Josh Heupel previews Tennessee-Georgia game
No. 3 Tennessee (8-0, 4-0 SEC) will play at No. 1 Georgia (8-0, 5-0 SEC) Saturday in Week 10.
Kickoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT. CBS will televise the SEC East matchup.
Second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with media Monday and previewed the Week 10 matchup at Georgia.
“Obviously looking forward to this week, playing a great opponent,” Heupel said of Georgia. “They have great personnel in all three phases of the game and are well-coached. Huge test for us, and looking forward to the week.”
Heupel’s additional game week preview is listed below from a transcript provided by the University of Tennessee.
On the importance of confidence going into the game
“You can win a game with confidence because you have paid the price, you have worked, you have prepared to go out and play the right way. Both teams I am sure are confident and should be. For us this week, preparation is going to be key. They are really good. You have to understand their schemes, that is important. The personnel, the battles within the battle, are going to be really important. The line of scrimmage is going to be important. It is a physical game out on the perimeter too, so on both sides of the ball, you have to match that.”
On convincing the team that they are capable of winning every week
“I haven’t convinced them. They have convinced themselves. We talked about a team of hope, a team of belief. We were on that spectrum a year ago. Because of our work habits—not just during training camp or during the season—but the work habits since we get back last January, there is an expectation within our locker room. You pair that with good leadership inside of the locker room, staff and players that are connected, that compete hard every single day, you put yourself in a position to go play good football and try to fight and find a way to be on the plus side of the scoreboard when you walk off the field.”
On generating big plays in the passing game at UT and during his time at UCF
“We did it at a previous stop (Missouri) when we were inside of this league before that too. It takes all of those pieces. The scheme is putting your players in a position to be successful. I think we always ask the question, what can our players do? Individually, what can they do at a really high level? And let’s put them in a position to do that. Then, your players have to be able to go out and perform and execute. That’s understanding your job, it’s off-season training. It’s understanding defenses on the offensive side of the ball for us. Then, you put your quarterback in a position to be accurate with the football.”
On graduated players having extra time around the facility
“Those guys are still in class loads. It’s not like they are not. They are handling the academic side of it. You get into a master’s program, you take fewer hours. The master’s program is more difficult too in some respects. I think the maturity of all of those guys has helped, just in the balancing act of what it is to be a college student-athlete, from academics to social life to the football side of it. The maturity of those guys knowing how to handle the ups and downs, how to compete every single day, how to be consistent in your behaviors, your energy, and your focus, absolutely. You have heard me say it a bunch, good football teams have really good leadership, and great football teams have great leadership inside the locker room.”
On Georgia's tight ends and the challenge they present
“Obviously, those guys are hugely involved in everything that they are doing. They do a good job in the run game, but then the play-action pass, the boots, the movements, the shots, using them on reverses, all of those things. Eye discipline is extremely important inside of your defense—first, second and third levels. It is a huge test for us. Their athleticism creates a lot of explosive (plays) for them.”
On Georgia's defensive performance in last season's matchup
“Their personnel is really good, and they are this year too. There are some things that we did too. In games like this, situational football, third downs, fourth downs are going to be critical in the way the game ultimately ends up playing out throughout the course of the game. We have to do a better job in a lot of those situations, offensively and defensively.”
On Darnell Wright's success this season
“It is the purpose he has had inside the building. Another year of maturity for him, just in football understanding, but also just who he is and how he approaches the practice field or approaches the weight room. He has been very intentional and has gained another year of strength, so his power, his athleticism shows up in a different way than it did a year ago—and it was a really good year a year ago too. You put all those pieces together, and it lends itself to him playing at the level that he is.”
On Glen Elarbee's influence on the offensive line
“Glen is a huge part of what we do offensively. He is smart, has a great mind and is a fantastic teacher. Inside of the meeting room, his ability to help all of those guys grow in their football IQ, in their football understanding, understanding our schemes, and then fundamentally develop is why that group has been consistently recognized within our conference for individual play, but collectively as a group too. If you are going to be good on offense, you have got to be good up front. For us, the run game is where it starts. Glen’s ability to connect and get that group to become one. The offensive line unit is a really unique unit. You have to have guys that are selfless, that typically don’t get a ton of praise, but they also have to operate five guys as one. Their ability to be connected, be a group that loves being around each other, that loves being in that room, speaks to Coach Elarbee’s ability to create a real cohesive unit.”
