Josh Heupel: ‘Great opportunity to celebrate Title IX, Pat Summitt’s legacy’ versus UT Martin
Tennessee debuted Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin, former Lady Vols’ women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt’s alma mater.
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, University of Tennessee athletics updated its brand standards and renamed the blue accent color historically associated with the Lady Vols to Summitt Blue.
“Great football game, great opportunity to celebrate homecoming,” second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the game. “We welcomed back so many former students and a ton of VFLs for us, as well.
“At the same time, we had a great opportunity to celebrate the history of Title IX, and as much as anything, Coach Pat Summitt’s legacy here at the University of Tennessee and everything she did for Tennessee and women’s athletics in general.”
PHOTOS: Tennessee football debuts Summitt Blue
Heupel’s additional recap of the Vols’ win versus UT Martin is listed below from a transcript provided by the University of Tennessee.
On Princeton Fant’s overall game and how the offseason contributed to that
“Yeah, just a skillset that he has uniquely had and a skillset we have worked on. Off season, you are more comfortable with your personnel. He did a really good job today.”
On how Tennessee had emotions during the game
“I said it late in the week that I thought our guys were prepared in the right way. The urgency of understanding that you have to be a consistent competitor emotionally. There might be a difference from week to week with the energy inside the stadium, but your competitive nature can’t change. I thought our ones that did a really nice job in all three phases of the game. We were close on a couple punt returns to actually breaking them. Offensively, for the most part, we were consistent. I did not think our young guys performed the way I thought they were capable of. We talked a lot about everyone inside our program taking a step forward. It is not that they did not prepare the right way, it is just different being out there and just because the guy in front of you makes a play does not mean that you will. So, great opportunity for them to see themselves on film and learn from it and get better. We are going to need those guys as we go through this back half of this journey.”
On walk-on William Wright and his interception
“He is just one of our players. It is awesome for him that he paid the price and went through adversary, getting injured, and has come back. He invested the right way while he was injured. It was a great lesson for everyone inside our program. He has competed the right way and then got this opportunity and did a lot of great things today. Obviously, that pick early in the football game was a momentum turner.”
On Hendon Hooker breaking Heath Shuler’s program record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass
“I saw Heath before the game. If I had known he (Hendon Hooker) was going for the record, I would have given him some grief before the football game. Hendon’s consistency and growth from the time that he’s gotten here— and you guys have seen that from the time he’s been able to be the starting quarterback—is a great lesson for everyone to continue to invest. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. He’s playing at an elite level right now. It’s exciting that he’s playing that way, but how he handles himself and the maturity that he has is important for our football team.”
On the performances of William Wright and De’Shawn Rucker, along with the injury of Brandon Turnage
“Obviously we got thinner, and we were thin going into the game. It just felt like a week of rest would help them and benefit them in the back half. Brandon is going to be fine. We just felt like it was the right decision medically to hold him out from that point of the injury. He should be ready to roll, but it’s next guy up. The next guy took advantage of the opportunity and played really well. We have to continue to develop on the back end. We can be better. Today a lot of that was, after the first drive, with our young guys. We need to be better.”
On Dee Williams settling in on defense
“He’s a guy that hasn’t had a ton of opportunities; injured most of training camp, and then the early part of the season, he obviously missed a bunch of time. For him, it’s just continuing to play and get more comfortable and be better in fundamentals, technique, eye discipline and then let his athleticism take over from there.”
On Jalin Hyatt’s performance in Cedric Tillman’s absence
“We thought that he would perform at a really high level—I said that and we thought that at the beginning of the season. Obviously, last week was a massive week, and the last two or three weeks have been huge for him. He continues to play really good football, and he’s been great in everything that we’re asking him to do. What I’d say about him nearing the school record in touchdowns? I don’t even know what the number is. I don’t think you ever think about those things, you just think about the player them self. He’s had good opportunities, but he’s been prepared to take advantage of those opportunities and is playing at a really high level.”
On having a dangerous punt returner like Dee Williams
“It’s huge, because it changes the way the game is played. It changes field position. You end up in four-down territory and it changes the momentum within the game. Dee has done a really good job of tracking and catching the football and being a really good decision-maker back there. He’s been electric when the ball is in his hands and has a natural feel for space, leverage and how to setup blocks. The other guys on that unit have stepped up their game too. I like the way the 10 other guys are performing: their ability to fit in, play with a great technique, do a great job and lock in.”
On what needs to be cleaned up before the Kentucky game next weekend
“There are a lot of things like fundamentals, techniques, discipline and so many things in all three phases of the game. It’s a constant evolution. Good teams get better throughout the course of the season, so we have to continue to get better.”
On Squirrel White’s performance
“I thought Squirrel did a great job. Obviously, the middle of the field and the slot position had a huge day with Jalin (Hyatt’s) seven receptions and Squirrel with five. I thought Squirrel, from the jump, did a really nice job. He read coverage the right way and made competitive plays. On the deep ball, he came back to it, went up and high- pointed it. He continues to get better in what we’re doing.”
On Princeton Fant’s expanded role in the offense
“Us understanding that he came in at that position (fullback), and then we saw him do it on air in one day. His physical skillset led you to believe that he could do that, but then seeing him actually take a mesh handoff and be able to read things, it was pretty quickly.”
On the slot position consistently producing
“Structures change, leverages change and how you want to attack them changes based on how they are loading the box or whatever it might be. It is important that you have someone that can operate and function in the middle of the field and apply pressure to the defense, and those two guys played really well today. Obviously, Jalin has played at a really high level all year long, and certainly the last month of the season. He has done a phenomenal job. It is important that you have balance. They cannot just key in on one guy. If it is just one guy in your offense, they are going to find a way to bracket, to roll coverage and try to eliminate him from the game.”
On Joe Milton and Tayven Jackson’s performances at quarterback
“There were some really good things and some things that, as they watch the tape, they can function at a higher level. Really small things add up to the big things at that position. All in all, we’re pleased with a lot of it, but there are some things that we definitely can get better at.”
On when he realized Princeton Fant could throw the deep ball
“I knew that certainly in the summer, but even last year. He has the ability to throw it. It was a special throw, actually. They were bringing pressure. The ability to get it out of his hands quickly and throw an accurate ball to Jalin down the football field was a big play.”
On instant replay
“At the end of the day, don’t we all want to get as much right as we possibly can? Let the players on the field decide. So, I think it is an important part of the game.”
