What Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said about Ohio State on Tuesday

What defensive coordinator Tim Banks said when he met with reporters on Tuesday to preview No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday night (8 Eastern Time, ABC/ESPN) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus:

What stands out about the Ohio State offense

“I think the skill. They got really good skill. Traditionally, they’ve always had really good wide outs. Schematically, they put you in a lot of situations to try to put stress on the defense. So they got good coaches, good players. They’re an Ohio State team. Some of the things I’ve seen in the past, they’re very similar to that.”

How Michigan’s defense was able to have so much success against Ohio State, how Tennessee can use that film to its advantage

“Yeah, I think it’s just like anything in a rivalry game. Those guys play extremely hard against each other and Michigan did a lot of good things. But for us, we look at those guys, just like I said, a lot of great skill from the running backs and receivers. And obviously, they’ve got a lot of pride up front, how they go about their business. So I just think anytime you play in a rivalry game, anything can happen. And, obviously, Michigan was very fortunate that day.”

What he has learned about Tennessee since getting here, why he’s been able to have the success he’s had with the Vols

“The fanbase, I think it starts there. They’re very passionate about the University of Tennessee and rightfully so. It’s just a lot of truth to this program in terms of what they have done in the past. And we felt like, given the right environment, you can have a chance to be very, very successful. So I think it just starts with the guys we’ve been able to recruit, the guys we’ve been able to keep here in the program and again just the fanbase. We’ve been very fortunate to be able to win a lot of games here. And I think it just starts with the passion the fans have, the way we play at Neyland Stadium because of the energy those guys bring week in and week out has been very exciting to say the least. So I just think this is a very passionate fanbase, a very passionate university that wants to win. And we’re just extremely grateful to be a part of it.”

Tennessee fans buying so many tickets for this game, what it says about the fanbase 

“Yeah, I’m not on the Internet very often, but I would assume it just, again, speaks volumes to who these guys are. They want to support us no matter where we’ve been. We’ve been in a lot of venues and it’s always great to be able to look up there and see that orange and white. So hopefully, this game will be no different. We’ll get those guys in there and they’ll be cheering for us.”

Not having linebacker Jalen Smith in this game, where Edwin Spillman is in terms of being ready to help the Tennessee defense 

“Yeah, we were fortunate enough to get Edwin back in the Vanderbilt game, which is great for us. So we’re excited about him, we really are. He’s definitely going to play a role in this game, and he played a role in the Vandy game. We thought a lot of him when we recruited him, so he hasn’t disappointed. It was obviously tough moves losing him (to injury) for a long time that we did. But we’re excited to have him. So it’ll be good. It’ll definitely be a bigger role for him and can’t wait to watch him play.” 

How much stress Ohio State’s skill players can put on a secondary

“I think it will be a great challenge for our guys. The way they run the ball to set up the play-action pass and things of that nature, we’re going to have do a really good job of obviously helping our guys on the back end. But our DNA is we want to be able to stop the run. So it’s going to be a great challenge. Our guys are eager for that challenge. They worked this whole season to be in these type of venues and have these type of opportunities. So they’ll be very excited for it.”

Where Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter has grown the most this year

“I think losing KP (Keenan Pili) early in the year was devastating for all of us. But I thought the way those guys have stepped up, AC included, from a verbal perspective, being a lot more vocal with what’s going on in terms of our play calling. And I just think the leadership, he’s always kind of had it in him. He was forced into it when we lost KP, but he’s definitely stepped up his game as far as leadership.”

The trust he has been able to build in Tennessee corners Jermod McCoy and Rickie Gibson this season

“Yeah, we have a lot of trust in those guys. Obviously you earn confidence by your play. And those guys have played extremely well all year. So anytime you got good corners, it takes the stress off other positions and allows us to do different things schematically. But we’re going to need everybody. We’ll need the corners. We’ll need, obviously, the front and the linebackers to be successful in this game. Having those guys on those edges is definitely a health sake for us.”

Tennessee rotating so many defensive linemen all season and if he can see that paying off with fresher players up front

“I don’t know if we can say fresh. But it’s definitely great to have that many to be able to rotate those guys as much as we have has been awesome. And we’re going to need them all to be successful this weekend. So I think when you build a defense, you always want to build it from front to back. And obviously on the perimeter, we have been very blessed to have enough depth up front to be able to both take those guys and still keep the standard the standard.” 

Tennessee’s Omari Thomas continuing to lead during such an important week, keeping the focus  

“Big O has been very consistent, particularly these last couple of years in terms of just being a positive role model for those guys. So he’s doing his job. ‘O’ speaks when he needs to speak. But I think everybody can look to him in terms of how he practices every week, week in and week out, no matter the opponent. It’s been big. He has a ton of experience and all these guys look up to him.”

Why this Tennessee defense has been so much better in the red zone than in the past

“I just thinking playing with a lot of confidence. We play a lot of guys up front. I think we’re fresh, particularly in those moments. I think a lot of it has to do with the back end, how high level those guys are playing at. But yeah, we’ve obviously concentrated on it coming into the season. And just like anything, you love to see the fruits of your labor. And those guys work really hard at it. And it’s great to see those guys play well at it.”

If Tennessee players have been able to treat this like a normal week

“Yeah, I mean, our routine is our routine. The more we get ready, our process, so to speak, is our process. So the kids are always excited to play the game, and I think that’s what I love about this team. They just want to play. To put the ball down and have an opportunity. Hopefully we’ll get four opportunities at this thing. It starts with Ohio State this weekend and it’s going to be a great challenge for us. But the way those guys have approached this game has been very consistent to who we’ve been all year.”