KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following three straight dominating non-conference wins to start the season, No. 6/7 Tennessee is preparing to face its biggest test to this point with a trip to Norman, Oklahoma to face off against the No. 15/13 Sooners in the SEC opener for both teams.
For the second time in three weeks, the Vols will be playing in primetime on ABC with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT).
“It’s great that we’re getting an opportunity to kick off conference play, it’s finally here,” head coach Josh Heupel said to open his Monday press conference. “We’ve got a big week in front of us, a big challenge. I have a ton of respect obviously for the (Oklahoma) program and everyone that is involved over there, I know a lot of them. It’s a football team that is playing really well.
“It’s a huge test for us. An opportunity for us to go on the road in a really good environment and at the same time have an opportunity to put our brand in front of the entire country.”
Heupel will be returning to his alma mater for the first time as a head coach after helping lead the Sooners to a national championship in 2000 and spending 11 seasons as an assistant coach for the program from 2003 to 2014.
Adding to the buildup will be ESPN’s College GameDay, as the pregame show will be on-site in Norman for Oklahoma’s first-ever SEC contest. It will mark Tennessee’s 25th appearance all-time on the show, including the fifth time in the Heupel era.
A major contributing factor to the Vols’ impressive start to the season has been the abundance of leadership on this year’s team. That leadership will be put to the test once again this week as UT prepares for its first true road game in what will be a hostile environment at a packed Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
“We have really strong leadership. It’s not just the veteran guys. Guys that are on our (leadership) councils do a great job, but we have a lot of strong individuals inside of our position rooms as well,” Heupel said. “I have said it, I think maybe during training camp, this team was really good in how consistent they worked through spring ball and training camp. They have been that way during the course of the season.
“As a player, man, you better enjoy the win Saturday night and enjoy it on Sunday too, but Monday is getting back to reality and understanding how you have to grow and understanding you are only as good as your next one as a competitor. This group has been really mature that way. Certainly, the opponent that we have this week will capture everybody’s attention.”
Videos and quotes from Monday’s availability with Heupel and select players can be seen below.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
“Had a good morning with the guys, came in with great energy and focus. We were able to look at the film and find some ways that we have to continue to grow into being the best team that we can be. It’s great that we are getting an opportunity to kick off conference play, it’s finally here. We’ve got a big week in front of us, a big challenge. I have a ton of respect obviously for the (Oklahoma) program and everyone that is involved over there, I know a lot of them. It’s a football team that is playing really well. If you look at them defensively, they’re doing a great job in every category — applying pressure to the quarterback, sacks, turnovers and being extremely good against the run. Offensively, they have dynamic playmakers, a young quarterback that is playing really good football, and they do a really good job on special teams. It’s a huge test for us. An opportunity for us to go on the road in a really good environment and at the same time have an opportunity to put our brand in front of the entire country.”
On his emotions going back to Oklahoma…
“It will be unique. I have teammates and friends back there. They’ve hit me up a little bit earlier, it started last week already. It will be unique going back into that stadium. It’s going to be a different viewpoint; I’m not sure I have ever spent a day on the opposing sideline inside that stadium, not even for a scrimmage. It’ll be different, but it’s one that I am really looking forward to. There are so many people that have been a huge part of my journey that I get a chance to go back and hopefully get a chance to say hi to a bunch of them. It starts with teammates, it’s coaches that I had, it’s a lot of coaches that I coached with and a lot of personnel that are still there. Guys that I coached, a guy that was in my wedding, there’s a lot of people back there that I’m familiar with and have a lot of respect for.”
On what impresses him about Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold…
“In general, he takes great care of the football. I think he has great command and presence in what they are doing offensively. He has the ability to use his feet to make things right. That can be when the pocket breaks down, designed quarterback run or read game. He is a really talented young player.”
