Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel met with the local media on Wednesday morning during the first of two open dates of the Vols’ season.
Heupel discussed having two open dates this season instead of one, what he wants to achieve during the bye week and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said on Wednesday.
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Opening Statement
“Good work today out on the grass. Focusing on us here during the course of this bye week and trying to improve in the areas that we need to. And there’s a lot of ways that we can in all three phases of the game. So a big week for us to continue to get better. You’ve heard me say good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the year. And on the back end of the week, a lot of our staff will be able to road recruiting.”
On where this Tennessee team needs to improve during the bye week
“Communication in two of the phases for sure. Alignment, assignment and technique from there. Everybody has got to be tied in together. And there’s a lot of good things that we’ve done here in the early part of the year, that we did last Saturday, but there’s certainly some areas we’re got to get better at as well.”
On if an early bye week and having two bye weeks this season changes how Tennessee approaches it
“It is different. It’s been a long time since I’ve had two during the course of the year. Early part of it, certainly need to continue to improve fundamentals, technique and as you get to the second one I’ll probably look a little bit more at the health of your roster and being intentional and make sure that you are right for that last run.”
On Tennessee backup offensive tackles Dayne Davis and Larry Johnson, what they looked like on film against Oklahoma
“There’s a lot of good things that both of those guys did. There’s some things that we can be cleaner in. Some of that is communication that gets to them. Some of it is them. Structural change that we saw during the course of the football game, too. Those guys being a little bit better adjusting at it. All in all, a lot of really good things. Helped us good win. So got to continue to improve. That’s them and all of us.”
On the status of Tennessee starting tackles Lance Heard and John Campbell for next week’s game at Arkansas
“I feel like we’ll have both those guys when we get to Fayetteville.”
On how impressed he has been with the play of Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson at corner
“Those guys have played really good football. They played really well the other night. Jalen McMurray has played really well. We got some young guys that continue to come along. Just the type of football that they’ve played here in the early part of the year has been a huge part of us continuing to push forward. And in the way that our defense has played in the early part of the year. And at the same time, it’s all three levels of the defense playing together too. But those guys have been phenomenal.”
On the development of Tennessee defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins during his time with the Vols
“It is just a guy that, you come in as a young player, you grow off the field. He’s continued to just change his body, change his ability to move, bend, the fundamentals of the game. He’s done an unbelievable job just continuing to invest every single day. And when you invest, it may not always be on your time, but you’re going to cash it in at some point. And he made a huge play in the football game last week. He played extremely well when he was out there. We have great confidence in him.”
On walking out at the Morgan Wallen concert at Neyland Stadium alongside Peyton Manning, Nico Iamaleava and Bru McCoy
“There are very few nights during the season where you get a chance to do something like that, so it was a lot of fun. Obviously a tremendous artist. But he was just so welcoming. When we got to the stadium and his family was there, it was a really cool experience. It was a home game of a different kind, to walk off to the full Neyland Stadium and no football on the field. It was a really cool environment. You can’t beat seeing, seeing Peyton in his uniform, you know what I mean? And I tried to get him to come back for one more and he said he’s done. But it was a neat experience. And Nico and Bru having a chance to be a part of it, it was really, really neat.”
On if the investment has always been there for Jayson Jenkins since he got to Tennessee
“It has just been a continued process and journey for him. It’s a guy that no matter what stage, he just works every single day. You know exactly what you’re going to get from him from the moment he walks up the stairs, goes to meetings, to what you see in the weight room to to what you get out of the practice field. Just a super consistent guy. And everybody’s journey is a little bit different. Sometimes it happens fast, sometimes it doesn’t. He’s just continued to work and invest and that’s why he’s playing the way that that he does. It’s a great lesson for, for a lot of young guys.”
On Oklahoma forcing fumbles, then Tennessee’s defense forcing fumbles on the very next play
“The way the defense handled the sudden change from our offensive turnovers is as good as as anywhere I’ve been. And I say that, just the mentality, the look in their eyes, they took the field and then obviously created the turnovers. It was the difference in the football game early for sure.”
On if there’s a different mentality as a play caller when his offenses don’t have to outscore the opponent every game because of how the defense is playing
“Well, I think every game, you’ve heard me say it, right? You play the same game 10 times on the same day, it unfolds differently. There’s just so many variables within it. The way our defense played on Saturday, and the way they’ve played early in the year as an offense, you gotta be ready to go find a way to be plus one no matter what happens. But then the game will form an identity during the course of the game, and certainly on Saturday night, the way our defense was playing, it informed an identity. And then it’s about tying all three phases together to make sure that you end up on the right side of the scoreboard.”
On what they saw in offensive tackle Larry Johnson III when he was in JUCO; how he has developed in his two years at Tennessee
“Big, massive frame that had the ability to bend. Knew that he had to work on his body. I say that we did. When he got here, I mean, he’s one of the guys we recognized during the course of multiple summers. He’s done an unbelievable job with strength, but also on the nutrition side of it. He’s a guy that works extremely hard growing to learn and understand the game and you know, he’s just continued to climb since he’s gotten here. I’m really proud of how he’s invested, how he’s worked and now having an opportunity to get some playing time.”
On his thoughts on the wide receiver rotation at Oklahoma
“We planned on using some 12 personnel and as the game went on, we got into more of it. So again, it’s all part of how the game, the identity gets formed during the course of the football game and you have a plan going into it, but then you also gotta be able to adjust during the course of it.”
On if he has found a spot in his office for his game ball that Nico Iamaleava gave him after the win against Oklahoma on Saturday night:
“I have not found a spot for it, but at some point she’ll go up there.”
On how to coach a defensive player who was flagged for a hit on an opponent, that may have been a good tackle
“I don’t want to get fined… We use teachable moments from across the country, college football, NFL football every Monday during our team meeting when we’re debriefing the game, but also how we can be smarter as a football team. We show some of the things that happen while we’re playing, too. You gotta play fast, you gotta play physical, you gotta be aggressive, but you gotta be on the right side of it and in some ways you gotta understand how the game’s gonna be called from an official’s perspective. Also understanding that they’re human, too.”
On if he’ll have a chance to watch Georgia-Alabama on Saturday while Tennessee is idle:
“I have not planned my Saturday yet with my kids, so at some point I’ll sit down and watch some ball and would assume I get a chance to watch a little bit of that one. Hopefully my daughter takes me out on the golf course and beats up on me.”
On how he feels Elijah Simmons has played so far this season and where he has progressed from last season
“Well, set the tone with the first play of the football game. Just violent and destructive. He played that way all night long. Does a great job in the goal line situation, eating up two blockers and not getting moved off of the line of scrimmage. So he’s playing extremely well. Our defensive line as an entire group is playing extremely hard, really physical and playing with great fundamentals.
“Elijah is a guy, when we first got here, just his ability to bend has continued to improve, which makes him an even more powerful, functional football player. He’s a guy that, like a couple of the other guys I’ve talked about today, you know exactly what you’re getting, man. He’s a really mature guy and when he comes out on the practice field, he’s ready to work.”
