KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football team is looking forward to a great opportunity this weekend when the Vols host top-ranked Georgia in a nationally televised game inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
The Big Orange are confident after a road win over No. 18 Kentucky last Saturday night in Lexington and will look to carry that momentum into a huge matchup featuring the top two teams in the SEC East standings.
“From players to staff, huge week right here. Great opponent in Georgia. Excited to get going with these guys,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “Huge test for us and one that we are very excited about. Great to be back home, been a long time since we’ve gotten a chance to play inside Neyland Stadium.
“Expect a great environment back home. Looking forward to the opportunity to play well and go compete together.”
Tennessee’s fast-paced and explosive offense should provide a unique look for Georgia’s stout defense which ranks first nationally in scoring defense (6.6 ppg) and second the country in total defense (230.2 ypg).
Senior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin expects the battle on the line of scrimmage to play a huge factor in the game and said mental focus will be of the utmost importance on Saturday.
“This is a big game for the offensive line and being able to establish a run game and being able to avoid being one dimensional on the offense,” Carvin said. “We also need to be able to find a way to make the runs and create a clean pocket for our quarterback to make big plays.
“We have to play all five of us as one, this week especially. As a whole defense they are good, and we need to be locked in and focused for this game. We cannot have mental errors or mess ups. This is a big ball game for us.”
The full transcript of Heupel’s press conference as well as select player quotes can be found below.
Josh Heupel Full Transcript
Opening Statement…
“Great having the guys back in the building, obviously a lot of excitement. From players to staff, huge week right here. Great opponent in Georgia. Excited to get going with these guys. Defensively, Georgia is playing as well as anyone in the country. Personnel is really strong. All three levels of the defense and offensively, playing really efficient football. Quarterback is making plays. Play action pass, got to do a great job of having your eyes on your key. They are extremely physical up front and can run the football. Huge test for us and one that we are very excited about. Great to be back home, been a long time since we’ve gotten a chance to play inside Neyland Stadium. Expect a great environment back home. Looking forward to the opportunity to play well and go compete together.”
On the balance between sticking with your game plan and trying to add some different elements each week…
“We change every week based on what you see from the other side of ball. Personnel matchups, put your kids in the best position, you prepare in a great way, have a great week of practice and finish it the right way and then let it go play on Saturday. You play every game 10 times, it unfolds differently every single time. So, prepare in a great way and react to how it’s different. I thought last week, there were some things in our game plan that were different, our kids adjusted extremely well in all three phases of the game. There are lots of things we could do better from last week, too. Georgia is a great opponent, our guys are going to be ready to go compete for 60 minutes, I have no question about that with this group. I love competing with this team.”
On the school’s internal investigation ending…
“For our staff and players, I’ve said it from the time that I’ve gotten here, really believe that this was just going to be a speed bump for our program. Kids that are here, and kids that we recruit are going to have a chance to go continue to compete for championships and I fully believe that. I think it’s really unique that our university found out about what was going on, reported it, and has been transparent from the very beginning. For our kids, I think it’s really important that we are able to move forward.”
On time of possession…
“I think you care about time of possession in the situations where it matters. When it’s time to drain the clock it’s important that you’re able to do that and play situational football at the end of halves, the end of ball games. The score predicated that you continue to play the way that you’re able to play. The other night, just a really unique way in which the game unfolded. Two touchdowns in four plays maybe, huge play down the sideline with Jalin (Hyatt) on play six I think and ended up fumbling the ball. Just the way the game unfolded for us offensively was really unique. I think with all the explosive plays that quickly in the football game, and vice versa defensively they were pounding the football and getting small chunks, threes and fours and fives and converting on third down where the time of possession just became what it was, in the first half in particular.”
On what has been surprising about Hendon Hooker…
“I just think what’s striking about him is his maturity on and off the field and just the way that he handles himself as a person. That factors into how he prepares and handles positives and negatives during the course of a given day, a practice, a game. I think the thing that’s striking to me, and you don’t know it until you are with him in those environments, is just the competitive nature of him and I think you guys can see that in the way that he plays.”
On how transfers have carved out big roles for this team…
“Kamal Hadden too and the way that he’s played. The guys that have come here to restart their careers in some ways have found a bunch of playing time and a bunch of success. I think it speaks to the culture that we are building with the guys that have been here the entire time, foundation of who we are and what we are inside of the locker room. The accountability and demand from each other that they are going to do things the right way. But then, I think it speaks to what we are doing schematically and our coaching staff being able to get the best out of their players and put them in a position of success.”
