Let it be known that if Tennessee loses to Georgia Tech on Monday, it will be because of an early disadvantage, at least according to head coach Butch Jones.
During an appearance on Nashville's WGFX-FM, 104.5 The Zone on Thursday, Jones claimed that the Yellow Jackets, who are based out of Atlanta, have an early edge on the Vols because they were able to practice "with full pads" at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of Monday's game, earlier this week.
Tennessee, on the other hand, will hold a walk-through at the stadium on Sunday, one day prior to kickoff.
"We will go on Sunday and we'll do a walk-through, and we'll catch punts and we'll catch kickoffs," Jones said during his weekly appearance on 104.5 The Zone's "3HL."
"They already have an advantage on us because we were told that they were inside the dome practicing with full pads for a two-hour practice (Tuesday). They got a phone call. We'll have to make the most of our walk-through on Sunday when we get there, and I know our players are looking forward to it."
Although this quote may be surprising to anyone outside of the Tennessee fanbase or SEC realm, it's something that is expected out of Jones at this point.
The coach has received a growing amount of criticism from Vol fans for making excuses after losses, which will likely be the case if the team opens its season with at 0-1.
Tennessee will face Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. EST on Monday in Atlanta.
