KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Thanks to a Thursday-night season opener, Tennessee was able to rest up over the weekend and get a jump start on preparing for a big road test this Saturday when the Vols head north to take on No. 17/16 Pittsburgh in the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic.
When speaking with the media on Monday afternoon, head coach Josh Heupel said he was pleased with what he saw in all three phases during the UT’s 59-10 win over Ball State, but that there are plenty of areas for improvement as UT prepares to face an experienced Panthers team that will provide a much different challenge this weekend.
“After watching the ball game from the other night, there are some things that are really positive,” Heupel said. “I like what we did in all three phases, but there are some things that we will have to grow through really quickly before we play Saturday afternoon.”
“This is a big game for us, obviously. The first road test for us against a really good football team. They are tough and physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and they do a really nice job. It will be a big test for us. Awesome opportunity to recognize coach [Johnny] Majors and what he did for both programs, but in particular here at Tennessee. His years here as a player, as a coach, the impact that he has had and legacy that he has left on our program, is something that we still see and feel today.”
Junior running back Jabari Small and senior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin echoed Heupel’s sentiment about Pittsburgh, praising them for their physicality and toughness.
“They’re a good team,” Small said. “They have a lot of returning players on defense. They play physical. We are very familiar with the defense, but they’re a different team and we are a different team. We have to play the game and roll with the punches.”
Carvin said he expects a much stiffer challenge this week in dealing with the Panthers’ experienced and physical front seven.
“They’re really disciplined up front,” Carvin said. “They get after you, definitely in the pass (game). Run game, they are a stout group. Like I said earlier, linebackers like to fit up. Man, they are coached really well. We have to be on our P’s and Q’s. We have to be able to communicate well with each other up front, as well as with the tight ends and (running) backs, whether that’s in pass protection (or) putting hats on hats in the run game. This is a huge opportunity.”
Saturday’s game will be played at the newly named Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) and be televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. The Vols will be looking to avenge a 41-34 loss in last year’s meeting with the Panthers at Neyland Stadium.
Transcript and Player Quotes
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening Statement…
“I hope everyone had a great weekend. For us, I said after the ballgame, it was a unique opportunity for the coaches to get on the road. It was great to get out and see a lot of people, in-state and across our footprint, had an opportunity to watch some recruits. I thought that went really well. This is a big game for us, obviously. The first road test for us against a really good football team. Awesome opportunity to recognize coach (Johnny) Majors and what he did for both programs, but in particular here at Tennessee. His years here as a player, as a coach, the impact that he has had and legacy that he has left on our program, is something that we still see and feel today – so, a great opportunity there. Really good football team in all three phases. I faced them four times, this is the fourth time in five years. They are tough and physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and they do a really nice job. It will be a big test for us. After watching the ball game from the other night, there are some things that are really positive. I like what we did in all three phases, but there are some things that we will have to grow through really quickly before we play Saturday afternoon.”
On the difference in this year’s Pitt team…
“The structure of what they do offensively is a little bit different. They played with an extra tackle at times last week, some 12-personnel as well, running the football and then their play-action shots come off of that. In recent years, with the quarterback that they had, they were a little bit more spread and were pitching it around a little bit more. The tempo of the ball game will be a bit different. Defensively, what we are going see from them will be a little bit different. We have to do a great job of being physical with the front seven in particular, but really your entire defensive unit. You have to maintain gap integrity and have your eyes in the right place too, because play-action is going to come off of it and you cannot give them any chunk plays.”
On the team’s recent performance at the line of scrimmage on both sides…
“At the left tackle position, I thought both of them (Gerald Mincey and Jeremiah Crawford) played well throughout the course of the football game. In protection, you got a solid structure of what we were seeing, a lot of drop-eights. So, in some ways, you had a lot of double teams, two double teams working up front. We will find out more about them in pass protection this week. The front we are going to see from Pittsburgh is one of the better that we will see throughout the course of the season, a veteran group that plays extremely hard and can get after the quarterback, as well. Defensively, as far as just pressure, I thought we were able to apply some pressure, but we weren’t able to get home. Some of that was the structure of what they were doing, their concepts, getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands extremely quickly and then the protections that they were using. I thought overall up front, there were a lot of positives that we wanted to see from them.”
On how Pitt’s defensive line compares to the SEC teams…
“This is a veteran group that plays extremely hard, and they are physically mature. They play with great technique. The structure of their defense, I don’t care what personnel grouping or what formation you are playing in, they are going to load it up and play with extra bodies in there. They make it difficult to run the football. You guys know , for us offensively, it starts with our ability to run the football, so that will be a pivotal part of the football game.”
On the performances of Warren Burrell and Christian Charles against Ball State…
“Those guys got a bulk of the work out on the perimeter. I thought they did a really nice job with the mixture of our coverages and the 50-50 balls they played pretty well down the sideline. I liked what I saw from them, obviously this week, out on the perimeter, we will see some guys that will be a bigger test for us.”
