Josh Heupel previews Vols’ Week 1 contest versus Ball State
Tennessee will kick off its 2022 season Thursday against Ball State at Neyland Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup. Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic are on the call.
Breaking down Tennessee’s offensive depth chart versus Ball State
Breaking down Tennessee’s defensive depth chart versus Ball State
Breaking down Tennessee’s special teams depth chart versus Ball State
Ahead of Thursday’s season-opening contest, second-year head coach Josh Heupel met with media and discussed Tennessee preparing for Ball State. Below is a transcript of Heupel’s media availability provided by the University of Tennessee.
Opening statement
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“Awesome that it’s game week man, let’s go play ball. Excited to get into Neyland Stadium. Obviously, a long training camp here with our players. We’re at the point where it is time to go play and find out where we’re at. We are in the middle of our preparation right now. Today was a Wednesday (practice week wise). Energy, focus (were) good. Things we still got to clean up here before we get to kickoff, but excited to go compete with these guys on Thursday night. Really excited to see Vol Nation out. Our student body, there has been a huge amount of ticket requests by them. Excited to feel their energy inside of Neyland Stadium (and) the Vol Walk. I know our guys are extremely excited about that, too. You look back at the process all the way since Jan. 24 – I think that is when we got here – and a ton of work has gone into it. Excited to go play and compete with these guys and our fans that are in the stands, as well. Thursday night ballgame, one benefit for us as a staff is we have the opportunity to go recruit on the backend of it. At lot of our staff will be out on Friday and have the chance to go watch some high school kids play football in the state and across our region, (so) excited about that as well.”
On feeling ready for the season opener
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“I think as a coach you’re always, ‘man we’ve got to go play’. At the same time, you always want more time to continue the preparation. You’ve got a checklist: offense, defense, special teams, special situations/circumstances that you try to put your kids in. We’ve run the gamut on that. We’ve gotten into our normal down, situational preparation for this football game. There’s still a lot of things here in the next 72 hours that we get a chance to clean up. At the end of the day, you get to this point through the course of training camp, it it’s time to go play ball.”
On his thoughts on Ball State
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“Week one, just in general, you’re never sure exactly what you’re going to get. Some of that can be personnel based. They have guys that graduate, new guys come in, where are they going to place them? Schematically, things tend to change in week one. Everyone went through a self-scout process from the previous year, they made changes to what they’re doing. Things really big in week one that your players have an understanding in what you anticipate to see, but they have the tools in their tool bag to adjust to what they’re actually seeing. Staff and everybody being able to adjust and subtlety tweak and change things as the game unfolds.”
On his comfort level for himself compared to last year
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“You can see it as we transition from how we practice during training camp to the season. Just the comfort with our players and what we’re doing. That’s true for our coaches, too. We’re in sync. The ability to communicate. Our players have a clear vision of what’s going to happen here up until kickoff. The standards that we have. Year two should be a lot different than year one. It has been. I don’t think you’re ever where you want to be as a coach because you’re always trying to find ways to be better. At the same time, have a pretty good idea of the guys that are running out of that tunnel. Who they are, what they’re about, how they’re going to play and compete, how they’re going to handle positive plays, negative plays. Now it’s about us continuing our preparation and be ready to go kick off.”
On growth in preparing for a football game
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“A year ago, early in the season – the last 48 hours in particular – in the early parts of the week I didn’t think we kept what should be important, important all the time. Got sidetracked by things that have nothing to do with us as individuals and collectively as a football team going out and playing our best. I do believe we’re a more mature football team. I’m saying that because of how they’ve handled everything since we’ve gotten back in January. The issues from day-to-day are so different than they were a year ago because our players are different. True to the characteristics of accountability, trust and respect and competing extremely hard. I do anticipate us handling the last 48 hours the right way as we head into Thursday night. Inevitably, you always have new players inside of your program. Year two for me, I’ve been able to be clear in my message to them about my expectation on the front end of it. They have older guys that they can see and are role models for them as well. I believe that we’ll handle it in a lot better way.”
On what his emotions will be like going into the Vol Walk and running through the T on Thursday
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“A year ago, I had no idea. I talked about the experience of it. To be honest, I had heard so much about it, I had thought it would be really hard for it to live up to that. Vol Walk, in particular. It superseded my expectations. I’m excited to get off the bus with these guys and go down the Vol Walk, enter gate 21 and then get ready to go compete. It will be a great atmosphere, electric. Since our students have come back you can feel the energy and the buzz around here, in particular too. Our guys, you think all the way back to January. That’s a long process. I’m excited to run out with these guys and go play.”
