year uh me and Joe kind of had some miscommunications at time like I'd be trying to get a call out and then he's wanting to snap it and we just weren't ready uh so you know it really depends heavily on one the relationship that you got with your quarterback and your offensive line because I mean when you're out there as a center you're viewed as the leader of the offensive line and almost the second leader of the offensive group you're the second uh there there's only two people that really touch the ball every single time that's the center and the quarterback so they're become the two most important positions on the field and so I mean it it puts a lot of stress on you uh but at the same time the way they've got this offensive scheme set up it's for the center success but I mean obviously there's just there's so many moving Parts in there that it takes someone that sees and and understands the objective and what needs to be done for a great product to be put out there yeah I mean the the quarterback controls the tempo sure I mean he snaps the football but like as soon as that ball snap or excuse me as soon as that ball is spotted really the officials control the tempo as soon as that ball is spotted the center's got to go out there so everybody else can get lined up so yeah I mean I think the center truly does um you know set the tempo when they I mean I know you practiced Center your entire career here I know that wasn't completely foreign to you but um when they came to you and said hey opening day starter at Center I mean you were you know left guard you had experience in this off and started games at left guard what was your mindset like oh crap I'm going to be the center for the first you know three or four games yeah I mean it definitely it added a lot more stress going into that first game just because that first game against Virginia is the first time I ever played center in a game you know I've practiced it for the four or five years that I've been there uh but I never had the opportunity actually playing at a game so I mean it put a little stress on me uh but you know I was always stressed for every game and then it felt like after that first series that kind of stuff would just go away you get comfortable in a game uh and that's kind of what happened that first time I went out there I got comfortable in it you know I've been running it so much in practice that I had the relationship with my guys that were out there with me so it made it a lot easier but it's still it's just it's a it's a stressful position to play um but uh at the end of the day you know I felt like I made it to where I was prepared enough and I kept uh you know some that nervousness and that stress and stuff is good to kind of keep you focus in on stuff but I was also able to not let it uh you know dictate how I played if that makes sense yeah yeah no doubt when did you um I guess Cooper came back was the South Carolina game I can't remember yeah um when when did you feel like okay this is this is like home now it feels good like you always knew you were going to go back to left guard but like it's like okay yeah if I had to do this all year long I feel good yeah I mean honestly after that Virginia game I was like all right you know this something that I could probably do you know obviously R some hiccups down at Gainesville but I mean that's fair to say for anybody that played down there um and so you know I feel and it wasn't just you that ran into hiccups so don't worry yeah but uh you know I think it uh I got comfortable in playing that position you know I slid over there a couple more times throughout the season uh but you know it also helped just kind of build my knowledge of what all we were actually doing as an offense and that you know that's what I tell a bunch of guys the younger guys now that are trying to learn the offense to do everything I'm like honestly the most beneficial thing that ever happened to me was learning to play center because I had to learn everything had to learn what everybody else was doing and by the time like when Coupe came back you I'm at guard but I'm still I'm like the second Center out there I'm helping them make calls ID and stuff I'm seeing exactly what he's seeing and I think you know you're being into the day it's a huge benefit to the offensive line because the more people you have getting the information and processing it and sharing it with everybody uh because you know coup can't get down the line to every single person and make sure that they know exactly what he's processing so I mean it was nice for me to be over there and I could look at John and fill him in on everything that he needed to that he wouldn't normally get all the time yeah um Carvin was that security blanket you were that security blanket danne's going to be that security blanket I mean event like this is the last year for Cooper like Tennessee is goingon to have to find another answer whether it's William sat vion Lane maybe Nick Moore at Jeff County right now whoever maybe the transfer portal but I I think the center position is and it just goes to show you how vital Cooper's been you know through the Jos hoppel tenure um me if you sorry no like if you look back at 22 you know he stayed healthy throughout that whole year you saw the success that we have so I mean a lot of that offensive success you know it does end up amounting up to like who's playing that Center position yeah yeah no doubt um we're like 17 minutes into this little hit and I