Josh Heupel says Joe Milton, Tennessee passing 'not that far off' with Alabama football next

If Tennessee football's passing game is in disarray ahead of the Alabama game, coach Josh Heupel is hiding it well.

On Monday, Heupel acknowledged how bad the Vols air attack was in the 20-13 win over Texas A&M. But he minimized the long-term effects and assured everyone that the problems are fixable.

“It wasn’t pretty on Saturday. I’ll be the first to admit that,” Heupel said. “But it’s not that far off either. We’ve got to do ordinary things at a really high level.”

It looked way off from where UT wants to be.

Quarterback Joe Milton passed for only 100 yards. That’s the lowest output for a Heupel-coached offense since he was coordinator at Missouri in 2016, when Drew Lock passed for 98 yards with two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a 40-14 loss to Florida.

This time Heupel gets some slack because UT still won the game over Texas A&M, thanks to a punishing ground attack, a stingy defense and Dee Williams’ punt return for a touchdown.

But UT can’t beat Alabama with 100 yards passing, right?

That question will follow the No. 15 Vols (5-1, 2-1 SEC) to No. 8 Alabama (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) for their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.

VOLS MAILBAG If Tennessee doesn't bench QB Joe Milton for Nico Iamaleava now, then when?

'A little bit off target'

Heupel shrugged off concerns that the passing game is beyond repair in its current form. The Vols rank No. 89 nationally in passing offense at 212.5 yards per game. Milton is 11th in passer rating among 14 SEC quarterbacks. And UT's receivers played their worst game of Heupel's three-year tenure against Texas A&M.

“Each Saturday essentially is a new season,” Heupel said. “… We do have great belief in our guys and where we can get to.”

Milton completed 11 of 22 passes. He overthrew short and deep passes and tossed an interception into obvious double coverage in the end zone.

Heupel minimized Milton's problems.

“There’s a few things fundamentally that Joe did that caused a couple of passes to be a little bit off target,” Heupel said. “Joe has been really mature in how he has prepared. We’ve got to be a little bit better in the pass game. That’s him, that’s the wideouts, that’s everybody.”

These receivers 'absolutely' can make explosive plays

As for those wideouts, Ramel Keyton dropped a surefire TD pass and finished with no catches. Squirrel White was a nonfactor and had UT’s longest reception at just 17 yards. The only pass that went to Dont’e Thornton bounced off his chest and fortunately was caught by tight end McCallan Castles.

Wide receivers struggled to get separation from defensive backs, and they combined for only 17 yards after the catch. It was UT’s first game without veteran receiver Bru McCoy, which heightens concerns.

But again, Heupel downplayed the damage, saying UT “absolutely” has the right players for an explosive passing game.

“There’s a couple of catches that we’ve got to make,” Heupel said. “… We’ve had guys open, and we haven’t hit them. Communication has been off at times. We’ve just got to be a little bit better.”

How far UT passing attack dropped from 2022

A lack of big plays is the biggest concern of the UT passing attack.

The Vols have just 11 pass plays of 20 yards or more in six games. Only five teams in the nation have fewer this season.

That’s especially startling considering UT led college football last season in pass plays of 30-plus, 40-plus and 60-plus yards.

Milton has the strongest throwing arm in college football, but his deep passes have been more of a liability than a strength. Against Texas A&M, he was 0-for-5 on pass attempts of 20 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus.

On the season, Milton is 8-of-35 passing (23%) for 316 yards, three TDs and four interceptions on pass attempts of 20 yards or more. For comparison, Hendon Hooker was 30-of-68 (44%) passing for 1,219 yards, 13 TDs and one interception on those downfield passes last season.

Meanwhile, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has found his niche throwing deep passes this season. The Crimson Tide have 28 pass plays of 20 yards or more.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel: Joe Milton, Tennessee passing attack is fixable vs Alabama