Brandon Johnson and Deandre Johnson, two players that Jeremy Pruitt spoke highly of on Monday after they flashed for Tennessee in the 31-27 win at South Carolina Saturday night, performed the way they did for a reason.

They were able to practice this fall. Everyday. No time missed due to active COVID cases or contact tracing. Right now, thats a rare feat.

Brandon Johnson caught three passes for 73 yards, including a one-handed grab on third-and-2 it was Tennessees only third down conversion of the game for 33 yards to help spark the Vols, who trailed 7-0 at the time following a slow start.

Brandon is a guy that hadnt missed any reps during camp, Pruitt said. He was at every practice.

Deandre Johnson was the SECs Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording 2.5 sacks, six tackles and two tackles for loss.

Hes been here every day, Pruitt added, and it showed.

Moving forward, with No. 21 Tennessee (1-0) set to host Missouri (0-1) on Saturday (Noon Eastern Time; TV: SEC Network) in the home opener at Neyland Stadium, Pruitt is hoping he can say the same about more players.

He said on Monday that his team couldnt work on special teams during the first four practices of camp, due to a shortage in bodies. Tennessee botched its first punt attempt at South Carolina after the snapped rolled back to punter Paxton Brooks.

Pruitt added that the numbers kept climbing as camp continued, with 50 or more players out for 10 of the next 14 practices.

With no spring ball, so its not like theres any carryover, he said. So just being able to get the guys back and hopefully, through the testing in the next couple days, well get good results and well be able to rep guys in the same spots.

If so, it would be some long overdue continuity on the practice field, which could lead to more players standing out on game day.

I think probably creating a routine and the guys understanding this is the position Im going to play, and what goes with that, thats the things we need, Pruitt said. Its not necessarily more periods.

Tennessees climb in COVID-related practice absences coincided with students returning for the fall semester and a spike in numbers on campus. Those numbersfor the Vols started trending in a more positive direction two weeks ago, when Pruitt said at the time it was the most players available for practice since the first week of camp.

Its hard to get good at football if you dont practice, Pruitt said on Monday. Its hard to get chemistry as a team if you dont practice. The last week, with the exception of the guys that didnt travel, and Warren Burrell and Jaylen McCollough, we had most everybody there.

Hopefully we can continue this week and create some momentum, create some chemistry in all three phases of our team. From the first game to the second game lots of times is when you improve the most. We have lots of areas that we need to improve on.

Excerpt from:
With better practice numbers, Vols hoping to build chemistry - 247Sports