On the pace of offense affecting replays…
“If you feel like there is something that’s important and has the chance to be replayed you typically slow down in those situations to give those things an opportunity to happen. That’s guys on the field that see something, that’s guys up in the press box that see something, too.”
On Alontae Taylor and celebrating with him after his pick six…
“Alontae (Taylor) got up quicker than I did and outjumped me on that one. I’ve gotten him a few times on the practice field. I think it’s important that you celebrate great moments with them. (If) you want your kids to play with great energy and passion as a coaching staff, then you better have that too and enjoy those moments. Huge play by him, changes the way the game unfolds the rest of the way. Great decision and the game within the game making it look like a soft corner then rolling late seeing the hands separate from the quarterback. Huge play by him and those are great moments.”
On Velus Jones Jr. decision making process on kickoff returns…
“Combination of both (green light and fair catch). The depth of the kick is going to matter too in the decision of when you’re bringing it out. I thought Coach (Mike) Ekeler and our special teams, our return unit did a great job of adjusting to a guy that I think 91 percent of his kickoffs have been touchbacks. We were able to create a big play with Velus (Jones Jr.), get the ball out to the 50 with the penalty. Then Jimmy (Holiday) and our front line do a great job of adjusting to a sky kick and he brings it out to the 50. Those were huge momentum and field procession plays in the game and talked about it with our guys today.”
On the health status of running backs Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans…
“I think the guys that got nicked up during the game, Jacob Warren too, we’ll find out more as we go through the week, but I feel like those guys will be in a position to help us on Saturday, but we’ll find out more as the week goes on.”
On defensive execution at Kentucky and if guys were in the right place to make plays…
“Majority of it was missed tackles. Some of it’s those guys pushing and falling forward. Hitting them at two and it being a five, six-yard gain. Their offensive line, their tight ends, extremely physical. Their backs ran with great pad level too. We got to do a better job this week.”
On Georgia’s defensive scheme on tape and challenges for offensive line…
“It starts with their personnel. They’re big, long, physical, athletic. They play with speed. They do a great job of retracing on perimeter screens. You see that show up, when you think you got space it closes down pretty quick. I don’t care if that’s in the core or out on the perimeter. They’re able to rotate a lot of guys too. The depth of their football team is a big part of their success. Being able to play guys essentially almost in fifty percent of the ball game and rotate through. For us, we’ve got to do a great job of getting hat on hat. We’ve got to be physical. That’s on the perimeter, that’s in the core. We’ve got to do a great job of communication too in their third down package.”
On if Georgia’s first down defense plays a big part in their success…
“That’s a huge part of any defense, right? Where you’re playing on your terms in third down in particular and you know what’s coming. You got a chance to pin your ears back and get after the quarterback. They’ve done a great job of creating havoc and flipping the way the game is played. You look at the Florida game, it’s 3-0 with two minutes to go in the second quarter and it’s a 21-point burst of points by them (Georgia) in the last two minutes.”
On how much of Hendon Hooker’s success is contributed to Cade Mays’s job on Saturday…
“If a quarterback is playing well, there’s 10 other guys around him doing their job at a really high level. It starts with the front five. Cade (Mays) has continued to get better in my opinion as the season has gone along. I know he missed a couple of weeks in the middle part of it, but he continues to get better and better every single week. Getting him back last week was a big part of our success. Congratulations to him on the individual recognition, well deserved. At the same time, I think Hendon being decisive, understanding your reads, getting the ball out on time, you get a chance to help cover things up too when it’s not right, and some of his scrambles. So, those two things play off of each other.”
On Georgia quarterbacks in the run game…
“On the tape that I’ve seen Stetson (Bennett) can get out and make plays with his feet too. End of the day we got to do a great job of pressing the pocket. Got to have lane integrity. Our defense will be confident going into the football game.”
On describing Hendon Hooker’s personality off the field…
“I know this, when he’s in the building – because I’m not with him a ton outside of it – in the building he’s highly competitive, is a great leader for us. I think his personality probably comes out a little bit more when he’s outside of the building and away from football. Super engaging with his teammates in everything that I have been able to see.”