On the receiving group as a whole…
“Overall, excited about what they put on video for the first week. The guys that had played were really consistent. Cedric Tillman mainly, and I thought Jalin Hyatt did a really nice job while he was in there. Obviously, first play of the football game he was able to get in the end zone. The young guys inside our program, from Bru McCoy to the guys who have been here for a year, I thought handled themselves in a better way than they had a year ago. You could see some of their growth. There are things within what we are doing that we will need to perform at a higher level and be more consistent, this week in particular. These guys are going to play a bunch of press-man on the outside, and you’ve got to win 1-on-1s here.”
On his evaluation of the Pittsburgh defense…
“They gave up a couple of big runs, just misfit a couple of things, but overall they make it extremely difficult. Their front four are strong, physical, athletic. Their ability to get to the quarterback on normal downs, but then on third downs, too. They’ll try to scheme you up. They’re veteran on the outside. We’ve seen these guys a couple of the last times we’ve played them, and it’ll be a big test for us offensively.”
On the challenges of facing a quarterback new to the system, such as Pitt starter Kedon Slovis…
“I think just as much as anything, they have the ability to be different than what they’ve shown on tape. That can be in week one, or it can be what they’ve done at a previous stop. I thought he played pretty efficient throughout the course of the evening. For us, we have to be able to adjust during the course of the ball game to what we see, communicate on the sidelines and communicate those things out on the football field when we see them. We have to be disciplined. We have to do a great job in the run game, we have to smash it.”
On if he has any staff members alerting him on when to challenge a call…
“You try to in today’s game. Sometimes, you have to make a judgment call before, just because the team might be playing with tempo and you have to make a decision beforehand. You’re communicating with the side judges as well, as far as whether it’s being reviewed up top or not.”
On Jimmy Holiday’s performance vs. Ball State…
“He operated really efficient and got himself lined up, understood coverages on the back end. I was able to catch him running a little bit on a perimeter screen. Obviously, the dig route that he was able to score a touchdown on was a big play for him and for us. He’s somebody that just continues to get better inside of our system and really just fundamentally, having played that position for a very short amount of time—having played quarterback and transitioning outside. Saw him show up in special teams, too. That’s something they did a year ago, but he’s a better player on those units right now than he was at that time. I expect him to continue to grow and to have a huge impact inside of our program.”
On Kamal Hadden’s evaluation and the rotation at cornerback…
“Some of that might play out game-to-game during the course of it, just the flow of the football game. But anticipate all those guys playing a lot of snaps. Kamal did a really nice job. You mentioned him having a short amount of time in training camp. Since he’s come back, he’s handled himself and grown in a great way. He handled himself really mature while he was out, took it upon himself to kind of act like a coach and essentially give a report card to coach (Willie) Martinez on some of the guys during the course of practice. I think that kept him engaged in understanding what we’re doing. Performed really well the other night. Obviously, everybody saw the pick, but I thought he did the things that we were asking him to in some trap corner situations, coming up and being physical. A lot of positives.”
On Juwan Mitchell’s availability and Aaron Beasley’s growth over the last year…
“I thought the backers as a whole, in particular the first string of guys that got action, played fast, played physical, had their eyes in the right place and tackled well. Beasley played extremely well. I thought you could see him, just his growth from a year ago to who he was on the football field on Thursday night. Really liked a lot of what we saw from him. Juwan’s ability to be able to be healthy enough to play for us, we’ll find out here at the end of the week.”
On Jabari Small’s offseason work paying off…
“For Jabari, the work that he’s put in—that’s physically changing his body to understanding what we’re doing—that does give him more confidence. Absolutely does. You saw that play out a little bit on Thursday night, the ability to break some arm tackles. Going to need that consistently throughout the course of the season from him.”
On what he can apply from last year’s game against Pitt to the upcoming matchup…
“Last year’s ball game, yeah we can take away things. One, personnel. Some guys are different, but some of them are the same, so you have a better understanding of who they are against some of our personnel. The other thing is just understanding the type of game that’s going to be played, meaning that they’re smart, tough and competitive. The little things are going to add up to the big things that show up on the scoreboard, and we have to do a great job at taking care of the football. We have to find a way to create turnovers. Special teams will be a huge part of the football game. Field position is as well and maximizing our opportunities.”
On managing expectations after a strong first week…
“Last week has nothing to do with this coming week. A year ago has nothing to do with what’s going to happen this week. To perform the right way, you have to prepare the right way. That’s in the film room and making sure we’re getting an edge on that side of it, preparing for it, practicing in a great way and then be ready to go and compete.”
On what he saw from special teams Thursday night…
“Some really good things from our cover units, there are some things we have to get better at, too. Some young guys performed really well, some other guys have to be better with their fundamentals and technique – (it’s their) first live action. So, it’s an opportunity from week one to week two to really grow. That can happen for all our guys, veterans and coaches included, but certainly for our young guys.”
