Everything Josh Heupel Said After Tennessee Defeated Alabama

Josh Heupel’s Opening Statement

“Just want to start by saying thanks to our fans. Knew it would be, but elite atmosphere. Part of the game for four quarters. Phenomenal atmosphere, great win. There's defense suffocating elite performance. Really proud of those guys. They handled adversity, sudden change extremely well. Great performance by them and as a team found a way to win against a good football team and really proud of our guys. So, enjoy this one tonight and then start getting better tomorrow.”

Josh Heupel on Jim Knowles

“They love him. you know, he's a Philly guy. tough, demanding, but they love him and they believe in him and he cuts up and have some fun with them too, man. He's got a great way of connecting with people. Have seen that really from the very beginning in his own way of doing it. Elite job by him tonight.”

Josh Heupel on Controlling the Time of Possession

“Run game situationally us playing smart and finding a way the right way to try to go win a football game. operating out of the huddle offensively there's a lot of pieces of it the run game certainly you know you look at the way we were able to finish the football game with I don't know how many plays it was but a lot of big plays in the run game couple key conversions throwing the football too but really proud of the effort. We're talking about offense right now so offense finishing that way.  but we talked about this being a line of scrimmage game, boxing match mentality and have to win in with physicality for four quarters and I thought we did that. Proud of our football team.”

Josh Heupel on Tennessee Having a long 15 Play Drive

“Take a ton of pride in in playing winning football at that point in the game and being able to function and operate. George did a really good job being able to drain the clock when we were asking him to do that. You know then run the football the way that that you needed to sustain a drive and then go finish that drive. and Bishop was elite you know at halftime just said it's going to be a big second half to him and he had a big smile on his face gleam in his eye, and he certainly did that tonight.”

Josh Heupel on if There Has Been an Identity Shift in the Offense

“Running the football has always been the foundation of who we are. year-to-year identity of your football team. How do you play smart football and try to put your team in a situation to win and that can be a little bit different week to week. Found a way to do that tonight.”

Josh Heupel on the Defensive Front

“You know I felt like they were better up front than they were a year ago and through the course of this season our defensive line has continued to get better every week. You know and Xavier's been elite, right? But there's a lot of them that have been playing at a really high level, and our edges were able to get to the quarterback tonight to affect them. He escaped on a couple of plays, but I think the key is you know our front is playing well off of each other. You know that's in our twist game, our run stunts. They're executing and performing together, and it takes a level of unselfishness to do that too and it's a big part of that group right now.

Josh Heupel on George MacIntyre

“Played winning football. The ups and downs in a game like this. I thought he was decisive going to the right spots on the football field. Has some adversity, tip, pick. and just super consistent. Same demeanor. Goes out, you know, the following play, following drive and cuts it. Trust his eyes. He extended and made some plays early scramble checked down there was a conversion and you know a big time play in the in the fourth quarter on a boot play and just I thought he saw it extremely well and was composed and went and played the next play.”

Josh Heupel on What Makes DeSean Bishop Special and Not Getting the Credit He Deserves

“You know, I don't pay attention to a lot of things that like nationally and that type of thing. He's a special back. smart, tough, physical, finishes runs, runs through trash, you know, a dirty, you know, two, three yard gain. He's pushing for five. It changes the game, situational football. He's got great vision. When he bounces it, it's typically the right time to bounce it. He has an understanding of run schemes and structurally what he's seeing and really good vision. So, he's special.”

Josh Heupel on the Fans Being Able to Celebrate

“Yeah. you know go back to the first one and you know all the buildup lead up to it and now there's an expectation that's what you do when you're playing these guys and it's been fun building this there there's been days where you know we want different outcomes but this is without a doubt the best fan base in America. They show up in an elite way every Saturday. You know, recruits come here. You drive by Vol Navy and see all those boats. You go to Vol walk and you see 35,000 people and 60 minutes before kickoff it's, you know, 65 70% full. It's college sports. College football is as good as it gets. And special to be here, you know, walking off that field in a situation like tonight where you win, those are things that I'll remember forever, too.”

