Vols can't overlook Western Carolina

KNOXVILLE — Butch Jones would like to remind you that there are no guaranteed wins in college football.

"Winning is fragile," Jones said this week. "Winning is hard to do in college football."

But on the heels of one of the Tennessee program's most devastating losses in recent memory, Saturday's game against Western Carolina (6 p.m. Central, ESPNU) should be about as close to a guarantee as games come. The matchup comes sandwiched between Tennessee's double-overtime loss to Oklahoma and its Sept. 26 conference opener at Florida.

The Catamounts (1-1), members of the Football Championship Subdivision, are coming off a 28-10 loss to The Citadel in their Southern Conference opener. The Vols' matchup with an FCS team comes a week after FCS Jacksonville State took Auburn into overtime before eventually losing.

Jones said his team is aware that FCS teams are capable of competing even in difficult road environments, like Jacksonville State did.

"We have not spoken about that (Auburn game)," Jones said. "Our players know. Everyone has Twitter and Instagram. Everyone watches all the news feeds. They know what is out there."

TV listings: Saturday's college football games

Vols vow to rebound from heartbreaker

The Auburn game against Jacksonville State isn't the only game that has been out of the Vols' focus this week, according to receiver Josh Malone, a Gallatin native. The Oklahoma loss also is in the past, he said.

"We just came out focusing on getting better and preparing ourselves for the game coming up this weekend," Malone said. "We already put what happened last weekend behind us and are focusing on getting better every week."

5 keys for Vols vs. Western Carolina

Tennessee will have to contend with Western Carolina quarterback Troy Mitchell, a dual threat who is the program's all-time leader in total offense. Against a defense that has looked susceptible to the pass this season, Mitchell could find holes.

The Vols probably will seek opportunities to remove their typical starters from the game to rest them for next weekend's showdown with Florida. Backup quarterback Quinten Dormady could see live game action for the second time in three games. He threw only one pass, which was dropped, in the season opener.

"It's always preparing your number two quarterback to be the starter," Jones said. "He is one play away, and the number three is two plays away. That's not coach-speak. That's real."

Reach Matt Slovin at mslovin@tennessean.com and on Twitter @MattSlovin.

NEXT GAME

WESTERN CAROLINA at TENNESSEE

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Neyland Stadium

TV/radio: ESPNU/104.5-FM