KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following an all-around 40-13 victory at No. 25 LSU, the sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers returned to Anderson Training Center Monday morning to begin prep for a top-10 showdown with No. 3/1 Alabama, who comes to Rocky Top on Saturday.
The excitement and buzz for the game is building around the country. ESPN College GameDay announced that it was making its return to Knoxville Saturday morning, coming for the second time in as many home games. With so much noise around the program, members of the team have been able to keep perspective and understand what is important, focusing on the task at hand.
“We really just take it as a grain of salt, not getting too high, not getting too low, just staying even-keeled and making sure we’re doing our job every day,” redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker said.
That is a feeling that is reiterated by his head coach. Control what you can control, that is the message coach Josh Heupel has told his team. Trust in the preparation that gets you to the field.
“The expectations that we should be concerned about are our own expectations,” Heupel said in his press conference Monday afternoon. “The reason our kids have gotten and continue to build and get better is because they’ve paid attention to the things that matter. This week, we have to prepare the right way. We have to practice well, and the playing part of it will take care of itself. The outside noise has no bearing on how we play. Let’s go compete and be our best on gameday.”
Heupel is proud of what his team put on the field down in Baton Rouge. It is a collective effort among guys who want to play for each other, and that is what winning programs are built on.
“We were playing well,” Heupel said. “That’s what it comes down to, so it’s not about me. We have a full locker room of 125 guys and a great staff. The way that we have continued to grow, the way that we continue to compete, strive to get better; it’s why we are playing the way we are. We have to have a great week this week.”
Tennessee and Alabama are set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS. 2023 season tickets are also on sale now and can be purchased at AllVols.com.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
“Obviously, this is why you come to Tennessee and want to be in this league. You have a big-time matchup this weekend. Really excited. (College) GameDay, SEC Nation, the environment that will be here on Saturday, really excited about that. Our players have earned the right to be able to get to this point, to play a game like this. Preparation is going to be critical in this one. Alabama is really good. Offense, defense, special teams, they have really good personnel in all three phases of the game. It will obviously be a huge test for us, but our players are excited. This morning was good preparation. Need to have a great week of practice and get ready to play our best football.”
On his messaging to the team about handling outside expectations…
“The expectations that we should be concerned about are our own expectations. The reason our kids have gotten and continue to build and get better is because they’ve paid attention to the things that matter. This week. we have to prepare the right way. We have to practice well, and the playing part of it will take care of itself. The outside noise has no bearing on how we play. Let’s go compete and be our best on gameday.”
On Alabama linebacker Will Anderson…
“Long, athletic, he’s disruptive in the run game too. In the pass game, he has the ability to play on an edge and cause havoc. Between their personnel being good enough to win a lot of one-on-one matchups, then all their pressures and all their games up front, you have to do a really good job in one-on-one matchups, and then you have to do a great job working together as all five guys.”
On the progression of the four-minute drill in the fourth quarter…
“I like that we continue to get better. I told our players today, and I said it at the end of last week too, our practices on the playing surface were really good last week. We continue to get better, which is what good teams do throughout the course of the season. Their focus, their urgency, their energy are all things that led to us playing the way that we did last Saturday. Points of emphasis that our coaching staff has every single week, being critical of yourself, continuing to challenge yourself and grow, take coaching, has allowed us to continue to grow. The four-minute drill, really excited about the amount of time we were able to chew up and eat on the clock. Still want to go finish that drive too and punch it in, but there were a lot of positives during the course of that drive. Physicality, playing with technique, our running backs doing a really good job, too.”
On if he has an update to Jaylen McCollough’s status…
“No, I don’t. We learned of it really late yesterday. As we gather more information, I’ll have more for you.”
On special teams stepping up against LSU… ]
“Two huge plays early in that football game. (Will Brooks) being able to scoop that fumble up on the sideline, I don’t think anybody understands how difficult of a play that is. To be running full speed, have the ball come out last second right on the sideline, be able to stay in, focus, catch it, get down and get hit. It’s a great play by him. The punt return was a huge play too. Great to see (Dee Williams) out there. We’ve talked about him, I’ve talked about him, have great trust and belief in him. For him to go out and do it right away, was awesome to see for him and the 10 other guys on that unit. Special teams is going to be critical in this one. Field position is critical. Obviously, what they’re doing with their punt returner is special, and we have to do a great job on all of our cover units.”
