Senior, freshman leading Vols' depleted inside linebackers group

Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli is among the Vols who have experience playing against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli is among the Vols who have experience playing against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

KNOXVILLE - With so few bodies and such little experience remaining in Tennessee's inside linebackers room, the Volunteers will need a ton of production from the players still remaining.

Their work ethic is no problem, at least.

Senior Daniel Bituli got home late Monday evening and reached out to the rest of the group through a FaceTime message. What he saw was encouraging.

"They were still at the facility at 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock last night," Bituli said Tuesday. "It felt really good to know that these young guys are working so hard.

"Obviously, we're seeing the results of all that work they're putting in. I'm happy for them."

That work is going to be important as the Vols (1-3, 0-1 SEC) host third-ranked Georgia (4-0, 1-0) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Neyland Stadium. The Bulldogs average 42.8 points, 253 rushing yards and 508.8 total yards per game. D'Andre Swift leads the rushing attack with 388 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Jake Fromm has thrown for 788 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.

photo Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Henry To'o To'o (11) goes to tackle UTC running back Ailym Ford (32) during last Saturday's game at Neyland Stadium.

Georgia averages 8 yards per play.

"They're physical," Bituli said. "They know which gap they want to hit before each and every play. That's just about it. It's football. At the end of the day, the coaches can call up a play, but if we don't go out there and figure out the play ourselves, play hard that specific play, anything can go anybody's way. We've just got to go out there and be physical, have the first swing, and it will start going our way if we do that."

Bituli called freshman starter Henry To'o To'o "a dog" on Tuesday and has been impressed by the work he's put in.

"It means a lot to me because I want to play for the seniors, to be able to have them leave with a happy end," To'o To'o said of the praise by upperclassmen. "I want them to be able to leave here at Tennessee happy with how this season went. We obviously have a lot of work to do, especially me. I have a lot of ways to improve. We'll move forward with that."

photo Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Tennessee linebacker Shanon Reid (21) dives at UTC running back Jeffrey Wood II (6) during a NCAA football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 in Knoxville, Tenn.

To'o To'o is Tennessee's leading tackler for the year with 25 stops. He's the only inside linebacker who has started all four games as Bituli missed the first two due to a lower-body injury. He had been replaced at the time by junior Will Ignont, who played in the first three games and had 16 stops, but after not traveling to the Florida game, Ignont left the program.

He was joined in departing by Shanon Reid, who had 11 tackles (including a game-high seven against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), leaving Tennessee with five inside linebackers. Those include freshman To'o To'o, sophomore Jeremy Banks, redshirt freshman J.J. Peterson and freshman Aaron Beasley, who has played safety, linebacker and running back since arriving on campus earlier this year.

photo Associated Press photo by Wade Payne / UTC running back Ailym Ford is gang-tackled by Tennessee's Henry To'o To'o, bottom, Nigel Warrior, right, Quavaris Crouch (27) and Jeremy Banks (33) on Sept. 14 in Knoxville.

Banks had two interceptions against UTC.

Mainly, though, Bituli - who had two sacks against Florida- and To'o To'o have filled the void. Bituli said Tuesday that To'o To'o never stops asking questions, attempting to glean as much knowledge as possible from the senior who's led the team in tackles for two straight seasons.

"I kind of just want to know everything," To'o To'o said. "I don't walk with a blindfold on, walking around not knowing what to do. I kind of take that approach with everything."

That approach will be needed Saturday night.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.

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