Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel fielded questions from the media Wednesday on the SEC Coaches Teleconference as the Vols prepare to face Georgia in a rivalry showdown at Neyland Stadium.
Ahead of the game, Heupel discussed cornerbacks stepping up with starters injured, Tennessee’s past struggles against Georgia and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said.
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Opening statement
“We got a great opportunity here. Obviously, it will be a great environment, GameDay coming to town. And the main event is we got a chance to go play a really good Georgia football team, a typical Georgia team. Their line scrimmages are really good and certainly have good skill and (the) quarterback is playing well for them. And it’s a big test for us is the program on Saturday. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
On if there’s any confidence that Jaxson Moi or David Sanders Jr. could play for Tennessee on Saturday
“Yeah, there’s certainly some belief on that side of it, but you’ll be able to see on the injury report here tonight.”
On what stands out about this Georgia team
“I think It starts with a line of scrimmage. They’ve done a good job running football, protecting the quarterback. That’s typical of them on the offensive line. They’ve got really good skilled players, too, on the defensive line. They’re big, they’re athletic and they’ve done a great job against the run, which is typical. Their second level is athletic, do a good job in the pressures, and certainly have good skill out on the the third level in their secondary.”
On the stress Georgia’s defense puts on Tennessee’s offense
“In a game like this, when you’re playing a really good opponent, the details matter. Some is them making plays and causing problems. We’ve had some communication problems on the road against them. Ultimately, you got to win on third downs and you got to maximize your possessions when you get on the other side of the 50. And that comes from the detail in your preparation and then winning one-on-ones. And when I say one-on-ones, everybody thinks out on the perimeter, but that’s it at the line of scrimmage as well, as you get into your pass pro and run game. And ultimately we haven’t been on the right side of it. And much credit to Kirby and his staff and the players in the past games.”
On if crowd noise affects defensive communication, if defensive communication is more important against Georgia
“Yeah, certainly communication is important on the defensive side of the ball as well. And as good as Georgia is offensively. you know, tying all three levels together in the run game and then your pass defense as well is really important.”
On Colton Hood and Ty Redmond stepping up with Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson sidelined
“I think those guys have done a really good job. Ty since January, and Colton in May when he got here. They’re smart, tough, competitive, and continue to get better every day and every week that they’ve been here. And certainly this will be the biggest test for us in this season, but I love the growth that we’ve seen from those guys.”
On if much changes prepping for a Kirby Smart defense year to year
“I mean, the identity of their defense, stopping the run, being aggressive on third downs, multiple in their pressure packages, the main focus of their identity hasn’t changed. He’s continued to add things into his tool belt defensively and some of that is continued change in the game. Some of that might be personnel based. But they play physical, play smart football.
They don’t give you anything. You’ve got to go earn it. That’s certainly going to be true on Saturday and I have great respect for them.”
On Tennessee’s secondary so far this season, the challenge that Georgia presents for them
“Offensively they’re able to spread the ball around in the air and that’s play action pass, creating isolations, and you’ve got to handle double moves. And then their drop back, they get everybody involved in it. I like what we’ve done on the back end this year. There’s certainly some things that we want to improve on, but overall, I really like what we’ve done. We all know this is the biggest test that we face this year, too, but our guys are excited and have had a couple really good days of preparation, and we’ve got to continue that throughout the week.”