On Cedric Tillman’s status…
“Cedric is doing good. This is part of the reason why he had the surgery, is to try to be back for this one. He is continuing to progress over the weekend, so we will monitor him. At the end day, like I said last week, our medical team and Cedric will make the right decision for him, now and in the future too.”
On the team’s flexibility at strong safety…
“We feel good about the guys that have played at that position. We have flexibility in the secondary. The guys have been trained to play multiple positions. We will see as the week unfolds here, but I have great trust in all those guys.”
On what went into the opening kickoff against LSU and if the sun was a factor…
“The sun might have been a factor. Where it was at in the stadium was part of the decision process for us if we had won the coin flip. I can’t tell you what exactly was the reason why he didn’t catch it.”
On Gerald Mincey’s availability on Saturday and his status moving forward…
“He just wasn’t available. We anticipate him being ready to play in this one.”
On Jeremiah Crawford’s performance in his first start at left tackle…
“High level execution. He did a good job in the run game. Combinations working with the guard and some of his man blocking. He did a really nice job in pass protection, too. You saw how we didn’t change the way we played, the way we did anything. We have great trust in him.”
On Byron Young’s performance at LSU boosting his confidence…
“Sometimes as a pass rusher, you don’t always have control about the end result. You try to win your one-on-ones, win your games when you’re running with your interior guy. You try to apply pressure to the quarterback, but can’t always get home based on him getting rid of the football. (Byron) has been consistent, violent, disruptive, playing with speed, playing with great urgency, energy, and was able to get home. A couple of huge plays in the football game for us, changed the way the game was played. He has great confidence. He continues to get better. His best football is still way out in front of him. He is a young football player, but continuing to get better. His effort and how he is practicing is showing up in the way that he is playing.”
On defensive line development by coach Rodney Garner…
“Coach (Rodney Garner) and coach (Mike Ekeler) with those two (Dominic Bailey and Bryson Eason), those young players have really continued to grow. A lot of those guys that you talked about changed their attitude and the way they approach things. I’m talking about in the offseason. Because of those things, their purpose and the way that they practice every day is so different. Now, they’re gaining a bunch in just their level of play. They understand what we’re doing. They understand the why behind it more. They are playing with a lot better technique. Coach G has done a great job of developing these guys. There is a huge difference from us a year ago at this time to who are now up front across the board, just playing with great technique and understanding what we are doing. That is allowing our guys to be extremely disruptive, to be able to win one-on-ones in pass rush, but then also being able to make plays in the run game, snag off and be disruptive.”
On defending Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs this week…
“He’s explosive, so you know they are going to try to find ways to get the ball in his hands. In the run game, you are best to not let him get started. If he does, he has the ability to take it the distance. He has good vision and pace behind the line of scrimmage. When he sees a hole, he is able to hit it. He does a really good job of making people miss, too. He have to bottle him up in the run game, and then when they use him in the pass game too, you have got to do a great job at taking him away and matching him out.”
On challenges presented by Alabama QB Bryce Young…
“Bryce has played at an elite level for a long time. Arm talent, being able to be accurate with the football, and a great decision maker back there. The X-factor for him is his ability to move, extend and make plays outside of the pocket and inside the pocket. He does a good job of finding the soft spot in the pocket. When he escapes, he is a thrower first and finds guys if you don’t match them out when you are in zone coverage, and then has the ability to tuck it and make big plays too. He has the ability to put and apply pressure to you in all ways.”
On Alabama QB Jalen Milroe…
“Athletic and dynamic with the ball in his hands.”
On wide receivers winning one-on-one matchups…
“It’s a big part of creating explosive plays in the pass game. We have great trust in those guys, and obviously Hendon (Hooker) does too. We have been able to create a bunch of big plays. In this one, that has to be a part of the game too.”
