KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Questions of Tennessee looking ahead were answered, and answered quickly, Saturday night inside of Neyland Stadium when the second-ranked Vols thrashed then-No. 19 Kentucky, 44-6. The Volunteers returned to Anderson Training Center Monday morning, beginning their buildup towards a battle on the road at top-ranked Georgia.
Both sides of the ball were on point as the offense capitalized on opportunities, the defense was stout and had a tremendous showing in pass coverage and special teams forced the issue, most notably in punt return.
With the result in the rear-view, the Vols (8-0, 4-0 SEC) have snapped their focus to the next challenge, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0). It is challenges like these head coach Josh Heupel and his team have been preparing for, and they don’t take the opportunity lightly.
“You can win a game with confidence because you have paid the price, you have worked, you have prepared to go out and play the right way,” Heupel said in his Monday afternoon press conference. “Both teams I am sure are confident and should be. For us this week, preparation is going to be key. They are really good. You have to understand their schemes, that is important. The personnel, the battles within the battle, are going to be really important. The line of scrimmage is going to be important. It is a physical game out on the perimeter too, so on both sides of the ball, you have to match that.”
One of the biggest positives from Saturday was the defensive secondary. The Vols limited potential first round draft pick Will Levis to just 98 yards passing and snared three interceptions in the game. It was an all-around showing and one that is looking to build off a strong showing.
“You’ve heard me say it: good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the year,” Heupel continued. “That happens as a unit, but that happens because individuals take steps. We continue to get better. We have great coaches back there. Coach (Tim) Banks and Coach (Willie) Martinez do a great job in the classroom with those guys. We’ll continue to grow. Last week, we were healthier than we were the week before. I feel like this week will be the healthiest that we’ve been in a while.”
Tennessee’s surge onto the national stage is new and fresh, but the doubt and adversity members of the squad have been through is a big reason why they continue to perform at such a high-level day-in and day-out.
“A lot of guys just have a lot of talent and have so much to prove and so much to show,” redshirt-senior quarterback Hendon Hooker said at the podium Monday morning. “We have a lot of ambition as well. Going out there and playing with a chip on our shoulder day in and day out. We just always feel like we have something to prove and that just fuels us to go work hard every day.”
Going on the road to Athens, Ga. presents a unique test in its own right. Tennessee has already faced two ranked opponents on the road, Pitt and LSU, and that ground work will continue to pay dividends as the stakes increase.
“Very excited, very excited,” senior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin said. “You’re in the SEC, every time you play on the road it’s going to be a tough environment in this conference. Really excited to go down there and play. All the guys are ready to rock and roll. We’re excited. Still have to keep a level head, got to remain focused. Even with all the distractions, like I said from the crowd. We should still be good, still be mentally focused, mentally locked in and be ready to play, so excited.”
The Vols and Bulldogs are set to square off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS in Athens. ESPN College GameDay will also be on site, highlighting the matchup between the top two teams in the country. It is UT’s third appearance on the show this season.
A full transcript and video from head coach Josh Heupel, redshirt-senior quarterback Hendon Hooker, junior defensive lineman Omari Thomas and senior offensive lineman Jerome Carvin’s Monday media availabilities can be found below.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Oct. 31, 2022
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
“Hope everybody is doing great. Happy Halloween to everybody. Hope everybody has a great night, a safe night. Obviously looking forward to this week, playing a great opponent. They have great personnel in all three phases of the game and are well-coached. Huge test for us, and looking forward to the week.”
On the importance of confidence going into the game…
“You can win a game with confidence because you have paid the price, you have worked, you have prepared to go out and play the right way. Both teams I am sure are confident and should be. For us this week, preparation is going to be key. They are really good. You have to understand their schemes, that is important. The personnel, the battles within the battle, are going to be really important. The line of scrimmage is going to be important. It is a physical game out on the perimeter too, so on both sides of the ball, you have to match that.”
