Josh Heupel describes Tennessee's sharpness after bye week
Tennessee is fresh off their bye week, sitting with a 4-1 record. Josh Heupel is hoping his team is fresh as they prepare to battle through the final seven games of the regular season. First up on the schedule is going to be a quality Texas A&M team, with the two scheduled to face off in Neyland Stadium.
Not surprisingly, Heupel believes the bye week came at a perfect time for Tennessee. Getting back healthy and reloading is always important to a team, especially after playing a couple of SEC teams. Heupel got some family time with the time off too, making for a good overall break.
One of the focuses coming out is making sure the players are still focused and looking sharp. Lucky for Vols fans, Heupel is not too worried. He is happy with how practice has gone this week moving into the Texas A&M game.
“Practice has been really good,” Heupel said. “They’ve been really locked in. They’re excited about this one. They understand the type of opponent that we’re playing. So, preparation has been really good.”
On the other side, Texas A&M is coming off the opposite of a bye. They just went toe to toe with Alabama for four quarters but came up just short. Head coach Jimbo Fisher was criticized for some of his decision-making but has moved on to the next week.
Top 10
- 1New
Top 10 Coaches in CFB
J.D. PicKell ranks college football coaches
- 2
Bielema trashes Harbaugh
No love lost in Big Ten
- 3
Calipari on Kentucky return
'I got bazooka-holes in my body'
- 4
Fight in stands
Fan brawl delays chaotic end of A-10 hoops game
- 5Hot
Michigan fighting allegations
NCAA, UM to battle over Connor Stalions
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Now, a tough road trip to Knoxville will prove to be another challenge.
Tennessee hoping to continue positive momentum following bye
Losing to Florida was likely not part of the plan for Heupel. Dropping the SEC opener is never a positive but an SEC East rival stings a little bit more. Thankfully, there were still seven conference games to play at that point and momentum has been restored for the Vols.
Before the bye week, there was some revenge to take care of, beating South Carolina after last season’s heartbreaking loss. Neyland Stadium was up for the occasion too, with Tennessee winning by three touchdowns. A decent nonconference win against UTSA was squeezed in there as well, giving the Volunteers a two-game winning streak.
Even with the loss, Tennessee still finds itself in the middle of the SEC East race. Getting a win against Texas A&M would be a huge step forward, even if they are a team in the West. Keeping pace with Georiga is the main objective before the play in late November.