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Published Oct 7, 2024
Everything Josh Heupel said about loss to Arkansas, upcoming Florida game
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
Assistant Managing Editor
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After Tennessee's loss to Arkansas, the Vols are turning their attention to a home game against Florida.

Ahead of the matchup with the Gators, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel met with the media.

Here's everything he had to say.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

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Opening statement

The morning, got a good start with the guys. Obviously, it’s an opportunity and time of the week where you look back at the football game and how we get better. Whether you win or lose, it’s important by the time you go out on the field with the guys that you flush it, you move on and as competitors, you’re only as good as your next one. Everybody in the building is disappointed with the outcome on Saturday night. You can’t do anything about that at this point other than take the lessons and push forward and continue to grow as a football team. So in that way, no matter what happened the previous week, you got to move on. Guys were good, took the information and had a good demeanor out on the practice field. So, it’s important for us that we get off to a good start and prepare the right way, just like it is every single week for us. This week, coming back home. Excited to be back in Neyland Stadium and it’s been been a month since we got a chance to be in there, play in there and see our fans. So looking forward to seeing them. We need to create a great environment. I know we will, like always. We need to have the Neyland effect in effect on Saturday night and it’s our responsibility as a football team to prepare and practice the right way to go play. But our fans can be a huge part of the environment and the football game, as well. So looking forward to it. Florida is playing its best ball right now. They continue to get better throughout the course of the season. That’s really in all three phases. Defensively, long, athletic, have speed. Offensively, both the quarterbacks are playing really good football right now and the offensive line is really solid.

On the offense not using as much tempo

This past week, offensively, you look at the football game, so many self-inflicted wounds. Pre-snap penalties, playing penalties, miscommunication. So at times you’re not playing on tempo. In the course of drives when we’ve wanted to play with tempo, we’ve been able to do it and play it efficiently. D Samp’s big run, there’s multiple instances of it. At the end of the day, you got to play smart, effective football. The prior week, I certainly slowed things down in the second half and played a different style just because of the flow of the football game and I tried to play all three phases together. For us, we got to do the ordinary things at a really high level. Last week we didn’t do that very well. The week before that we did a lot of things really well.

On pass protection, odd fronts

Structurally, that is what the last couple opponents have decided to play against us. Certainly capable last week of attacking and performing better than we did in the run game and in the pass game. Again, some of the things that we control, not taking anything away from Arkansas, but some of the things that we control, we did not handle very well. You heard me say it already, but communication was a big part of it and then the penalties just changes the way the game is played. Too many third-and-longs so you got to be ready to go attack what we see on game day.

On if defenses are making things tough for Nico Iamaleava

Nico played really well a week ago. Clean in his decision making, decisive, accurate with the football. This past week, first play of the ball game, rips a nice ball, sum of all parts. As the game went on, we didn’t play as clean. Some of that’s Nico. Some of that’s the guys around him. At the quarterback position, takes 10 guys around you playing at a high level, too. So sum of all parts, all 11 operating, doing, I’m going to say ordinary things that are really high level, consistently is the difference in the ball game.

On if teams will continue to play odd fronts

The last couple of years we’ve seen four down, five down, three down, seeing those structures. We got to go attack it and play well.

On the play of tackles Lance Heard, John Campbell Jr.

I love those guys, believe in those guys. Those two, like pretty much everybody offensively, can perform at a higher level as we go and have performed at a higher level than they did the other night and some of that’s just ordinary things. Fundamentals, technique, alignment, assignment and technique.

On why the offensive line lost

Some of it’s just one-on-one battles.

On if he wishes he called a timeout after Dont'e Thornton's late catch

In hindsight, yes, for sure. As I recognized that we weren’t immediately ready thought about going to timeout then I thought we were ready to get the ball off in the next couple seconds and every time out at the end of the game creates a different scenario where you’re not pushing the ball into the end zone, forced to push the ball into the end zone. So, yeah, absolutely.

On preparing for two quarterbacks

I think both of them have played smart football. They’ve been accurate with the football, in particular, the last couple of weeks. They both operate within the system extremely well. Both have the ability to run the football and move and extend and make plays. You know, the young kid is dynamic with the ball in his hands.

On Florida's defensive front

They’re multiple in what they do. That’s their front, suits their coverages on the back end. It’s the pressures that they apply and they can get to the quarterback with just a four-down front, too. So, you know, for us, communication, understanding where we’re working to, recognizing the pressure. That can be the front five guys, it’s your back, it’s your tight end at times, as well. All got to be in sync and then you got to play good football. You got to play the fundamentals and in technique and win your one-on-one. But another part of that is going and winning on the outside. Doing it quickly and quarterback being decisive. All 11 guys got to play together.

On the team's preparation before Arkansas

I thought Tuesday’s practice during the bye week was really good. Wednesday’s was a different type of practice. I thought our preparation was solid last week. End of the day, we didn’t go perform the way we needed to and so that’s personal accountability and team accountability.

On injuries to Squirrel White, Bru McCoy

None of the injuries are long-term, season-ending injuries. As we go through the week, we’ll find out exactly where everybody’s at. You guys can look forward to the injury report on Wednesday.

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