Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar pulled out a familiar Nick Saban line while talking to the media on Saturday after the Vols’ 45-26 win over Syracuse in Atlanta.
The question that was presented to Aguilar came after a statement quote from cornerback Colton Hood during the previous media session just a few minutes before: “I think it just showed all the haters and the doubters out there we’re still the same Tennessee we was last year.”
In the following press conference, Aguilar was specifically asked about the “haters and doubters.” The veteran quarterback put the spotlight on himself and his team.
“Yeah, like he said, all the outside noise is just rat poison,” Aguilar said. “We only focus about who’s in the building and the team we got. We got to go back, execute, dial in on everything we got. Like he said, it’s FEB. Everything outside is all rat poison, and we just got to focus on ourselves.”
More From RTI: PFF Grades: Tennessee vs. Syracuse
Joey Aguilar had a standout day in his Tennessee debut against the Orange. The former App State/UCLA transfer came out swinging with three straight passes to start the game. Aguilar finished with 247 yards, three passing touchdowns, and no interceptions on the day, highlighted by his 73-yard bomb to Braylon Staley in the second quarter.
He also found running back Star Thomas for a 7-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and tight end Miles Kitselman for a 2-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
“I thought he handled the operation extremely well in the football game,” Tennessee HC Josh Heupel said of Aguilar’s play on Saturday. “And just very steady. And that’s a testament to who he is, who he is as a person, and he certainly handled that way today, too. So it’s a really good start for him. You look at him, a guy that has come in in three and a half months, whatever it might be, and to be able to learn, grasp and play the way he did today, it’s a testament to his work.”
Aguilar finished with the second-highest PFF grade on Tennessee’s team on Saturday, 83.0, trailing only running back DeSean Bishop’s 90.4 grade.
No. 24 Tennessee defeated Syracuse 45-26 in Saturday’s opener from Atlanta. The Vols will have their home opener this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium against ETSU. It should be another good opportunity for Aguilar to sink his teeth into Tennessee’s offense before the Vols host SEC rival Georgia in Week 3 of the college football season.
