What Josh Heupel has done in his short time at the head of the Tennessee football program has been nothing short of impressive. There are a few things he’s still looking to check off the list, though. One of these is a road win in the Third Saturday in October against Alabama.
While he’s won both matchups at home against the Tide, Heupel is 0-2 in Tuscaloosa. This featured a game that was relatively close until the Tide pulled away late in his first season in 2021 and a second-half crumble after taking an early lead in 2023.
For No. 11 Tennessee to get over the hump this Saturday against No. 6 Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, Heupel revealed during his appearance on ‘The Mike Keith Show‘ what needs to happen.
“Physicality is gonna matter in this one,” Heupel said. “That’s in the core, both sides of the line of scrimmage, it’s gonna matter out on the perimeter as well. And you gotta win the money downs — third and fourth downs are going to be critical in this one. Offensively, to stay on the field, defensively to get off of it, and I think that’s really critical. Special teams, we got to win that phase of the game.”
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Heupel was asked more specifically about some key areas, as well. Most notably, Tennessee’s run defense has been less than optimal in SEC play. Georgia, Mississippi State and Arkansas have all had success on the ground, leading to one-possession games that both teams put up crooked numbers in.
For the Vols to stop an Alabama run game that may or may not be without star back Jam Miller, some are saying it’s as simple as taking better angles and being more consistent at tackling. Heupel doesn’t necessarily disagree.
“Football at its core is a simple game,” Heupel said. “It’s playing assignment sound. You can’t go one-for-one, you gotta destruct blocks, and then you gotta tackle. There’s some things early in the football game (against Arkansas) that we didn’t play the way that we’re capable of. During the course of the football game, there were times that we played it extremely well. You gotta be dialed into the details in this one. When kickoff happens, everybody’s going to want to go play and win, the details in your preparation are what give you a chance on game day.”
He also touched on what needs to happen to stop Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson from continuing to find success through the air. He’s picked apart SEC teams recently, including Georgia in the win on the road.
To Heupel, that all starts with the pass rush. That’s been the area of the defense that’s been the best for UT through the first half of the season, as well.
“I think you gotta do a great job up front,” Heupel said. “You gotta be able to apply pressure, you gotta get hands in his face, you gotta be able to make the windows tough. And then out on the perimeter, you gotta play with discipline. You gotta go win when you’re in man to man, when you’re in your zone principles, you gotta recognize the structure, the route patterns, who’s two, who’s three, and mash things out.”
Kickoff in Tuscaloosa is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.