On convincing the team that they are capable of winning every week…
“I haven’t convinced them. They have convinced themselves. We talked about a team of hope, a team of belief. We were on that spectrum a year ago. Because of our work habits—not just during training camp or during the season—but the work habits since we get back last January, there is an expectation within our locker room. You pair that with good leadership inside of the locker room, staff and players that are connected, that compete hard every single day, you put yourself in a position to go play good football and try to fight and find a way to be on the plus side of the scoreboard when you walk off the field.”
On generating big plays in the passing game at UT and during his time at UCF…
“We did it at a previous stop (Missouri) when we were inside of this league before that too. It takes all of those pieces. The scheme is putting your players in a position to be successful. I think we always ask the question, what can our players do? Individually, what can they do at a really high level? And let’s put them in a position to do that. Then, your players have to be able to go out and perform and execute. That’s understanding your job, it’s off-season training. It’s understanding defenses on the offensive side of the ball for us. Then, you put your quarterback in a position to be accurate with the football.”
On graduated players having extra time around the facility…
“Those guys are still in class loads. It’s not like they are not. They are handling the academic side of it. You get into a master’s program, you take fewer hours. The master’s program is more difficult too in some respects. I think the maturity of all of those guys has helped, just in the balancing act of what it is to be a college student-athlete, from academics to social life to the football side of it. The maturity of those guys knowing how to handle the ups and downs, how to compete every single day, how to be consistent in your behaviors, your energy, and your focus, absolutely. You have heard me say it a bunch, good football teams have really good leadership, and great football teams have great leadership inside the locker room.”
On Georgia’s tight ends and the challenge they present…
“Obviously, those guys are hugely involved in everything that they are doing. They do a good job in the run game, but then the play-action pass, the boots, the movements, the shots, using them on reverses, all of those things. Eye discipline is extremely important inside of your defense—first, second and third levels. It is a huge test for us. Their athleticism creates a lot of explosive (plays) for them.”
On Georgia’s defensive performance in last season’s matchup…
“Their personnel is really good, and they are this year too. There are some things that we did too. In games like this, situational football, third downs, fourth downs are going to be critical in the way the game ultimately ends up playing out throughout the course of the game. We have to do a better job in a lot of those situations, offensively and defensively.”
On Darnell Wright’s success this season…
“It is the purpose he has had inside the building. Another year of maturity for him, just in football understanding, but also just who he is and how he approaches the practice field or approaches the weight room. He has been very intentional and has gained another year of strength, so his power, his athleticism shows up in a different way than it did a year ago—and it was a really good year a year ago too. You put all those pieces together, and it lends itself to him playing at the level that he is.”
On Glen Elarbee‘s influence on the offensive line…
“Glen is a huge part of what we do offensively. He is smart, has a great mind and is a fantastic teacher. Inside of the meeting room, his ability to help all of those guys grow in their football IQ, in their football understanding, understanding our schemes, and then fundamentally develop is why that group has been consistently recognized within our conference for individual play, but collectively as a group too. If you are going to be good on offense, you have got to be good up front. For us, the run game is where it starts. Glen’s ability to connect and get that group to become one. The offensive line unit is a really unique unit. You have to have guys that are selfless, that typically don’t get a ton of praise, but they also have to operate five guys as one. Their ability to be connected, be a group that loves being around each other, that loves being in that room, speaks to Coach Elarbee’s ability to create a real cohesive unit.”
On the offense’s ability to adjust to different defensive schemes…
“That’s always going to happen. Sometimes, with what we do, it happens more frequently. It starts with Coach (Alex) Golesh’s ability to see things up top. Our staff, just having been in this together for as long as we have. Coach (Glen) Elarbee and I are on our third stop together. I think this is year seven. Coach (Joey) Halzle and I have been together for over a decade. He played for me. Coach (Kelsey) Pope being in year two and Coach (Jerry) Mack being in year two, all lends itself to us thinking the same way, being slightly different, bringing in new ideas, but also on gameday, being able to adjust to what we’re seeing.”
