Tennessee football overcame a 10-point second half deficit to knock off Florida 23-17 in overtime on Saturday night in Knoxville.
The Vols’ offense turned in another poor performance but their defense stepped up in major fashion as Tennessee avoided an upset loss.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel discussed the passing game issues, managing the game in overtime and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said.
More From RTI: Four Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Avoids Upset, Downs Florida In Overtime
Opening Statement
“Fans were awesome tonight. Huge part of the game. Appreciate them throughout the course of it. For us as a football team, love the win. I think the resiliency of the group down 10, I don’t know, seven minutes left in the third quarter, offense not playing good at all. Continuing to play, continuing to compete and find a way to make some plays and get back into the football game. And then go into overtime and come back and reset and go finish the game the way that you’re capable of and that you want to. So really proud of our guys.
“Defensively, elite performance — physicality, strain, most of the night assignment sound. Made plays. James (Pearce) on the goal line, forcing the fumble. Just so many things that they did at a really high level and kept us in the game. And offensively, there’s so much that you can be a whole lot better in and that’s all 11 on the field. But continue to fight. Made some play. So got to clean some things up. Man, everybody needs to enjoy this one. It’s hard winning in this league and tomorrow we’ll move on and get ready for another big one here at home.”
On Tennessee getting shut out in the first half for a second straight week, rolling Nico Iamaleava out of the pocket more in this game
“Moved him a little early in the football game. Had a completion on the sideline early in the football game. First drive, got things going. We’re on the plus side, reading the edge and the ball ends up on the ground. There’s another drive, maybe the third one, where we’re on the plus side of the territory, holding call, get pushed back again. It’s not doing anything that’s out of the ordinary. It’s really all 11 operating as one. And we can play a lot better than we did tonight.
“With Nico, misses a couple deep balls during the course of the football or game. Sometimes that’s going to happen. We got to be better at that protection inside the pocket for him. But I do love you the way that he continue to compete throughout the course of the game.”
On the improvement Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson has made between his freshman year and now
“He’s always had great vision, great pace. Obviously he’s got good long speed, but he’s really good between the tackles. I think his growth, continuing to grow in the understanding of what we’re doing. But physical strength, just his development in the middle of the football field, those runs between the tackles, just continues to make a bunch of plays for us. Finished the game out the right way, man. Huge.”
On if that performance epitomizes who Dylan Sampson is
“I think his competitive maturity when it’s not going good, to still have great body language and energy, feeds that to his teammates. Understand that man, it’s the next play we’ve got to get to. And having great beliefs. So I thought those guys half time, the competitive makeup was good. Come out and execute, got really good position to start it out and just a little bit off. So we got to go back and clean it up. Coaches and players together.”
On Tennessee getting more linebackers on the field in this game compared to others
“Man, I’m going to be honest, with everything that was going on, I’m going to let you talk to (defensive coordinator) Tim (Banks) about that.”
On the balance of a team with a defense that is playing elite and an offense that is struggling
“Which side was which? … As a football team, you’re just trying to find a way to do plus-one on the scoreboard. And if you can find a way to be a lot more than that, that’s awesome. At no point since I’ve been here, has it been anything other than all of us together, man. I just like our defense, their competitive makeup but also their belief in the other side of football, that they’re going to go make a play. That’s what the team is about. We haven’t been perfect. We can be a lot better. That’s a positive. Got an opportunity to get better.”
On the confidence snowballing for Tennessee’s defense
“They’re confident, yeah. But I don’t ever feel like they just think it’s going happen, you know what I mean? Like they understand that they got to go make it happen. And they trust one another. There are things we got to clean up. But they trust one another, compete really hard and continue to play better, smarter football.”
On what goes into play calling in overtime after Florida missed the field goal
“Don’t want to center it right away. Depending on the down and distance and where you’re at. That becomes a thought a little bit later as it goes on. I think running the football and being sound in it, for me that’s the way I wanted to go. And obviously as we got close to the goal line, gives you an opportunity to step into it.”
On going for it on fourth down at their own 10-yard line in the first half
“Just the flow of the game, everything that had transpired, the distance. I talked to Tim (Banks) too. Just felt like (we) had to do something to try to keep them off the field but get something going too.”
On the heavy set with defensive linemen on the field
“Brought some defensive guys in. Go set an edge right there.”
On the play of Omari Thomas
“Some huge negative plays in the football game, defeating blocks interior, tackling the back behind the line of scrimmage. You look at the overtime and how that sequence played out from our defense. It’s just, it’s elite, man and he played extremely well. He’s playing his best football since we’ve been here.”
On if he feels like they’re getting close to where they want to be in the passing game
“Not tonight. I don’t think we’re far off, you know what I mean? But it’s not just the pass game, it’s the run game too. Missed assignments, fundamentals, technique. Like it’s guys open, we don’t hit it. Guys open, we’re getting pressured. It’s everybody taking their turn and at some point we got to say we’re going to man up and do our job and make this thing go the way that it’s capable of.”
On how the defense affects his game planning and in game management
“I think situationally it does. Did tonight, some of the third downs, what we were willing to do. For us offensively, some of the things that happened on the plus side of the 50 killed us from having an opportunity to go score points. It hurt us in the way the game was played, but it’s different than it probably has been since I’ve been here.”
On Nico Iamaleava being sacked three times
“Some of it’s us blocking it. It’s five guys. That’s your tight ends, it’s your running backs. Some of them, some of it it’s him finding the soft spot in the pocket. Some of it’s recognizing what’s going on in the back end and hitting your hots. Some of it’s the wide receivers winning. Takes all 11 to go play good football. Everybody’s got to do their job.”
On if he has an update on Keenan Pili
“Don’t have an update on Pili. We’ll know more tomorrow. I’m not sure there’s a better representative of what a Volunteer is than Keenan Pili. You talk about a selfless guy that cares about the people around him way more than he cares about himself. That’s an elite competitor, great leader, tough as nails, athletic, explosive, everything that you want. Just he’s a dude, man. Special dude.”
On James Pearce making big plays the last two weeks
“Man, violent, destructive, making plays is huge. Huge play on the goal line. Locked in, focused as a competitor throughout the course of it no matter what was going on. Just really, really strong performance.”
On the jumbo package, why they chose the defensive players that they did
“A defensive structure that we saw from them on film is why we went to that this week and they’re two big, thick, explosive, long gaps, you know what I mean? Like you have the ability to move some people.”