On the mindset of the team going into playing Alabama…
“For us, it’s about us. We look back at last year and the things that we did that hurt Tennessee. Prepare in a great way, practice well, and that will lead you to kickoff. We don’t have to do anything extraordinary. We have to do the ordinary at a really high level, and then go lay it on the line and compete for 60 minutes.”
On opponents going for fourth-down conversions in an attempt to keep up with Tennessee’s offense, and if that gives the players confidence…
“I think our players have gained confidence because of the way that they continue to grow and the way they continue to play as much as anything. There are a lot of things that go into that. Our kids have been so much more consistent in their preparation, their habits and getting the kickoff the right way. That has to be the focus for us right now. Everybody in the program is excited about Saturday afternoon, and I know our fan base is too. The great thing about being a fan is you get to enjoy the week of just the buildup. As competitors, coaches and players, it’s about your routine, it’s about your habits, it’s about preparing the right way, and then we will be ready to play.”
On his assessment of Alabama’s defense…
“Yeah, typical. Great personnel. They are long. They are athletic at all positions. They are physical in their front seven. The ability to run sideline to sideline, which can cover things up. And then scheme wise, you have to be able to handle everything from them. You know what I mean? That’s front variations, that’s coverage. You have to be in sync with your front. That’s in your run game, that’s in your pass protection, and your wideouts and quarterbacks have to see the secondary the right way. Great test for us. They are a really good football team on that side of the ball and all three phases too, but it’s one that we are excited about.”
On LSU head coach Brian Kelly stating he was outcoached during Saturday’s game…
“We were playing well. That’s what it comes down to, so it’s not about me. We have a full locker room of 125 guys and a great staff. The way that we have continued to grow, the way that we continue to compete, strive to get better; it’s why we are playing the way we are. We have to have a great week this week.”
RS-Senior QB Hendon Hooker
On managing the outside noise about the program…
“This is actually one of my first years where I haven’t deleted social media off my phone during the game week just because I kind of need it for business purposes. But we really just take it as a grain of salt, not getting too high, not getting too low, just staying even keeled and making sure we’re doing our job every day.”
On the Condredge Holloway short he wore following the LSU game…
“Yeah, you know, just wanted to pay homage to one of the greats. I showed his son – his son is one of the equipment managers – so I showed his son, and he was like, ‘yeah, I know that guy.’ It was a cool little joke there. Yeah, but I just wanted to pay homage. I got a Peyton [Manning] shirt [too]. I want to throw that on coming up here soon. I didn’t really get a chance to chop it up with him [Condredge Holloway], but when I do it’ll definitely be a great day.”
On how his receivers have performed during the absence of Cedric Tillman…
“They’re doing well, playing very physical. When the ball is in the air, they’re making a great effort to get the ball, or if it’s not in their vicinity to make a play on it, they definitely turn into a DB and swipe it down. [They’re] being very decisive in their route running. Just going out there playing with chips on their shoulders, and there’s nothing more I can ask for. So, just going out there every day and competing at a high level is great to see them do.”
Sophomore DB Christian Charles
On transitioning to defensive back after playing mostly quarterback in high school…
“The biggest difference is going from throwing the ball to tackling 230-pound backs, honestly. And then having to cover every single play, which at quarterback obviously you’re not covering or nothing like that. I would just say it would mainly be the athletic strain, the physical strain is way different playing DB [defensive back], for sure.”
On preparing for Alabama QB Bryce Young…
“Yeah, Bryce is super-duper talented. You know, with his game you can’t take anything for granted. He’s a great passer, he’s an outstanding runner. You have to be prepared in all facets of the game, whether that’s tight coverage or constricting running lanes to scrambling or things like that. You have to focus on all facets of your game, nothing can be lacking when playing a quarterback like Bryce.”
On facing Tennessee’s wide receivers in practice every day…
“Having the best wide receiver core in the country definitely helps you get prepared every week. You’re not seeing a slouch at all ever at practice. You’re getting a guy’s 100% effort every week at practice, and I feel like that prepares us so much leading up to game day, just getting those high-speed, real high-value reps because every rep with any receiver on our team is very, very valuable because they’re all super talented and have a lot to offer.”