ATLANTA, Ga. — Josh Heupel was relaxed as could be when a reporter asked what he saw from Joey Aguilar in Tennessee’s 45-26 season-opening win over Syracuse— Aguilar’s first start at Tennessee.
“He is who he was on the practice field,” Heupel said. “Just very even keel and composed.”
That even-keeled nature was on display early. Aguilar missed some throws on Tennessee’s first few drives, but he also connected to move the sticks on a pair of third-and-10s including a strike to Chris Brazzell for 18 yards. Those throws led to a pair of touchdowns and helped Tennessee take control of the game in the first quarter.
“I thought the third-down conversions early in the football game were a big part of how the game was played out in the second half,” Heupel said. “And from him being decisive, decision making and accurate with the throw, our guy is executing up front and on the perimeter. First ball game, that was a real positive early in the football game.”
Aguilar’s steady presence was evident throughout the game amidst the good— a perfect deep ball that Braylon Staley took for a 73-yard touchdown where Aguilar celebrated but did not do anything crazy. Or the bad, Tennessee having two different touchdowns called back by penalties.
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Both of those drives ended in the end zone. Aguilar scrambled left and found Star Thomas for a seven-yard touchdown on third-and-goal, giving Tennessee a 38-14 lead early in the third quarter. The latter Aguilar evaded a rusher and lobbed a pass over a pair of defenders to Miles Kitselman for a touchdown.
“I guess that’s just how I am. I came prepared. I mean, I go into every game cool, calm, collected,” Aguilar said postgame. “I have a mellow flow to me. I get excited obviously good plays, but don’t get too down on bad plays. Everybody looks to me on the team, so I got to keep that composure and just keep going.”
Aguilar wasn’t perfect at any point during the game. He had blips of inaccuracy, especially throwing the ball high, throughout the game. But he was overall solid, finishing his Tennessee debut 16-for-28 for 247 yards and three touchdowns.
The transfer also took care of the football. Aguilar did not throw an interception and turned it over just once— something that was a major concern entering the season. More than anything, Aguilar just looked in control and comfortable. He performed how Heupel expected him to perform. There’s not much more you could ask out of your quarterback in an opener.
“I thought he handled the operation extremely well in the football game,” Heupel said. “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 played well in his first game in the orange-and-white. Now it’s about how much he can improve over the next three months. As Heupel loves to state, good teams continue to improve over the course of the season.