Josh Heupel on Taking the Early Field Goals

“Every game you watch the film, right? And you try to understand what you're getting into, right? Style of play and matchups and there's 11 different matchups on the field every play and you're trying to predict how it's going to play out. Ultimately early in the football game, just not as efficient effective as we needed to be, and that's, you know, not converting on some of the passes, you know, third downs, not being able to convert. You just couldn't come up empty-handed in those situations. and I haven't mentioned it yet, but Coup did an unbelievable job and probably as windy of a day as we've had inside of that stadium since I've been here. Put everything right through the uprights and that was a huge part of the game early.  You kick field goals like that typically it comes back to bite you in the butt though too and you know we were able to in some ways get away with that because of an elite defensive performance.”

 Josh Heupel on What is Satisfying Getting to See This Team get to Celebrate

“I just there's nothing I mean, the celebration in the locker room, our fans, like those are things that I already said. I'm going to remember forever. They're going to remember forever, too. And you know, tonight I told Bill to slow down. I wanted to enjoy it a little bit more than I had in my first one. just trying to get off the field. And but for our players, you know, we talk about, you know, the historic rivals, the history of this program, General Neyland, you know, the for great former players, you know, in every phase of the game. For them to understand, you know, the importance of this game to our fan base, but to us as a team, too, and buy into that and win the preparation and practice extremely well to go play the way that you need to find a way to win.”

Josh Heupel on Derek Owings

“DO is a massive part of of who we are as a as a program and line of scrimmage fourth quarter huge part direct result of it.”

Josh Heupel on Playing Dixieland Delight

“You know, we play that song during the week in the leadup, and it raises the hairs on everybody's necks, and we understand what we're getting into when we get to game day.”

Josh Heupel on the Defense Dominating Third Downs

“Not just third downs the entire night I mean, they did as unbelievable job. You know, they faced a couple short fields after playing elite defense. Got after the quarterback, tight windows, didn't give up anything easy early and made him earn it and won at the line of scrimmage in the run game. You look at, you know, fourth down stops, massive part of the game. So, it was an elite job by Jim and game planning and our defensive staff and an elite job by our players going and executing it. and playing hard for 60 minutes.”

Josh Heupel on the Game Being a Whole Team Effort More than Others

“Probably holistically in conference play. Yes. The best that we've been. There's so much left out there for us. Constant and continued growth. If we control our controllables on offense side of the ball, special teams, we got a chance to continue to grow and be a really good football team.”

Josh Heupel on Relying on his Defensive Line and Not Getting Too High

“This game, you better enjoy it on the back end. And they should tonight. I did for I don't know, however long I was in the locker room. As coaches, when I get home here in about 45 minutes, I'll be over it and on to the next one. And how do we get better? Our players, they get a little bit longer. and you come in, get treatment, but, you know, Monday morning, you deal with the reality of how do we get better, and we certainly understand, you guys are certainly tired of me saying that. Every week in this league, new season, and we understand where we're going, who we're playing. They've had a by-week, you know, so they got a week of preparation on us. We got to make up ground and get ready to go play on the road.”

Josh Heupel on When He Realized the Defense Could Play Like This

“I don't think you ever just think that's what it's going to be. That happens because you prepare the right way, you practice the right way, you got a great game plan, and then guys go execute and physically play in a way that you can do that, sustain it for 60 minutes. That's four hours. That's a hard thing to do but they did it all night long.”

Josh Heupel on Dejuan Lane

“Been a tremendous player. I mean I don't even know all the stats, but couple picks, right? maybe a fumble recovery, too. Am I right? Thank you. He's played elite and the good news for him there's still more out there for him. He's still going to continue to get better if he chooses to and I say that as a real compliment to him. He's been a dominant player.”