On the offense's ability to adjust to different defensive schemes
“That’s always going to happen. Sometimes, with what we do, it happens more frequently. It starts with Coach (Alex) Golesh’s ability to see things up top. Our staff, just having been in this together for as long as we have. Coach (Glen) Elarbee and I are on our third stop together. I think this is year seven. Coach (Joey) Halzle and I have been together for over a decade. He played for me. Coach (Kelsey) Pope being in year two and Coach (Jerry) Mack being in year two, all lends itself to us thinking the same way, being slightly different, bringing in new ideas, but also on gameday, being able to adjust to what we’re seeing.”
On what stands out about Georgia's defense on film
“They’re athletic. They can run on all three levels. They’re physical on all three levels. They don’t have any busts. They play their assignments extremely well. They make you earn it. It’s a great test for us. You’re going to have to win one-on-ones. That’s out on the perimeter. That’s on the offensive line in the trenches. You have to be able to sustain drives.”
On matching up with Georgia tight end Brock Bowers
“That matchup changes because of where they position him. They do a great job of moving him around. You have to identify him in all of the different formations that you’re going to get from them. You have to have great eye discipline from them too, because of the play action pass and their ability to uniquely get those guys—him in particular—into situations where they create grass for him. You have to be able to handle the run game too. All of those things play off of that. The line of scrimmage will be vitally important in this, but you have to know where he’s at all night long.”
On the secondary's improvement this season
“You’ve heard me say it: good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the year. That happens as a unit, but that happens because individuals take steps. We continue to get better. We have great coaches back there. Coach (Tim) Banks and Coach (Willie) Martinez do a great job in the classroom with those guys. We’ll continue to grow. Last week, we were healthier than we were the week before. I feel like this week will be the healthiest that we’ve been in a while.”
On Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter and the impact he can have
“He’s athletic and disruptive. He’s great on third downs rushing the passer. He’s explosive, dynamic and changes the way the game is played. If you watch the video when he’s healthy, that’s on normal downs too. With the versatility from him, he can be a problem.”
On how Hendon Hooker fits the system and when the coaching staff saw that
“I think Hendon’s development since we got here is a great story too. As a leader, especially this offseason, just being comfortable and confident in his own skin. But, from the first day we got here or the first day of spring ball to who he is now, just fundamentally completely changed in who he is. Platform in the pocket, the ability to subtly move in the pocket, find the soft spot, keep his eyes down the field, be in a good position, deliver the football. His motion has become way more consistent, which has allowed his accuracy to improve. But then you pair that with his football IQ, understanding of what we’re doing and then understanding defenses at a completely different level than when we first got here, has allowed him to be extremely decisive and his eyes are in the right place, that takes him to his reading progression. Now you pair that with his fundamentals taking another jump in his game, and he’s become a guy that’s operating as highly and as effectively as anybody in the country.”
On preparing the offense for a hostile crowd
“For sure. Great environments, that’s why you come coach and play in this league. You want to be in big time games, and there’s something unique about being on the road and facing that type of environment too. It’s fun and exciting. So, we’ll practice with crowd noise like we do. When we’re at home, we practice it as well, we just do it with the defense because they have to learn to communicate through it. So, we’ll try to prepare for that and be ready to handle it. We obviously know that it’ll be a great environment.”
On Cedric Tillman's return and his assessment
“I think you can see what it meant to him to be back on the field with his teammates. After his first or second catch, you could see the emotion come out. I thought he played extremely well, just watching him run out there. He was fluid, natural, playing at full speed, really liked what he did. Obviously, we had a plan to practice him for a couple weeks full speed before he got on the field. Kind of had a pitch count on him this past week. He’ll be ready to roll this week.”
On Stetson Bennett and his growth from last season
“Confidence, from just the first time that he got on the field to who he is now. Complete confidence, command in what they are doing offensively. He has great playmakers around him, does a great job of distributing the ball. I think he’s undervalued in some respects with his feet. He’s explosive, he’s twitchy. When it’s not right in the pocket, he extends plays. That can be him throwing on scrambles, but also him tucking the ball and making plays. He made a couple against us last year that changed the game. You have to do a great job of bottling him up.”
