KNOXVILLE - What a difference one week - and, more specifically, one win - can make.
Tennessee's Volunteers are enjoying their game-free Saturday today much more than they would be had they not turned a 21-point deficit into a 38-31 win against Georgia.
The victory stemmed the negativity and frustration that had increased both inside and outside the program after Tennessee coughed up double-digit leads in losses to Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas that were marred by missed opportunities and questionable coaching decisions.
The Vols went into its midseason open date with some positive momentum and can carry some confidence from beating the Bulldogs into the second half of the season.
"It was a big win at home and the fashion we did it in was huge," quarterback Josh Dobbs said this week. "It was a great momentum win. All wins are big wins, really. We talk about that every week, that every week is a season on its own and we have to attack each week like that."
The win perhaps was most needed by Butch Jones, the third-year coach who had come under fire for Tennessee's 2-3 start. It had been a tough few weeks for the coach, his assistants and his players dealing with distractions and negativity. Some of it was warranted given how Tennessee lost those games.
Asked about the scrutiny that comes with coaching at a program such as Tennessee in a league such as the SEC, Jones said it's usually tougher for his family than it is for him, and he acknowledged that public criticism and his family having to deal with it "comes with the territory." His wife, Barb, is very involved in the community, and he has three sons: a freshman at Tennessee, a freshman in high school and a 9-year-old.
Earlier in the week Jones insisted it was "business as usual" for him and his coaching staff in the aftermath of his second win against a ranked opponent in 14 tries.
"Obviously there's no substitute for winning," he said. "There's no substitute for positivity. Our players gained a lot of confidence. They had a lot of energy (Monday). I thought they were excited to come to meetings. I liked their approach.
"But for us, it goes back to business as usual and preparing and just going through that checklist from a coaching standpoint and a team standpoint. This week is very big, but I think any time you win, it makes preparation that much better, because that's what you work for. I would say the whole temperament (has improved), yes, but it's always business as usual."
The week off gave Tennessee the chance to focus on development and improvement for some players and rest for others, particularly key players such as Derek Barnett, Jalen Hurd and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
For the coaching staff, the open date is about self-scouting and recruiting.
Jones said he and his staff would evaluate all aspects of each phase and position group on the team looking for tendencies, areas that need improvement and potential changes. He said the defense needs to improve its tackling and force more turnovers, the special teams have to address allowing a punt-return touchdown against Georgia and the offense must improve on third down and in the red zone.
"It starts with myself. It starts with us as a coaching staff," Jones said. "It's everyone taking accountability for their own self-determination and working to be better in all that we do. As a coach, you always evaluate yourself after every single game, and that's how you learn.
"There's always things you can do better, and we have to continue to get better, first and foremost myself, our coaching staff and then continue to progress with every individual player on our team and collectively with nine positions and three units."
Of course, that's easier when you have some success.
"Obviously it's always great to win," safety Brian Randolph said. "It's easier to sleep at night. There's a different atmosphere around the facility and around class and everywhere you go."
Now the Vols go into the second half of the season, where a strong finish could add more value to last week's triumph.
"It's definitely," cornerback Cameron Sutton said, "a big confidence-builder moving forward."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com