On how comfortable he is with Oklahoma-related questions…
“I thought I handled the first one really well. I am good with any question about Oklahoma. The opportunity I got from Bob (Stoops) and Mike (Leach) to come there and play, what we were able to build there in a short amount of time as a player, but then also my coaching career. From the guys that I played for to all the coaches that were there during my career, all of them made a huge impact on me. I wouldn’t be here today at Tennessee if I didn’t have all those experiences. I am tremendously grateful for all those people. Brent (Venables) is somebody that I learned and grew from as a young coach so much, and I have a ton of respect for him.”
On the atmosphere to expect at Oklahoma…
“It should be a great crowd; it’s a passionate fan base. I’m expecting them to be extremely quiet for us out of respect to me and our program, too.”
On talking to QB Nico Iamaleava about his first road start and how his personality will translate…
“I think his personality will translate extremely well. It wasn’t a true road game, but being over in Charlotte and the crowd being divided in half is a part of preparing him and our entire football team for this too. The way we have prepared in spring ball and training camp, our guys will be ready for this. It doesn’t make the challenge any less difficult because of those things, but you have to do the ordinary things at a very high level, and you have got to do them consistently. That’s communication, that’s where it starts in particular on the offensive side of the ball with crowd noise. But it’s everybody, all three phases of the game, the alignment, assignment and technique after that.”
On the benefit of so many young players playing snaps in the first three weeks…
“Yeah, certainly. We’ve been able to play a lot more guys than we have at any point. A big part of that is our roster. The opportunity that every young player gets, they are only going to grow that much more quickly with those experiences on game day. Practice is awesome and it matters, but those game day experiences matter too, to understand what it looks like, what it feels like and where you have to continue to grow. So, it has been really important to us here in the first three weeks. The depth of our roster and the experiences that they have is really important as you get into conference play.”
On anticipating the biggest obstacle going into Week 4…
“Yeah, I don’t think there is just one. First of all, I talked about their defense, their offense. They are well coached. They play extremely hard. They have been on the right side of the turnover margin. They have really good personnel. So, this is a really good program.”
On the progression and trust of freshman RB Peyton Lewis…
“We do trust Peyton. Peyton has gotten better every single week. Coming off of the injury, getting the opportunity to grow on the field during training camp. He has gotten better every day, and he has gotten better every week during the course of the season. I love what he is doing as a young player.”
On Nico Iamaleava preferring road games and shift of energy this week…
“There’s nothing better than being in front of your home crowd, but there is something special about knowing that you are going on the road and the focus, the effort that it takes to go out there and be successful in those types of environments. That is something special that competitors relish.”
On depth showing up in more versatility and personnel groupings offensively…
“Depth in your personnel gives you the freedom, the luxury to do more things. That can be within your scheme, but it certainly is within our personnel groupings too. The first couple years, we really primarily played two tight ends. Within the structure of what we do, that limits how much exposure you want those guys to have in 12 personnel. A year ago we had, I think, six scholarship wide receivers. Got guys banged up. With our roster now, you have the ability to go into a four wide set and go play really, really good football.”
On Oklahoma’s 10 takeaways and aggressive defense…
“Yeah, 10 is the right number. Their front is really active. They play tight coverage on the back end. With all the structure that they show you on the back end, they play really assignment-sound. They understand where they are supposed to be in recognizing patterns and getting into windows. They tie all three levels of the defense in extremely well. And then when you have the ball in your hands, they are extremely active. Punching, ripping, putting their hat on the ball. They have changed the way the game is played with a lot of those turnovers.”
On grading veteran leadership and how it’s different preparing for SEC play…
“We have really strong leadership. It’s not just the veteran guys. Guys that are on our (leadership) councils do a great job, but we have a lot of strong individuals inside of our position rooms as well. I have said it, I think maybe during training camp, this team was really good in how consistent they worked through spring ball and training camp. They have been that way during the course of the season. As a player, man, you better enjoy the win Saturday night and enjoy it on Sunday too, but Monday is getting back to reality and understanding how you have to grow and understanding you are only as good as your next one as a competitor. This group has been really mature that way. Certainly, the opponent that we have this week will capture everybody’s attention.”
