Could Tennessee follow in the footsteps of the 2019 LSU team? | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger discuss Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama on Saturday, and compare the Volunteers to the 2019 LSU team that Joe Burrow led to a national championship.
Video Transcript
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DAN WETZEL: Could not be more impressed with Hendon Hooker. Could not be more impressed with Josh Heupel. Could not be more impressed with the whole Tennessee team. And this is why. And this is why I thought Alabama would win. And at different-- not only win, but cover.
And at different times, they were gonna win and cover. But every time Alabama did their Alabama thing and stomped-- about to stomp on the heart, the scoop and score being the biggest one, Hooker blows that handoff, and it's a scoop and score. Alabama's gonna win this game. And this is when the other team crumbles.
PAT FORDE: Yup.
DAN WETZEL: They had pressure. It's like that old Mike Tyson line, everyone's got a play till they get punched in the mouth. And that's when Alabama wins the game. And Tennessee said, not today.
Josh Heupel coached like he was-- not a fourth-year head coach, but like he was Nick Saban's equal, 'cause he was. He was his superior on Saturday. No fear. This is a guy who won a national championship as a quarterback, and that-- he doesn't carry himself with that kind of, like, bravado.
ROSS DELLENGER: No.
DAN WETZEL: But it's in there. And he just said, hell, no, we're gonna call these plays. And Hooker said, hell, no, I'm not falling apart. That was the part about this game that was so exciting, I think, for Tennessee fans because it was like, we're standing up.
And even when we start Tennesseeing or whatever you want to call it, or just succumbing to what Alabama is, we said, we're gonna stand up and outdo you. And that, to me, blew me away about this game, beyond all the individual performance and everything. They called-- they scored a 78-yard touchdown after that scoop and score.
That, nine times out of 10 in the last 15 years, that's a pick. They throw a pick. And Alabama scores again, and they end up winning by 24. And you're going, yeah, yeah, but it was really close. Yeah, sure it was.
ROSS DELLENGER: Like the Arkansas game. It would have been like, you know, Arkansas came all the way back. And then a couple of things happened, and that was it. And they fell a-- they kind of fell apart.
Yeah, after the scoop and score, I think everybody in the press box thought, whoop, that's it. And you could kind of see everybody just started writing. Everybody started writing their story. That was it. And you look up, and boom!
They tied the game with a 70-plus-yarder. Heupel is-- you know, I spent a week-- almost a week in Knoxville and spent time with him. And he-- I think, Dan, you described it right. He is super humble, quiet, mild-mannered, just kind of boring. Goes about the business.
Man, every time I looked on the sidelines, that dude was jumping up and down or running toward the end zone. He almost made it to the pylon one time, like, celebrating. He was in it, man. He was in it. And he obviously called the game that way as well.
DAN WETZEL: Brilliant
ROSS DELLENGER: And I think, in the last throw of the game, Hendon Hooker-- I think there was nine seconds left. He was at right around midfield or so, or maybe on the 45. They needed to get about 20 more yards. He stood in the pocket almost like a statue, just stood there.
It was kind of started to collapse, started to collapse, and just stood right in there. Fired a freaking missile. And his receiver took one step up. I think it was Bru McCoy, USC transfer. Took one step up to grab it perfectly.
And it was just-- to me, it was like this-- that's just a Heisman moment, you know? And he had a lot of them there. And that was another one. And the freakin' Jalin Hyatt five touchdowns and--
DAN WETZEL: Oh my god.
PAT FORDE: Look at this guy.
ROSS DELLENGER: --200 yards, it was unbelievable. I mean, Alabama, number 2 for Alabama. I'm missing on his name, but he could not-- I felt bad for him by the end of the game. He just could not stay with Jalin Hyatt.
DAN WETZEL: Alabama, no one who could. Or they would have put him on him.
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah.
PAT FORDE: Well--
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah.
PAT FORDE: --here's my theory. Let me test this out on you guys. You tell me what you think. Second-year transfer quarterback comes in. First year, very good. Second year, takes it up to another level.
You get an offensive wiz calling plays for him. You get this stable of receivers that's unbelievable. And you go say, we're gonna go take down Alabama. Sounds like LSU 2019--
ROSS DELLENGER: I know what you're--
PAT FORDE: --to me.
ROSS DELLENGER: --I was about to say I know what you're getting at. Yeah.
PAT FORDE: I'm not sure any of them are as good. I don't know whether Hendon Hooker is gonna be Joe Burrow. I don't know whether they have a Ja'Marr Chase. But my gosh, between Hiatt--
DAN WETZEL: Didn't look like it.
PAT FORDE: --Bru McCoy, Cedric Tillman, who's first--
ROSS DELLENGER: It's a good comparison. It's a good comparison.
PAT FORDE: --and they may not have a Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
ROSS DELLENGER: I don't think they--
PAT FORDE: But Joe Brady and Josh Heupel could dial it up.
DAN WETZEL: They don't have the talent that LSU had.
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah, they don't have the defensive talent, for sure.
DAN WETZEL: But--
ROSS DELLENGER: But I think it's a good comparison offensively. I do.