Butch Jones was happy that Tennessee held off South Carolina in a wild 27-24 win Saturday night in Neyland Stadium.

Moments after the game, though, Jones wasn’t happy with any perception about the performance of his players —Â or anything else in his program —Â that wasn’t “positive.”

The first question in Jones’ press conference —Â “Butch, what did (South Carolina) do to you guys offensively after the first two drives to get you guys off rhythm?” —Â didn’t seem to sit well with the coach.

“Just, they started a lot of moment up front, you know, bringing the nickel a lot, and just being able to block movement,” Jones said. “We were limited in some of the quarterback-run packages, but, you know, I’m never gonna apologize for winning. You know, this is a hard-fought game, and we were playing a good football team. And I give South Carolina all the credit in the world. They’re on scholarship. They’re gonna have success.

“We’re still building. I’m proud of our players. I’m proud of our program. We need to start being positive around here, because we’ve got kids that are giving it their all every single day.

“I’m not picking on you. I’ve just been waiting for … everything. These kids are giving everything that they have. We’ve got kids battling that I don’t talk about with injuries that are giving everything that they have. Our offensive line was gritty today. They kept going down and down and down, and they want to go back in, and it’s my job to protect these young men, to protect our program.

“We’re building something special here, and I think we all need to realize that. And I love y’all. I love Tennessee. I want positivity, because recruits want to be here. Everybody wants to be here, and we’re gonna build something special.

“So … yes, you can ask something that may (bother me). Come on, let’s go.”

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