On if pregame throws with his son mean more this week being somewhere that means so much…
“No pregame throws on the road. Not sure if my kids will be able to make it yet, but we are working on that.”
On what Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson have done to set themselves apart at corner…
“We like those two guys, but we like guys right behind them too. (Jalen McMurray) and (Jordan Matthews) have done a really nice job as well. Those guys are playing really good football. They’re playing with fundamentals and technique, but they’re understanding the contour of what they’re seeing on the offensive side of the football, being able to play with anticipation of what they might see and playing really good football.”
On what it’s like coaching against Brent Venables who he worked alongside at Oklahoma…
“A guy I have so much respect for. He has a great family. Somebody that poured into me as a young coach, and I learned so much from him. He’s as good as they come when you look at what he’s done historically as a defensive coordinator. A lot of respect and a huge challenge for us this week.”
On any concern being three games into the season and the team’s conditioning…
“I believe that what we are doing through the course of the week is preparing those guys to be ready to play for 60 minutes. This will be a 60-minute football game. You have to be physical at the line of scrimmage, you have to win your one-on-ones out on the perimeter, and you have to play with an aggressive, competitive composure for four quarters in this football game.”
On if he envisioned tight ends Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman being important in the passing game…
“Yeah, we have great trust in those guys. Nico has a great trust with those guys. The route patterns, they’re going to see it the way he sees it. They’re going be able to settle in the zones and win versus man-to-man. Those guys have all done a really nice job through spring ball and have certainly gotten more comfortable in what we’re doing. Speaking specifically to the transfers, as we got into training camp, those guys took a big jump being able to operate within our system as we got to training camp.”
On DeSean Bishop capitalizing on his opportunities against Kent State…
“Another young guy that just continues to get better. I thought he did a great job hitting the hole and making the third level miss when he got into space. Got under his pads when he needed to. He’s taken a step every single week as well, and our staff has a lot of trust in him. That’s a guy that we saw flashes in last year, then he hurts his ankle in training camp and misses the majority of the season. It’s been fun to see him just grow through that experience, become really mature in how he handles himself in and outside of the building.”
On troubleshooting the in-helmet communication system for the first road game of the season…
“In your research, if you have any solutions for the problems, talk to Hawk (Allen Sitzler) and his crew this afternoon. I anticipate — it’s worked well up until this point, but we will find out on Saturday.”
Senior TE Miles Kitselman
On redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava heading into his first SEC road start…
“I’m not worried about Nico at all, talking about loud distractions and all that kind of stuff. The way Nico prepares himself and how confident he is in his play will take care of all that.”
On the challenges presented by Oklahoma…
“This is going to be a great test for us. They have a hell of a team over there, and I am just excited to see what the coaches give us as a game plan this week and ready to attack it. Oklahoma is definitely going to be a great test for us, they have a bunch of ball players over there.”
On what he has seen in QBs Gaston Moore and Jake Merklinger when they’ve had the opportunity to play…
“Just coming in every day in practice and preparing like you’re going to be the starter is huge. Coach Heupel is always hinting on, ‘You never know when your number is going to be called,’ and I think those guys are great examples of whenever their number is called, stepping up and making the plays that they need to make.”
RS-Senior DL Dominic Bailey
On what it’s like being part of a deep rotation…
“With the rotation being so deep, you know you can go out there and go hard every play that you’re out there, because you have somebody that can come in behind you and give the same effort and the same production as you can give. So, it’s like no fall off from ones, twos and threes. It’s actually great for us.”
On how a road game is different for the defense due to crowds being quiet when the offense is on the field…
“I mean, obviously it’s different being on the road, but it’s not really a big difference. We just have to rely on each other and keep the energy within the group on the defense and we will be fine.”
