Before Tennessee football hits the road to play at Mississippi State, Vols head coach Josh Heupel answered questions from the media during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday. Heupel was asked about his offensive line, Mississippi State’s improvement and more.
Tennessee and Mississippi State will meet in Starkville at 4:15 p.m. ET with the game airing on SEC Network. The Vols are off to a 3-1 start, but dropped their SEC opener to Georgia in overtime at home. The Bulldogs are 4-0, but are yet to play a conference game.
Here’s what Heupel said.
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Opening statement
“Good afternoon, everybody. Big ball game this week, obviously. You look at how Mississippi State’s playing defensively, doing a really good job. Haven’t given up much of anything here to start the season. Playing really good run defense and playing good pass defense, too. And offensively, obviously playing extremely efficient. Do a good job in the run game and have speed out on the perimeter and a quarterback that’s playing at a really high level and their special teams have done a really good job too. So huge test for us. Should be a great environment down there and our first road SEC game this year. Looking forward to it. We’ve got to continue to prepare here get ready to play for Saturday.”
On the improvements he’s seen from Mississippi State since last season
“I think in year two they’ve taken a big jump. Coach Lebby and his staff have done a really good job. Guys that were there a year ago, you can see the development physically, technically, and understanding of their scheme. They brought in some transfers that are making a difference for them as well. And collectively, as an entire football team, in year two, they have an understanding of how to win. And you put all that together and that’s why they’re playing the way that they are. It’s a huge test for us going down there and, like I said, it’s a big football game and should be a great environment, too.”
On his relationship with MSU coach Jeff Lebby
“I have a ton of familiarity, obviously, with Jeff, but a lot of their staff too. On the offensive side of the ball, a bunch of guys that I coached at one time, that had been a part of our staff at one point. And special teams as well. Jeff, I’ve known for a long time. When I first got into coaching, it was the beginning of his college career and worked with me after his injury, as a student assistant. He’s smart, he’s competitive, he’s got a great mind for the game. And all those traits are certainly things that I saw in him, and that’s a part of the reason that I brought him to UCF at the time. And I’m not surprised by the success that he’s had at any point in his coaching career.”
On the Heisman Trophy, his feelings on the award
“It’s not something I thought about. It’s sometimes just like anything in this game. It’s questions that you got to answer. But great award, great event, had a ton of fun. Obviously, I think it’s probably better to win that thing than to sit there and lose it. But it’s a huge part of the tradition, in my opinion, of college football.”
On the Heisman Trophy being a distraction
“Yeah, thanks for dating me right there. I appreciate it. But no, I think it’s like anything in today’s game, there’s even more noise. You can’t simply ignore it. And I’d say that just because at some point most of these guys are going to be on their phone. And it’s like anything though, what you put a ton of thought into is either helping you or hurting you and you’re ultimately being your best on Saturday. So it’s difficult, but keeping the main thing the main thing, as cliche as that is, is important.”
On how his team handled getting over losing to Georgia
“This game, this league, for pretty much everybody, at some point there’s going to be disappointment in an outcome as you walk off of a field. Great teams continue to fight through any and every portion of adversity that they face. And I thought our team responded in a positive way. Came in on Monday and you flush it and move on. And you gotta do that whether you win or you lose because you’re only as good as your next performance as a competitor. And so I thought they handled it well. And again, it’s no different than this week. You come off of a win, you got to flush it and you gotta continue to get better. And prepare the right way, practice the right way, and get ready to go play for 60 minutes.”
On how he evaluates his offensive line
“I thought those guys have done a really good job. It’s in the run game, it’s in the protection piece. And tight ends backs are all a major piece of both of those things, too. But the new starters for this year, they’ve handled themselves really well. It starts with communication and then fundamentals and technique. And being able to play five guys as one. So there’s a lot of positives, but the thing I’m excited about, there’s still a lot of growth for that group, too.”
On if he’s playing cowbells in practice
“Yeah, we know we’re going to see a lot of cowbell, or hear a lot of cowbell on Saturday. It’s one of the things that makes college football special is just the traditions that reside at each university.”
