Tennessee Player Quotes from December 29

Quarterback Erik Ainge

On Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny:
“Everybody knows he can play football. Playing in the SEC, I play against linebackers that can run and can tackle all the time. I think the biggest difference with him, from what I can see, he’s always in the right spot. He’s always doing something, moving the defensive linemen, getting them lined up, getting them set up. He’s always in the right place whether it be trying to stop the run or dropping into pass coverage. I think that’s what makes him so dangerous.”

On the Nittany Lions’ defense:
“They do a lot of different things; they have kind of a different mentality. I think the biggest thing you see is obviously when you look at their defensive statistics they’re pretty remarkable. And when you go through and watch the film they’re always in the right spot. Really, their whole defense, they’re always in the right spot. You don’t see them giving up many big plays. They always keep everything in front and they tackle well.”

On his development this year and struggle last season:
“Sometimes you’ve got to go through something like that before you really appreciate what you’ve got. After having the freshman year I had, being ranked second going into that next year, I think we took it for granted as a whole team, not just myself. So after going through that I think just our will to work, my will to work, and coach Cut (Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks coach David Cutcliffe) coming in and teaching me all the stuff that he knows and letting me kind of take it from there has really helped me out a lot.”

On the pressure of playing quarterback at Tennessee:
“There’s a lot of pressure but it’s still a game. You’re still out there with your best friends running around throwing the ball, scoring touchdowns. It’s a business, but it’s still a lot of fun. Pressure is feeding your family or trying to get a job when you got fired and you know you have to pay the bills. I think that’s pressure. We’re just out here having fun. We’re in Tampa, Florida, 75 degrees, it’s not much pressure.”

On what he expects in the Outback Bowl:
“I think it will be a good game. I’d like to say obviously we hope to win, but I think it will be a good football game. Whether it’s high scoring or whether it’s real low scoring, I think it will be a close game.”

Linebacker Marvin Mitchell

On his injury and the progress of the team:
“This year we just took strides and wanted to turn the program around. Coach Fulmer gave me the opportunity to lead the guys and be a captain and just turn around the things. Playing with injuries is just a part of football. You’ve got to do those things to help out your teammates and show the success of the program. I’m back to 100 percent and just ready for this game.”

On Penn State tailback Tony Hunt:
“Tony Hunt is a big back. I’ve seen him when I first got here. I was shocked how big he was. You don’t see those kinds of guys in the SEC, you know, 6’1”, 6’2” guys, 230, and he’s a powerful running back. We’ll have to do a great job tackling and stopping the run.”

Defensive back Johnathan Hefney

On the Penn State passing game:
“They run a lot of play action plays. We just have to be firm in what we’re doing in the secondary and don’t bite up on the play action fakes. If we sit back there, we can make the plays.”

On finishing the season with 10 wins:
“It’s very important to get a 10-win season because it will help us out at the start of next year. We should be focused and ready to play next year.”

Tackle Arron Sears

On the Penn State defense:
“They’re one of the most athletic defenses I’ve seen all year. They’ve got some great linebackers and their defensive tackles are pretty good too. They remind me of the Florida Gators because their front seven was just as good as anybody I’ve seen all year.”

On his last game as a Tennessee Volunteer:
“I’m trying to avoid the sense it will be over, but when I hit the field Monday it’s definitely going to hit me that it’s over.”

On establishing the run versus Penn State’s defense:
“They present a big challenge. In their last two football games they gave up something like maybe 100 total yards against two very good football teams. So we’ve got our hands full. We’ve got to be able to come out and run the football and be able to pass the football against a really great defense.”

On the effectiveness of the Tennessee offense:
“Our goal on offense was to average 30 points a game this year and I think we came pretty close to it. At the end of the season we just got out of sync a little bit, but we’ve been practicing good since we got down here for the last couple of days and we’re just trying to get that edge back, and I think we have. We’re going to wait until Monday gets here and see how it goes.”

Linebacker Ryan Karl

On the anticipation of playing in the Outback Bowl:
“I’m just ready to play football; I’m tired of practicing. I just want to get the game over with and come out with a victory.”

On playing Penn State:
“The two programs have so much tradition. I think this is going to be one of the best bowl games of the year. All the history behind the two teams, you just want to go home saying you beat a team like Joe Paterno and Penn State.”

Receiver Robert Meachem

On his previous bowl experiences:
“I went to the Peach Bowl my freshman year, I didn’t get to really play in there. I was just taking everything in there. I’ve been in the Cotton Bowl. I’m beginning to understand what being in a bowl game is like, but last year we didn’t make it to a bowl game.”

On playing in the Outback Bowl:
“You can’t take anything for granted, you can’t take any play off; you have to play every play hard. You can’t be 5-6 again. By us making it to the Outback Bowl this year, it’s like a sigh of relief. It’s like the monkey is off our back.”

Defensive tackle Turk McBride

On the Penn State offense:
“You just look at their offensive line; they’re so athletic. They’re so versatile; they can do more than one thing. They just can’t blow you off the line; they can move you around and get you out of position. They have a great running back that can find a hole. Their quarterback is the anchor of their team. He’s a hard-working quarterback that just won’t take no for an answer. Their receivers are very talented.”