On what stands out about Georgia’s defense on film…
“They’re athletic. They can run on all three levels. They’re physical on all three levels. They don’t have any busts. They play their assignments extremely well. They make you earn it. It’s a great test for us. You’re going to have to win one-on-ones. That’s out on the perimeter. That’s on the offensive line in the trenches. You have to be able to sustain drives.”
On matching up with Georgia tight end Brock Bowers…
“That matchup changes because of where they position him. They do a great job of moving him around. You have to identify him in all of the different formations that you’re going to get from them. You have to have great eye discipline from them too, because of the play action pass and their ability to uniquely get those guys—him in particular—into situations where they create grass for him. You have to be able to handle the run game too. All of those things play off of that. The line of scrimmage will be vitally important in this, but you have to know where he’s at all night long.”
On the secondary’s improvement this season…
“You’ve heard me say it: good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the year. That happens as a unit, but that happens because individuals take steps. We continue to get better. We have great coaches back there. Coach (Tim) Banks and Coach (Willie) Martinez do a great job in the classroom with those guys. We’ll continue to grow. Last week, we were healthier than we were the week before. I feel like this week will be the healthiest that we’ve been in a while.”
On Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter and the impact he can have…
“He’s athletic and disruptive. He’s great on third downs rushing the passer. He’s explosive, dynamic and changes the way the game is played. If you watch the video when he’s healthy, that’s on normal downs too. With the versatility from him, he can be a problem.”
On how Hendon Hooker fits the system and when the coaching staff saw that… “I think Hendon’s development since we got here is a great story too. As a leader, especially this offseason, just being comfortable and confident in his own skin. But, from the first day we got here or the first day of spring ball to who he is now, just fundamentally completely changed in who he is. Platform in the pocket, the ability to subtly move in the pocket, find the soft spot, keep his eyes down the field, be in a good position, deliver the football. His motion has become way more consistent, which has allowed his accuracy to improve. But then you pair that with his football IQ, understanding of what we’re doing and then understanding defenses at a completely different level than when we first got here, has allowed him to be extremely decisive and his eyes are in the right place, that takes him to his reading progression. Now you pair that with his fundamentals taking another jump in his game, and he’s become a guy that’s operating as highly and as effectively as anybody in the country.”
On preparing the offense for a hostile crowd… “For sure. Great environments, that’s why you come coach and play in this league. You want to be in big time games, and there’s something unique about being on the road and facing that type of environment too. It’s fun and exciting. So, we’ll practice with crowd noise like we do. When we’re at home, we practice it as well, we just do it with the defense because they have to learn to communicate through it. So, we’ll try to prepare for that and be ready to handle it. We obviously know that it’ll be a great environment.”
On Cedric Tillman’s return and his assessment… “I think you can see what it meant to him to be back on the field with his teammates. After his first or second catch, you could see the emotion come out. I thought he played extremely well, just watching him run out there. He was fluid, natural, playing at full speed, really liked what he did. Obviously, we had a plan to practice him for a couple weeks full speed before he got on the field. Kind of had a pitch count on him this past week. He’ll be ready to roll this week.”
On Stetson Bennett and his growth from last season… “Confidence, from just the first time that he got on the field to who he is now. Complete confidence, command in what they are doing offensively. He has great playmakers around him, does a great job of distributing the ball. I think he’s undervalued in some respects with his feet. He’s explosive, he’s twitchy. When it’s not right in the pocket, he extends plays. That can be him throwing on scrambles, but also him tucking the ball and making plays. He made a couple against us last year that changed the game. You have to do a great job of bottling him up.”
R-Senior QB Hendon Hooker
On if team is driven by the adversity they’ve gone through…
“Yeah, I do agree with that. A lot of guys just have a lot of talent and have so much to prove and so much to show. We have a lot of ambition as well. Going out there and playing with a chip on our shoulder day in and day out. We just always feel like we have something to prove and that just fuels us to go work hard every day.”