On JaVonta Payton getting less touches as the game goes on…
“Just the way it unraveled, the way the game ended up being played. That first play, that’s a great play by JaVonta. Making the guy miss in space and taking it the distance. Showed that to the team today. Princeton Fant and Velus Jones Jr., the perimeter blocking, the strain, not just being a hat on a hat but straining and creating that space gives JaVonta the opportunity to make the safety miss. It creates the space that’s needed there. JaVonta did a really good job the other night and will continue to. He’s a guy that’s not getting balls in the third quarter or fourth quarter on purpose, it’s just the way the game has unfolded. Some of that’s just coverage and where the ball’s predicated to go off of that.”
On challenges of going against Georgia’s offense and the possibility of facing two quarterbacks…
“It starts for me and for them up front. Physical tight ends, physical offensive line. Really good depth, athleticism and physicality from the running back position. Their tight ends, being able to be a big part of the passing game and the play action pass. Good perimeter players too and their quarterback is playing super efficient. You got to defend it all, it’s not just one thing. You got to be able to hammer the run game and get them off schedule and get off the field on third down. “
On what it meant to have Elijah Simmons back on the defensive line…
“Great to have him back in a position where he can go play. For him, when he’s able to go, he’s got the ability to dent things, in particular on first and second down and change the track for the running back and change the line of scrimmage. You saw that during the course of the ball game when he was in there.”
Player Quotes
Alontae Taylor – DB – Senior
On thinking back to Saturday night and his pick six…
“It was dope. I just felt like it was the right timing. Coach (Tim) Banks made a great play call. We knew who their personnel were and who their go-to guy was. I knew what my responsibility was and trusted that my safety would be over top. The whole time my mindset was that I am breaking on this and knew he was going to run an out route. He just threw the ball to me. It was dope and I am glad I got to celebrate with the team and do my little shimmy.”
On watching film and what they liked and didn’t like and what went wrong…
“When you look at the film you can see we were a little extra aggressive and we got out of our gaps a little bit and overplayed a run too much. The other back was strong and other guys ran with good pad level which made them get extra yards after contact. We also have to make sure we just wrap up, but I thought we had good hits in the backfield, we just didn’t finish the play.”
On the challenge of facing Georgia after a big win…
“It is exciting man. It is another week though. It is still football at the end of the day. It does not matter what number is beside their name. At the end of the day, it is who is going to go out there and play 60 minutes the hardest and execute at the highest level.”
On Georgia’s offense…
“Like you said, they are really good running the ball and are solid all around. They have good tight ends, offensive line, good guys on the perimeter and a quarterback who makes good decisions. At the end of the day, we have to make sure we capitalize on all those things and check those boxes as we go out to practice. We need to stay focused and stay locked in. We need to find a way to work on those things that we messed up on last week.”
JaVonta Payton – WR – Senior
On the mindset after their hot start against Kentucky…
“After that, going on the sideline and going to all the guys and letting them know we have to keep the gas rolling and keep it moving. We can’t slow down at any point in the game. That first play was definitely a momentum booster and you got to go out there and tell the guys we have to keep it rolling and keep up on all points.”
On having so much success offensively despite only 14 minutes of possession…
“All week we are practicing and preaching consistency and making sure everyone is doing their job with the small details/big details. Just going in there and making sure everybody is locked in and ready to go.”
On making plays early in games…
“I mean if that is what they say then I will definitely take that role. A lot of my teammates do come up to me at the biggening of the game and they tell me I got to go, and it is my turn to start it off. I mean, I like it that the team comes up to me early in the game and asks me to get them started.”
Jerome Carvin – OL – Senior
On being able to control the line of scrimmage against Georgia…
“Oh, it is going to be huge man. This is a big game for the offensive line and being able to establish a run game and being able to avoid being one dimensional on the offense. We also need to be able to find a way to make the runs and create a clean pocket for our quarterback to make big plays.”
On the time of possession gap vs. Kentucky …
“I was not expecting that and after seeing that I was thinking man that is crazy. Whenever you get the ball, you make it count and that is what you should live by. Whenever we get the chances, however we get them and however many we get, we have to make them count.”
On being aware of Georgia’s late movement on the defensive line…
“That is the biggest thing going into this game. The mental lock in on the whole offensive line. We have to play all five of us as one, this week especially. Those guys like Jordan Davis, they have a lot of guys out there who they don’t talk about. As a whole defense they are good, and we need to be locked in and focused for this game. We cannot have mental errors or mess ups. This is a big ball game for us.”
-UT Athletics
