We’re getting real close to what could end up being the best game of the college football season. On Saturday, Josh Heupel’s No. 15 Tennessee football will meet No. 6 Georgia inside Neyland Stadium in front of a checkered crowd and with ESPN’s College GameDay on campus.
Before kickoff, Heupel, UT’s head coach, joined the Voice of the Vols, Mike Keith, on ‘The Mike Keith Show‘ to give his thoughts on the game. Here’s what he said.
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On embracing big game weekends
“Players are human. They know what’s going on, too. I think embracing the fact that this is a special game. With GameDay being here, I think it’s important as a head coach that you address that at the beginning of the week. Also address, the main thing has got to stay the main thing. In these types of games, could be family, friends, outside noise, whatever, those are things that early in the week, it’s important to address with your team and make sure they understand that it’s still about the preparation and how you practice and the lead up to kickoff that allows you to go play the way that you want to. To go play and make big plays in this game because your fundamentals are right, your eyes are right, you studied the book, you understand what you’re seeing from the other side of the line of scrimmage as we go against one of their units. I think it’s important that our players understand what it takes during the course of the week and what you’re going to see on Saturday to give yourself an opportunity to go play your best.”
On if he feels like this year’s team is a ‘pleasant surprise’
“I think our young guys have done a really good job early in the year of being dialed into the details. Going out and making plays on their particular side of the football. I think that’s been a focal point for us since we started back in January and they’ve had a good start to the year.”
On if he’s surprised they’ve already played 24 freshmen
“Didn’t know it was 24. I knew we were going to play a lot of newcomers. Like I said, I think their maturity since they got here in January, the leadership in the position rooms helping them grow, our coaches, have allowed them to play well up until this point.”
On quarterback Joey Aguilar’s tape
“I think he’s been really decisive. Been a good decision-maker. That’s in our dropbacks, that’s in our play-action pass, but it’s in our RPO game, as well. That’s a huge part of who we are, our identity. With all the moving parts that we have within the scope of that, inside of our run game and the details that go into it, he’s done an elite job.”
On Georgia’s defense challenging Joey Aguilar
“They’re multiple. From fronts to coverages to pressure package. Being able to identify those things in the scope of the game is going to be really important. For us collectively as a football team, though, this is definitely the best team that we’ve played up until this point. You come here to Tennessee to play in these games and to go win them. We have to do the ordinary things at a really high level and take care of the football. Gotta create some turnovers and win on third downs and get off the fields on third downs defensively.”
On Tennessee’s running backs playing well, deciding the rotation
“I think the strength of one position room can never be one guy. I love the way that they’ve ran the football. I love what they’ve done so far in protections. The ability to identify and go play with technique and help protect the quarterback. We trust all of those guys. We play them all the same as far as what we’re doing schematically with them. Need them all to play well on Saturday.”
On who needs to step up if Tennessee isn’t fully healthy on the defensive line this week
“Yeah, we anticipate most of those guys will be ready to go. We get to kick off and whoever is in the ball game has got to do a great job of winning their one-on-ones. And when you’re getting doubled, holding the point, not allowing them to scrape off and get off on their second level fitters or linebackers or safety for a single high too. But nobody different than what you’ve already seen. Anticipate those guys being ready to go.”
On Tennessee’s Joshua Josephs off to a fast start this season, what he has to do to keep it going
“For him, being consistent. I think that’s one of the things that he’s really grown in, just as a human being and his ability mentally to come into the building with the same focus, same energy, same attention to detail, has continued to grow in leadership. And then when we go play, man, just continue to go play as hard as you can and play the next snap.”
On Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks trying to get as many good young players on the field as he can
Yeah, I think the strength of our defense a year ago, a big part of that was our ability to rotate and play guys, keep guys fresh. That’s on a given Saturday, but also throughout the course of the year. We’ve been able to rotate here defensively. And all those guys, they play hard, they’re smart, they’re competitive. We trust them in all of our packages. But our defense staff gets an opportunity week to week based on protections, in particular on third down, to come up with different schemes to try to attack them and get to the quarterback.”
On staying focused this week, weekend of a big game
“The game doesn’t change once you get between the white lines. It’s your preparation, it’s your fundamentals, it’s your eyes discipline that takes you to all the plays that everybody dreams about making. Staying within the scope of that. You don’t have to do anything extraordinary. You just got to do the ordinary at a really high level. And that’s why the process, the journey of Monday in the building until Saturday kickoff, that’s got to stay consistent. And it’s been a big focus for us this week.”
On what he enjoys most about these kinds of weekends as head coach
“It’s certainly a kickoff, man. Friday night, being with the guys at the hotel, super relaxed and having fun. You got a lot of families that come to the hotel on Friday nights, no matter who we’re playing, a chance to see them. And then ultimately it’s the lead up to kickoff and the competition that drives me.”