On how he has evolved as a leader…
“I’ve grown just from learning. Learning experiences and being put in different situations and knowing how to build relationships and knowing how to talk to different individuals in a way that will help them or motivate them to get what we need to get done and help them throughout the job. They help me with my job. It’s a two-way road from being a leader and communicating at a high level. You have to understand where people are coming from in different situations. Just having an understanding of my teammates and the family here at Tennessee has helped me elevate my leadership process.”
On Georgia’s defense and similarities to Alabama in the back seven…
“It all comes down to guys that are out there being coachable. As you can see, they have some great coaches behind them, and they play extremely hard. That’s something that you can’t teach. The effort and attitude and toughness that they bring to the game is immaculate and that’s what SEC football is about. This is the top brand of football. It’s one the reasons that we came to the schools that we chose. That’s what we want to be in, being top competitors in the game of football. From a scheme standpoint, they play a lot of similar things. They communicate the same way. So, expecting to get certain looks from one school to the other is normal.”
Junior DL Omari Thomas
On how much the offensive and defensive line take pride in their play this season…
“We take pride in it every day. We come in, offensive line and defensive line, we are always going against each other every day in practice. We hone in on just being able to coach each other. So, different things like going against players in practice, going against Jerome (Carvin), or things like that, he is coaching me up on things he sees from me. I’m coaching him up on different things I see from him. We can always help each other and just continue to get better as an offensive line and defensive line.”
On the importance of containing Georgia QB Stetson Bennett…
“I feel like that is something that is not really talked about a lot. We know that he is able to use his legs and use his arm. He is a great quarterback. He makes plays. He is someone on the team that gets Georgia going and we know that he is a winner. He wants to win. He led them last year (to a national championship) and I know he wants to repeat. He is just really focused on this season. I could tell that they are just a good team, a really good team. He is a part of that. So, we just really have to hone in on keeping him in the pocket and being able to affect him.”
On the defensive unit…
“The defensive unit, like I said, we come in every day (to work). We don’t expect anything from outside noise or things like that. We just come in every day focusing on what we have to do, trying to get better. We believe in each other, our coaches believe in us, (the) offense believes in us just like we believe in them. It all works hand in hand that we all are just continuing to pull our end of the bargain and do what we have to do to get better.”
Senior OL Jerome Carvin
On what winning big games does for the belief in the locker room…
“Kind of piggybacking off of Big O (Omari Thomas), it starts in the offseason. That was our big thing going into the offseason. That’s the big thing Coach Heupel preached about, expecting to win. It’s games in the SEC. You’re going to play tough teams, you’re going to play ranked teams, you’re going to play teams that are going to be highly ranked. It’s all about your preparation, it’s all about your work ethic. All your preparation man – when things don’t go right, when you face adversity, you lean back on the preparation that you put in. As long as our preparation is good, we’ll be fine. That’s kind of what we preach here.”
On first impression of Hendon Hooker…
“When Hendon (Hooker) first got here, you could tell he was a natural leader. Wasn’t as vocal as you would want, but he’s a leader. You saw the qualities, you saw the abilities of a leader in him. Just seeing it keep developing, keep elevating as his journey moves on here at Tennessee, it’s amazing to see. Like I say all the time, he’s an exciting player to watch. I got to get out of that (fan mindset), you got to go block for this guy. Just seeing him do that, seeing him lead the whole team, see the guys, their eyes light up when they see him talk. What he says, you’re going to listen to him. It’s great to see. He’s a great leader, he’s a great player and even better person off the field. We love Hendon. He’s going to continue to be there for us and we love him.”
On going into a hostile environment at Georgia…
“Very excited, very excited. You’re in the SEC, every time you play on the road it’s going to be a tough environment in this conference. Really excited to go down there and play. All the guys are ready to rock and roll. We’re excited. Still have to keep a level head, got to remain focused. Even with all the distractions, like I said from the crowd. We should still be good, still be mentally focused, mentally locked in and be ready to play, so excited.”
-UT Athletics