On Dylan Sampson performing in the game as he had done in practice…
“I thought he matched the things he had been doing in practice. He was able to take that to the football game and translate it. The bright lights, the energy, all of it. The stage wasn’t too big for him in any way.”
On appreciating the confidence of Jalin Hyatt and Tamarion McDonald as they have grown…
“Absolutely. Those are two guys that are great examples of guys that put in work and put themselves in a position to maximize opportunities when they present themselves and did that on the first two plays for the offense and for the defense. I expect those guys to continue to do that throughout the course of the year.”
On what makes Hendon Hooker such a threat in the passing game…
“He would tell you, and I would tell you too, that happens because of the guys on the perimeter finding ways to get open and the guys up front doing a great job in protection. He is someone that is continued to grow as far as understanding what we’re doing. His ability to be in the right place, so that he is finding the 1-on-1, man-to-man, or in zone coverage, finding the right area to attack, gives him the ability to get it into the playmaker’s hands. He’s smart, he’s competitive and he’s consistent in his work habits, I expect that to continue to grow as he is here this year.”
On the tight end targets in the opener…
“It’s just the way it unfolded during the course of that ball game. You look back at a year ago, there’s times where they end up with a bunch of targets and some games where it just doesn’t unfold that way as we try to attack defensive structure and personnel.”
On the speed and tempo of the offense…
“When we are able to play with tempo, we want to play with tempo. I thought the other night we were pretty efficient in handling that. We had no pre-snap penalties, we were in the right alignment for the most part. I thought guys were able to communicate and get lined up in a really good way, for the new guys that came into our program. A year ago for the new guys – which was everybody in game one, versus this past week – it was drastically different in the way they were able to handle it.”
On Joshua Josephs…
“Fast, long and explosive on the edge. I thought he did a nice job in the reps he got. That’s fitting the run and trying to apply some pressure to the quarterback. He’s a young guy that’s going to continue to grow inside of what we’re doing. I expect him to have a big role throughout the course of the year.”
On the safeties and defend the middle of the field…
“It’s difficult to defend depending on the structure of what you’re playing and managing your scheme against what you’re seeing during the course of a football game. Those two guys (Jaylen McCollough and Trevon Flowers) are probably some of the more mature guys inside of our program, when you talk about the two starting safeties. We will rotate at those positions, it won’t be 50-50, but they’ll see the bulk of the work.”
Senior OL Jerome Carvin
On if it is easy to get up for big game early in season…
“I think it’s definitely possible. Especially the group that we’re going against. We all know them pretty well from playing against them last year. Just watching them, they’re a tough group. Their whole team plays together. They are experienced. A lot of older guys on their team. They won’t beat themselves. They won’t make a lot of mistakes. (We) have to be mentally locked in and focused going into the ball game. We really got to play really hard. We have got to play over their intensity, not match them, but play over them.”
On Pitt’s defense…
“They’re really disciplined up front. They get after you, definitely in the pass (game). Run game, they are a stout group. Like I said earlier, linebackers like to fit up. Man, they are coached really well. We have to be on our P’s and Q’s. We have to be able to communicate well with each other up front, as well as with the tight ends and (running) backs, whether that’s in pass protection, putting hats on hats in the run game, allowing them to pick up lengths so running backs can hit it. Huge week, tough week for us. This is a huge opportunity. We got a bad taste in our mouth from last year. Can’t wait to go out there and play.”
On biggest takeaway from Ball State game…
“Biggest takeaway is just keep playing physical. Especially for this week as well because you’re going against a big group, physical group. Keep playing physical. Stay mentally focused. Stay mentally locked in. It’s huge. Especially with how fast we go. Got to be putting guys on the right guys. That will be big for this week.”
Junior RB Jabari Small
On the Ball State game…
“I thought we did a good job of playing with our hair on fire, enjoying the atmosphere, seeing the fans and enjoying the crowd. For me personally, I ran the ball pretty hard. I can always clean up on some reads. I maybe missed some cuts, and I need to get vertical. I was pleased with how the offensive line, Hendon (Hooker), the receivers and the whole team played. It was fun being out there again.”
On difference playing with 15 pounds of added weight…
“Mainly, it was with my confidence. I was pretty confident running the ball, running through tackles and running through smoke. It felt good. I felt good getting my feet back under me (and) catching my wind. As the season goes on, we’ll meet different challenges. Hopefully, I’ll grow with the season.”
On if the team looks back at the Pittsburgh game to notice things they did well and can improve on…
“One hundred percent. They’re a good team. They have a lot of returning players on defense. They play physical. We are very familiar with the defense, but they’re a different team and we are a different team. We have to play the game and roll with the punches.”
-UT Athletics
