KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After an emphatic rivalry win over No. 6 Kentucky on Saturday night, No. 13 Tennessee continues its November stretch run with another challenging test at one of the country’s toughest road venues as it gets set to take on a talented Texas A&M at Kyle Field this weekend.
This Saturday’s showdown against the Aggies will mark just the second time the two programs have faced off in Bryan-College Station as they will do so at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Vols will be looking to notch their first win at Kyle Field after dropping a double-overtime thriller, 45-38, during their only other visit there back in 2016.
Despite having an up and down season to this point, Texas A&M has been tough to beat at home, boasting a 4-1 record at Kyle Field this year.
“They’re talented in every phase of the game,” head coach Josh Heupel said during his Monday press conference. “They’ve lost some tough games. You look at the way they played last week on offense, 460 yards of offense. It’s a really good football team. It’ll be a great environment. Been there before and it will take us being at our best.”
Vols Rising in the Polls
Following last Saturday’s convincing 34-6 victory over the Wildcats, Tennessee moved up four spots to No. 9 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Currently sitting at No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Vols are expected to make a jump in that poll as well when the updated rankings are revealed on Tuesday night.
A full transcript of Heupel’s Monday press conference can be seen below.
Head Coach Josh Heupel Transcript (Nov. 9)
Opening statement…
“Good afternoon. Guys were in this morning and had an opportunity to learn a lot from the tape and push forward to A&M, getting ready to go play a really good football team. They’re talented in every phase of the game. They’ve lost some tough games. You look at the way that they played last week on offense, 460 yards of offense. Alabama a couple weeks ago, they got the lead at the end of the third quarter. It’s a really good football team. It’ll be a great environment. Been there before and it will take us being at our best.”
On his assessment of the passing game as the season has progressed…
“There’s a lot left out there for us. We missed some shots the other night. (George MacIntyre) played efficiently during the course of the football game. We have to hit on some of those things and improve in that area. It’s everybody: it’s the quarterback, it’s the wideouts, it’s the tight ends, it’s protection. All those pieces have to come together as we continue to grow, but we have continued to take steps in that way.”
On Faizon Brandon’s performance against Kentucky…
“Some of the situational stuff that we were able to use him in created first downs. He was a major part of that. Explosive run, or pass, to (Mike Matthews). It gives the defense another thing to prepare for. But those things work because of the execution, you know? The quarterback and the 10 other guys around him too.”
On dealing with injuries throughout the season in a nine-game SEC schedule and Tyree Weathersby’s injury against Kentucky…
“A ninth game inside of this league, the totality of the season inside of this league, absolutely aware of it. You want to get your guys prepared to go play well, but physically, they’ve got to be in a great spot to go play well, as well. So, you’re balancing all of those things. I hate it for Tyree. He’s played extremely well. He’s worked extremely hard and was playing his best football. I know he’ll bounce back from it, but obviously, a huge bump in the road for him.”
On how the staff decides when to rotate an inexperienced player or keep a veteran on the field…
“It’s kind of like being a sports beat writer. They’re either prepared for their moment or they’re not.”
On his assessment on the defense covering pass-catching tight ends…
“You’re always going to see good tight ends in this league. Playing at this level of football, you’re able to recruit special players at that position, and they’re hard to find. Length, size, athleticism, ability to play in the core. Some of those things are just eyes on the snap, being on their keys. We’ve defended it extremely well at times. We gave up a couple of plays in this last one. One of them, we just have to play the ball.”
On Jeremiah Telander’s growth in the Jim Knowles system…
“Well, I think Jim is able to take advantage of the skill sets of our players. That comes in a lot of different forms and fashions. But Telander’s smart, tough, relentless competitor. Has developed a skill set to do multiple things: play second level, be up on the first level. He’s got great command of what we’re doing defensively and been a huge part of a lot of our success.”
On capitalizing in the red zone against Texas A&M…
“They’ve got really good personnel. As the field constricts, windows get tighter. They’re good against the run, they’re big, physical, they do a good job of fitting things, and you have to be efficient down there.”
On Jordan Norman or Mariyon Dye stepping into a bigger role…
“Those two guys, we have great trust in. They’ve played extremely well. There will be some young guys that have to step up as well.”
On what stood out on younger defensive linemen’s film from the Kentucky game…
“Young guys are continuing to get better. They have a great skill set, length, athleticism, power. They’re fundamentally and technically getting better. (Rodney Garner) has done a good job of continuing to grow those guys throughout the course of the season. They’re more comfortable in what we’re doing schematically, more time on task, and have taken greater ownership of it.”
On Donovan Haslam’s progress throughout the season…
“Donovan’s big, powerful, heavy-handed. He’s able to get out of his hips and create movement. I showed a clip today, third and short. Him and (Sam Pendleton) working together and denting the defensive line right in the middle of it. Donovan’s continued to grow and get better. He was playing really good football early in training camp. Got nicked up, missed a little bit of time. Continued to grow here as he’s gotten more opportunities. There’s still more meat on the bone for him too, and being purposeful in the way he prepares and practices has helped him.”
On Hezekiah Harris’ development on the defensive line…
“Guy that’s grown on special teams. He’s gotten his first taste of football that way, and throughout the course of the season, whether it’s one-on-one pass rush, it’s offense, defense, good on good, he’s just continued to grow. He’s become more mature in the way that he approaches every rep every single day, and that leads itself to you growing as a player and earning trust from your coaches and from your peers.”
On DeSean Bishop’s ability to be a consistent rusher…
“DeSean’s a great player. What he’s done with his body since he arrived this offseason. How he takes care of it during the course of the week and gets ready for game day is a major part of why he does get stronger throughout the course of the football game. There’s a couple of cuts early in the football game that DeSean and some of our other backs missed, but DeSean is tough, smart, and does a great job getting his pads down. He made people miss in the hole. That four-minute drive, that happens because of his skill set.”
On cornerbacks Ty Redmond and Kayin Lee…
“Two guys that I feel like are still continuing to grow inside the scope of what we’re doing defensively. I mentioned it a week ago: Ty does a great job on the deep ball, not panicking, plays patient when he’s beat off the line of scrimmage; plays through the wide receiver’s hands. (Kayin Lee) has made a ton of big plays for us. At the end of the day, they’re playing really well inside of the scope of what we’re doing defensively. They’re playing with a physical presence as well. Ty had a big perimeter screen, blew it up on third down, that forces a fourth down, where we’re able to get off the field. I think AC (Arion Carter) had a sack on the next play. So, they’re doing a really good job in coverage, continuing to grow and have a physical presence on the field.”
On freshman tight end Luca Wolf earning an opportunity…
“With (Ethan Davis) going down early in the year, his growth was important to us. It’s important for us down the stretch that he’s able to go play an extremely high level of football. We do have trust in him. That’s in the run game. It’s in pass protection. It’s running routes. I’d like him to have a little bit better ball security during the finish of that play, but he plays hard and is able to make plays.”
On freshman receivers TK Keys and Tyreek King…
“Those guys have gotten some play during the course of some of the ball games. Maybe not as much last week. Just how it played out. They’re continuing to grow, getting better every day. They’ve gotten better in their preparation. There’s still some areas that they have to continue to grow to become a seasoned vet, too.”
