Tennessee football capped off its regular season with a 48-24 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols’ offense had perhaps their best game of the season and definitively their best SEC game of the season. Jaylen Wright eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the season and Joe Milton III turned in a career performance.
Following the game, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel discussed Milton’s big game, the regular season as a whole and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said postgame.
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Opening Statement
“Just start off by saying thank you to the men and women that serve our country. Obviously today was Salute To Service across the country and everybody in our program is very thankful for the sacrifices that the men and women make, and their families make, to allow us to do what we do.
“Senior Day, really proud of this group. A lot of them were here when I first got here, chose to stay here through some uncertainty. Bought into our vision of what the program would be about. And it’s a phenomenal, phenomenal group. It’s a group that I think over the last couple of years has won 13 (home games) which, over that span is as good as it’s been since the late ‘90s. So we’ve had some disappointment in the results along the way, but this group, this team continues to fight and compete extremely hard to prepare the right way. Really proud of them. That happens because a lot of the leadership from that senior group.”
On how much he enjoyed watching Joe Milton’s big performance on Senior Day
“Proud of his resiliency, continue to, you know, prepare, fight and compete extremely well. He was really good throughout the course of the football game. Decisive, was in the right spot, and recognized coverage. Just some really good things. Had some guys out on the perimeter make plays. For most of it, the protection was really pretty solid. There were a couple times it broke down. He stood in and made some plays and prior of the effort from the offensive line, obviously that group was extremely beat up.”
On if he’s ever seen this number of injuries to one position group as Tennessee’s offensive line has had this season
“Nah, Coach (Glen) Elarbee and I were just talking as I was getting ready to come in here. I’ve never been a part of it as a player, as a coach. Just how it has unfolded this year for whatever reason. And there’s not one thing you can point a finger at. Proud of the guys that continue to step up, guys that come back and compete. Just a really good group.”
On what Joe Milton was doing to be effective
“Smart, decision-making, accurate with the football and guys out on the perimeter doing a great job. And a lot of quarters (coverage) which essentially becomes one-on-one situation and offensive line, doing a good job protecting. So you put all that together and then a couple opportunities in the right zone, running the football, he’s got a really special night.”
On what he’s most proud of from Tennessee tight ends Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles
“Jacob Warren’s been such an integral part in the building of this program. His leadership in particular over the last couple years, I don’t think you can overstate it. A guy that it means everything to to wear the Power T and to play and compete. Chose to come back for his sixth year. Callie, new to the program, fully invested, bought into everything. Guy that prepares extremely hard, it means everything. He wants to perform, not for himself, but for the guys around him. And just continues to get better throughout the course of the year. Both extremely unselfish players. They’d rather see the other guy catch a touchdown than themself. And two dynamic players. They had a good night tonight, too.”
On what he saw in the second quarter when Tennessee and Vanderbilt players had to be separated, how he addressed it with the team
“I addressed it (at halftime). Tried to address it on the sidelines, too. And we talked as a coaching staff as well. And it did get pretty chippy there for a little bit. Talked about it at halftime, playing smart football. We didn’t necessarily do that. We had more penalties than, we wanted.”
On how he thinks Tennessee fans should balance an eight-win season with some of the disappointments during this season
“They should feel the way that we feel. And when I say that, I’m proud of this group, They’ve worked extremely hard, they’ve prepared the right way. On game day, they’ve been resilient. They continue to fight and compete. And every Saturday is different. And we’ve all had some disappointment. Everybody in that locker room — coaches me, everybody — when we don’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard, man, there’s disappointment in that. This group has never walked out the field not thinking they were gonna win.”
On if he likes the status of the program after his third regular season
“I’m really proud of where we started, where we’re at, where we gotta continue to fight to go get to, but absolutely.”
On the success of the running game
“It wasn’t extremely efficient early in the football game. We picked up some yards, but the perimeter plays off of the run game were really big. Jay(len) Wright, I don’t think anybody’s mentioned, but goes over a thousand yards this year, played extremely well. Jabari averaged 7.5 (YPG) on four carries. There were some big plays. There were efficient plays. At the end of the day, I mean, you look at the group that’s up there, continuing to compete— I’m talk about the five offensive linemen and tight ends. So a lot of positive things.”
On the hectic nature of the next few weeks
“Massive. Huge implications on what you’re gonna be as you move forward as a program. So yes, there’s a lot going on all at one time. High school, portal, your players, all of it. And you gotta manage it all. You gotta have a great staff that communicates at a really high level and do the right things, make the right decisions.”
On Ramel Keyton’s big day to end a frustrating season
“Yeah, I’m proud of Ramel. I, probably late in the year, you guys got a sense that he wasn’t a hundred percent early in the year. Just continues to fight and compete. A year ago he stepped up in a huge way when Ced(ric Tillman) went down. This year hasn’t always been perfect for him, but guy that competes and practices extremely hard and to go finish it inside of Neyland Stadium the way he did tonight was awesome to see.”
On if the offense as a whole takes pride in Jaylen Wright rushing for 1,000 yards
“Yeah, it absolutely is a group achievement. I said it earlier in the week, it’s probably not something that Jay(len) Wright would point to, but the offensive line room, when they got a chance to get a guy to 1,000, they take great pride in that. And the tight ends too. They all play a huge part in that type of recognition.”
On what he’s seen in Jaylen Wright’s growth
“Man, there’s a lot of things that he’s grown in just off the field. I think just his maturity and how he continues to come into the building every single day, the mindset, and very consistent in his habits. On the field it’s just understanding of the run game, base on the defenses that you’re seeing. He started out as an elite talent that was really fast that could or wanted to run to around everybody. He’s a real running back that understands how to use the guys in front of him.”
On Ollie Lane’s season after coming back for a super senior year
“He’s a great example of a guy that it means everything to be inside of this program and does it the right way and cares about his teammates. Came back for another year. He’s been thrown in at guard, I think our first year when we got here. This year, he’s played a little bit of everything man. And a huge part of the success of this football team. Guys like that, you know, never get the recognition that they should. He means a lot inside of that o-line room, but to his football team too.”
On what he thought of Nico Iamaleava’s two drives
“I thought he did a really good job off of our run game, throwing the ball out on the perimeter. Was accurate, decisive, when we pushed it down the field. Just normal drop back, (would) like him to pitch the speed option, you know what I mean? Did a good job stepping through the tackle, but all in all, really good job.”