haven't even asked you about Nico I I know that ni was you know freshman last year backup uh but you've been around nicoo a lot I know you weren't here in spring or in fall camp but you were around a little bit I saw you out there but um it what have you seen from Nico that gives you confidence like all right hey Tennessee's offense is going to be pretty good this year with Nico at the helm yeah no I mean I've just I've seen Nico grow even when I was there last season you know he came in he had some issues he had to work out you know when you coming in with a recruit like that you're always thinking he's probably got everything he needs you know he didn't he needed to learn some stuff you know he had issues he would stumble over words making play calls and stuff when he first got there and then by the time that cheee ball hit around he knew everything led the offense successfully was vocal uh and really came into his own during that game and I think he's going to take that and carry it into this year the practices that I've seen he seems to be a good front runner and a leader for us you know because that quarterback position if you're a leader or not you're thrown into a leadership position because that's that's what that position calls for and I think he's handled it well uh obviously he's got a lot of help around him too that I think will kind of help ease him in and uh you know only thing that's left for him on his resume is just building uh experience and that and that's pretty much what he's going to do this year he's going to see some stuff that he's probably never seen before uh but you know I think he's smart enough and capable enough to handle all these things and still put uh great stuff out there on film was there maybe a point you know maybe it was bowl season maybe it was just in practice here in Camp or whatever I mean Joe was the guy he was going to be the starter but we like okay that Nico like you saw him make a play or maybe a throw it's like man like okay I get all the hype like I see it now yeah no I remember one day watching him and Joe throw pre-practice and I was like yeah this guy this guy's got the talent he's going to be good it's just getting them that that time and that season in yeah yeah no doubt all right man uh Tennessee utc's coming up uh later today and uh this has been good man I'm going to have to have you on the show again I do want to ask you before I let you go um new technologies on the sidelines and helping communication with sideline to quarterback and sideline to to linebacker or whatever Tennessee will still signal in stuff and everything and and you know Hy and Hy both mentioned that it's you know yeah sure you can call plays that way but it's more like reminders but for you guys um do you think that's going to help a lot with the tempo and already going as quickly as you can like if I know you're not on the team this year but like how do you how do you think that's going to affect the offense having that you know communication yeah I mean I don't see it doing anything but benefiting the tempo for us you know I think it'll probably help that process go a little quicker because yes they're still going to single in everything to receivers but Nico can now just get that play call throw it out to the center and be done with it instead of having to look over get the call then make uh make the call to the center and then go through that like it'll kind of like skip a process for Nico allow him to just get it get the play call out to us uh and then you know wide receiver still getting the signal if anything it might speed it up a little bit so I mean we'll see but you know I think I think it's a great addition uh to college football I'd like to see him at some point maybe put it in the center helmets I think that would maybe take it to the next level but yeah you know I think that then adding the iPads on the side lines too is a huge deal uh you know because I mean we still use whiteboards and stuff and you can only see so much out of a whiteboard but when you're actually seeing physically what's going on out there because you know you rely so much on the information you get from the box uh and you know those guys are normally really good but they're not always perfect and they can't see every single thing so I mean if you go through and see like oh okay this is where we got beat on this play this is how we're going to adjust to it the next time uh because you know a lot of guys learn a lot better from visuals and the whiteboards helped but this is only going to take that to the next level yeah I mean you know I I certainly didn't have huddle on the sidelines when I played but you know being around rivalry Thursday last couple years we go they have chair set up a tent they got TV I mean every high school did they have that when when you were at Gibbs yeah they actually they started doing that my senior year it helped a ton because you can only see so much when you're out there and then when you get the whole picture when you get a second to kind of look at it it helps a lot I mean it's hilarious that all these high schools are doing it and like college football is just now doing it but yeah yeah I'm uh I'm intrigued to see what that looks like all right there's a lot of excitement Tennessee UTC coming up today uh should be a fun fun season olly I know you're going to be doing a lot of media appearances and stuff throughout and um look forward to having you back on the show man enjoy today's game day for