Everything From Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop During His Media Availability

Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop was one of the stars in Saturday's win over Syracuse. He talked about his peformance, scoring a touchdown, and how the team performed.

On how it felt to finally get that first touchdown…

“A huge blessing to find the end zone. Even before the touchdown was just a huge blessing to just step out there, you know, got a little emotional before the game started because I kind of dreamed of this moment, just being in the presence of this organization, being in the presence of that moment, and it's like real real-life dream come true. Like I really envisioned that moment that I knew somewhere that all this hard work would get me there, and it was truly a blessing to soak all that in.”

On whether the reality met his expectations....

“Oh, it did. Like, I didn't know what God had in store at the beginning of my journey, especially on my walk of faith, but I had no idea it was going to be like that. So, just trusting in him and like knowing that he came through for me was unremarkable, and I'll cherish that moment forever.”

On the play that led up to the touchdown…

“I know we're in two minute and kind of closer to the game. It's like Syracuse had a little bit of momentum, and we're trying to go down there and score before half and trying to take the ball and see that guy's coming up free. So just me being me, man. That's another big thing I pushed this year just to be me, and it showed right there.” It's not a surprise I made him miss because I mean, I did that all through high school. I did that on my come up through here, you know, just making plays when the play needed to be made.”

On how three man rotation worked in the backfield….

“That was fun to watch. I've been telling people about it, man. You have to watch out. One started off, and there was no drop off at all. I could see that they struggled trying to adapt to that, too. That's going to be a key to our success this year, especially in that room, because we're going to need everybody, you know. One guy can take the load, but it's going to make us all fresh legs in there and attacking the defense. It's really beautiful to watch right now. I cannot wait to see what we do during the season.”

On how the running back room keeps egos out of it…

“Just being a team player because at the end of the day it's the team that comes first, you know and and if you live by that, man, your ego is out the door. That’s what we push, that one success is all of our success at the end of the day, because one can do his thing, but how much can you bring everyone along with you? That goes farther than just doing your job, you know. At first, it's interesting to see how it all works because obviously, you want to be on the field like we all want to be on that field. We know we all want all the carries, but it goes into what's going to better the team. You know, one guy getting 20, 30 carries, he has his stats, and we still may lose, though. You also got guys that maybe each guy got 10, but everybody's contributing in different ways, and that's tough for a defense to scheme against. So, that's a blessing to uh work through that. It's fun to it's fun to participate in that for sure and be a part of that.”

On how exciting it easy to get more opportunities to catch the ball out of the backfield…

“Another blessing, you know. I've always looked forward to catching the ball. I did a little bit in high school, and I was just praying about that time when I get to have the ball in my hands out of the backfield, especially when it's thrown to me. Once again, God came through with that, you know. Hazle and I chatted um a little bit during the offseason about like we're gonna get y'all the ball, and he did. I'm going to make the most of every opportunity to catch the ball, which I did on Saturday.”

On how good it felt to put up 40 points and 400 yards of offense…

“It may sound crazy, but I mean, we still got that chip on our shoulder. It's a good win to open up the season, but man, there's a lot more left to go, and there's a lot more that we could put out there, you know, and honestly feel like we left a lot out there, too. Just never getting complacent with yourself, you know, just continuing to always look for improvement because the great teams get better as the season goes on, you know, and we're going to continue to grow day in and day out in our craft and our in the meeting room, off the field, you know, and we got a lot of stuff that people haven't seen yet. I'm so excited to look forward during the season.”

On what makes him play as a gloves free running back…

“That’s one of the reasons that I'm able to catch the way I am now. Just started playing and practicing without catching without gloves, and just to get that feel of the ball and have that grip I do on the ball. I kind of went up to the game like thinking, "Dang, should I wear gloves now? But, you know,  why switch it up now? If it's not broke, don't fix it. So, that's kind of my mindset. You know, I'm just going in there like I'm not here to look the best, to dress the best, you know. I'm just here for straight business, and I feel like that's what that represents out there and show that I'm here to here to get the job done.”

On what he watches when Star Thomas and Peyton Lewis are in the game….

“Just how they're playing them, we're all have different skill levels that we're good at and just seeing how the defense reacts to them in the game, and I say that's really about it. Just seeing how they take that approach, how the defense is giving them, and maybe ask them, like what are you seeing out there, because they may see something I don't, and that's how we all work together and get the job done.”

On Joey Aguilar’s first start with the Vols…

“I say Joey is everything I expected. I mean, a man of faith, man. I mean, shoot.  I kind of feel like I had the intel on him, you know. I felt something really good with him once we got him out of the portal, and he lived up to it.  Like, he was not flustered at all. It was a blessing watching him out there play, especially being next to him, you know. I got to take the first snap with him, and just as our relationship has grown on and off the field has been has been a blessing as well. I cannot wait to see what he does down the road because he's going to shock a lot of people.”