Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks talks Clemson prep after Tuesday's bowl practice

What Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said following another bowl practice on Tuesday:

Tennessee defending Clemson QB Cade Klubnik

“Like most of their team he’s really talented. He has a strong arm, strong release. He’s played some reps, obviously not the lion’s share, the other kid did outside of the North Carolina game. He’s an athlete. We went back and watched his high school film, tremendous athlete with a strong arm. He’s talented. I can see why he’s there. I can see why those guys are so high on him. We’re going to have our hands full, but we’ve obviously played a ton of talented quarterbacks within this league. He’s just the next guy up.”

The differences between Cade Klubnik and DJ Uiagalelei

“I will tell you from that perspective the sample size is small. When he was in there, whether it was the North Carolina game or some of the other games he got in late, very similar, particularly in the throw game, what they ask him to do. He’s connected on a bunch of deep balls, and like I said, they’ll run him. You just don’t know. But I think he’s capable of doing the same things that the other kid did. It’s just a matter of whether they decide to use him that way.”

Tennessee facing Clemson running back Will Shipley

“Listen, I think he’s a really good player. He’s obviously young, everyone that we’ve talked to that has faced those guys they say he’s better than advertised. He’s tough to tackle. He has good vision, good balance and body control. And you see it, he’s broken off a bunch of big runs against about everybody he’s played. He’s definitely got our attention. We understand that for us to be successful we’ll have to do a really good job trying to contain him.”

Will Shipley catching passes out of the backfield

“He’s got really good hands, he’s a good athlete. Sometimes with running backs, particularly the young guys, they’re kind of a one trick pony. They can run the ball, but aren’t very good in protection or not very good on the perimeter when they’re asked to catch the ball. He does both extremely well. He’s shown that he’s a tough guy that will block you on some pressures and he’s obviously shown the ability to catch the ball on the perimeter and make guys miss. He’s definitely a really good athlete and you realize why he’s there.”

What Tennessee did well during the regular season as a defense and where they can improve

It’s hard to say exactly what it is. We kind of live from game to game. We obviously finished on a high note, probably played some of the best football we played in the last game. We understand there’s always work to be done. I’m proud of the guys, just the way they competed, with all the moving parts we had on the back end, the way those guys constantly came in with a next man up mentality. Hopefully we can finish this season on a good note. There’s definitely some work to be done, but we’ll address that at the end of the season.

Tennessee’s young players on defense, progress made by Kalib Perry and Elijah Herring

“I think those guys have come miles, really. One of the things we’re very conscious of is trying to get guys opportunities, particularly on special teams. Both of those guys, I think if you talk to Coach Ekeler, would say those guys are part of our core on special teams and did a tremendous job which breeds confidence. I think they’re close. I really do. If you asked me this six or seven weeks ago I would not have been able to say that. I like the direction they’re headed in. Both are tremendous athletes. Both guys want to be great and they’re working at a pace that’s going to put them in line to contribute and contribute at a high level.”

How much bowl practices can change things for a player’s evaluation

“I think every opportunity is evaluated and every opportunity is a chance to get better. Obviously having a chance to go through bowl prep gives you a chance to invest and build some of that compound interest. I don’t know necessarily that it can change our minds, but it can reinforce that this kid is headed in the right direction based on the number of snaps he’s gotten and how much better he’s gotten. Football is no different than life, the more you do some things the better you get at them or the worse you get at it. If you practice the right way and you do things the right way you’ll typically like the results. We have a lot of young guys on our defense that are really working hard and putting themselves in a position to be able to contribute. I think that’s a good thing to be happy about for the University of Tennessee.

If Tennessee feels healthy defensively 

“I think as healthy as you can be at this time of the year. We’ve really been conscious to try, at some positions, to play as many guys as we can, particularly up front. I think that’s boded well for us. We’ve been able for the most part to get those guys through. On the back end just kind of out of necessity, because of what transpired during the course of the year, we’ve played a ton of guys. I think guys are starting to get a little bit healthier. I think if you poll the country this is a tough sport played by tough people and you have to find a way to fight through it to give yourself a chance to finish the season and we’re no different.”

Up Next: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson, Orange Bowl, December 30, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

If Jeremy Banks is considered the leader of the Tenenssee defense

“Jeremy’s obviously a talented player but I don’t think I could stand here and say one guy is the difference between winning and losing. I will tell you he’s obviously done a lot of good things for this university in terms of his play on the field. We love it when he’s out there, but as I’ve said since the beginning it’s a ‘next man up’ mentality and the standard is the standard. We expect to be successful regardless of who is in the game.”

What he’s seen from Tennessee freshman safety Jourdan Thomas

“Jourdan is a kid who is very focused and driven. He’s a guy that understands how important practice is and you see it in his play. He had a tremendous season in terms of his play on special teams. That just breeds confidence. Is he exactly ready to go right this second? No, but I love where he is. I love the direction he’s headed. I think he’ll be a guy you guys will be happy to see this time next year based on his body of work to this point.”

If he likes having five weeks between games

“Ask me that after the game, that’s probably the better answer. You just want to play football when you can. I’ve played a ton of bowl games and obviously the right time is when you win it. We obviously are working our tails off to put ourselves in the best position to win it. Having a time to heal sometimes is a plus. For us, I would say for this season and this particular team I’m glad we got a chance to try to heal up some guys, give some guys a chance to get fresh and give us an opportunity to get ready for a really talented Clemson team.”