the first time really in like eight years from a or seven years from a different different point of view being back as a fan yeah no I will and I appreciate you having me on look forward to more opportunities in the future awesome as former Tennessee offensive lineman Gibbs High School Al local standout oi [Music] Lane hey what a great conversation there with former Tennessee offensive lineman Ali Lane hope you guys enjoyed that uh I don't want to speak for Grant here but I think we'll definitely have him back on the show um a couple times this football season season unique perspective and I thought he did a really really good job TR he grew up being a Tennessee fan obviously living in Gibbs he went to Tennessee games he tailgated as a high school guy but a lot of times change he's he's a man now he can tailgate for real today and U you know best of luck to him and and uh this this this new way to watch Tennessee football he's been he's been out of the program five minutes he's already coming for our jobs podcast appearances media tours it's it for us and he's already doing our jobs better than us for sure so yeah that's not saying much although I thought I was going to be out of this business several times before now so maybe I'll survive this one uh let's take a quick look at UTC um pretty solid team Grant I mean you know Tennessee is a 38 and a half Point favorite Tennessee should win this game by 40 the over under is at 56 and a half at the time of this recording um it's power four versus FCS I mean this should not be a contest but uh given the team you're playing I mean it's a top 10 team in FCS and so you know lot of kids that grew up being Tennessee fans from the state of Tennessee play for UTC so it's going to be a cool experience for them but Tennessee should handle some business they do have a pretty pretty decent quarterback returning started his career at UCLA and and came into UTC last year and led him into a playoffs he threw for uh over 2600 yards and 20 touchdowns a season to go run game's not all that impressive they lost their best receiver but they were they returned two uh starters at wide receiver they return a seventh year a seventh year guy at tight end they they return four starters on the offensive line and they have an all socon Center um offensively again shouldn't be an issue for Tennessee but it's a it's a pretty sound unit for FCS I mean it's a good football program it's a good football team um they're ranked what number eight in the preseason coaches poll for FCS I mean that's that's a big deal a top 10 team in their division like yeah it should be uh easy work for Tennessee and it's a 38 and a half point spread for a reason all that stuff um but I think Austin P showed you last year you better show up and you better be ready to handle your business because like he talked about this is not only an FCS team it's an instate team they they're going to have a lot of kids from the state from the area that have circled this opportunity I mean they they look at these opportunities every year I'm sure as you know what they are a huge stage to go play on how often do you get a chance to play in an SEC Stadium I guess maybe once a year for a team like Chattanooga so that's the one you're going to look forward to obviously they have bigger games down the road that mean more for their football team and their season and everything else but I mean this was a second round CS playoff team last year lost at Ferman in the second round they're a good football team and Russy R is a guy who's he's been there for a few years and it's like five wins six wins seven wins eight wins he keeps building it and building it in the right direction and it seems like there's stability there I think he's resigned there for a while seems like he's building something pretty good I mean he's GNA be a I think he's a very physical uh kind of football coach in terms of how his teams play so I don't think they're going to come out there and back down or be scared they're going to come out there and try to try to do something and and you know that that not a lot of FC FCS teams can do but they're not a bad football team at all yeah it was uh Dell Sims Tennessee running backs coach uh who said you know he actually was a neelan at Western Carolina he coached on the other sideline and this top of like pay games if you will and you know he said hey you're going to get their best shot uh it's a big opportunity for them especially if you think about some guys who you know want to play in the NFL and get get on tape and whatnot as well so I agree I mean I think that they're going to you know they're going to give Tennessee their best shot will it be enough it shouldn't uh but again should be a nice little tuneup game for the volunteers leading tacklers back as well defensively Alex Mitchell they return all a three a three-year starter at safety uh they've got a two time all socon defensive lineman coming back they lost a little bit on defense at all three levels but they also bring back some experience at all three levels as well so excited to see what Tennessee looks like in this game um talk to bran about this a little bit on the Rocky rean we talked to AP and Rob about this on the vest podcast earlier this week but I want to ask you outside of score final score what is success for Tennessee in this game what what for you if Tennessee does you know when you leave nean you're like okay check check good job now get ready for NC State uh clean efficient um mistake free is close to mistake free as you can play in game one against an FCS opponent um some good stuff from Nico early on some good stuff from the offense early on in general um it felt like in 2021 2022 when that offense had so much success it was because they had fast starts and they would have a 21 Point first quarter they had a couple 28 point first quarters like they got off to those kind of starts so a fast start would be a big deal build an early lead don't let this team hang around you know don't let it be Austin P 2023 2.0 um the secondary pass the test I mean don't give up anything crazy look the part I think you know what you got on your defensive line I think you know what you got to a certain extent at linebacker um but just kind of fast efficient explosive on offense all the stuff that kind of Josh hyle talks about like they want to get back to being that offense they were a couple years ago produce at that level it's going to require efficiency and produ production early on in football games I think all right grant that time of the podcast when we say goodbye but not before you give me a score prediction and you give me a bold prediction score and bold what you got you think I would have thought about this in advance okay um only had it a whole off season I'm not very smart uh Tennessee 52 50 Burger to start Chattanooga 10 so Tennessee covers and that's the over um I'll go Nico he had four touchdowns against Iowa total touchdowns in the bowl game so I'll go five total touchdowns for Nico I don't know what the combination is um it will be a pass run combination I just don't know what that is but give me five total touchdowns so gosh man you're having Nico playing a whole lot of football in this game but it might not take long to score five touchdowns they want this offense to be what they want it to be we'll see all right so I will go score prediction Tennessee and as we know we record this ahead of our actual picks on Friday so there's a very real chance that what I say now is not what we be in print or web on the website give me Tennessee 55 I'm kind of the same Park is you like you know Tennessee is going to be playing backups too you know later in the game so there might be an excuse me touchdown there might be a cheap one you know um there might be a field goal as well give me I like the 10 or 13 give me give me 5513 Tennessee and then for my bold prediction I will have more so I just want this to happen so maybe it's not a bull I just want this to happen give me the Shan Bishop leads Tennesse in rushing he's got a 67 yard day scores two touchdowns speak it into existence speak it into existence because I think he's earned that and um it'd be really really cool to see him be a part of the rotation even if it's just a just a tiny rooll because we know Dylan Samson and cam Seldon are gonna be the workhorses of course and then coming along I'm a huge fan of Dylan Samson I think he can be really really good I think he gives you a better maybe a better pass catching option out of the backfield check downs and design stuff then maybe you had Jaylen Wright and jabori small in the past I'm really interested to see what those guys look like behind him because they're going to rely on those guys they're going to play however many backs they've played consistently in the past I guess three maybe more if you have more guys you feel like you can play really interested to see what cam s looks like what pton Lewis looks like we've heard a lot about him we've heard a lot about DeShaun Bishop it's gonna be really fun to see what those guys look like and hopefully they get a lot of reps on a day like Saturday against a team like chatt we spend seven eight months talking about this guy and this guy this guy can do stats and this guy there's one football you know and we get to say we get to see kind of what that one football does whose hands it is thrown to who takes the handoffs you know what's going to happen it all starts today um Super Pump Tennessee and UTC coming up 12:45 p.m. eastern time weird kickoff time 12:45 p.m. eastern time it is going to be on the SEC network we got full coverage obviously all week long today we got full coverage we'll have full coverage during the game and Grant we right 23 articles in the first two or three hours after the game is over um postgame mini pod we'll have tons and tons and tons of stuff over at bqu quest.com no or as BN hus would say there's no or when it comes to the best tenness football coverage it is only at vest over under the amount of articles that you're going to write I'll I'll set it Saturday I will set it at eight and a half over under uh I'll probably take an over eight and a half season opener but it will not compare to the number of ores on the death chart that you can be that's another thing we're going to see in game one an actual you can track the depth chart with your eyeballs and not have to rely on whatever that nonsense was they produced on Monday it was nonsense indeed all right Tennessee football has returned no better place to follow it along all season long and today than over EV volquest.com this has been the game Quest podcast appreciate you guys tuning in listening to us on the way to the stadium maybe at your tailgate uh maybe the night before um tell your friends about this podcast and of course stay out in at volquest.com for great Ry I am Eric Kane and enjoy the game everybody stay safe if you're going and we'll talk to you on the journal quarter [Music] [Applause]