Josh Heupel details challenges of preparing for UTSA with QB uncertainty

The UTSA Roadrunners have one of the best Group of Five quarterbacks in Frank Harris. Except, his health is up in the air, creating uncertainty and a unique challenge in preparing for UTSA for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

As Heupel explained, not knowing which quarterback is going to start means that you need to prepare for any of the opposing quarterbacks.

“They’re a little bit different,” Josh Heupel said. “At the end of the day, you got to prepare for both of them. At the end of the day, it’s a lot about us too. The things that showed up last week, we’ve got to go be disciplined and make plays. That comes down to winning one-on-one situations.”

Last week, Tennessee fell in The Swamp to Florida. Throughout that game, the Volunteers struggled to execute as well as they needed to win the game. Heupel knows that this needs to change against UTSA, regardless of who the quarterback is.

UTSA’s starting quarterback is Frank Harris. He’s been with the program since 2019, and it’s largely thanks to him that the Roadrunners have had one of the Group of Five’s best offenses in his time there. Last season, Harris threw for 4,063 yards and 32 touchdowns, but he’s only played two games this season after getting injured.

Eddie Lee Marburger replaced Frank Harris against Army and played well. However, UTSA is hoping to get Harris back for the Tennessee game.

Injuries are, of course, a part of the game. Tennessee and Josh Heupel have their own question marks going into the game. In particular, center Cooper Mays is going to be a game time decision, according to Josh Heupel, giving Tennessee another problem to manage.

Josh Heupel assessed mistakes from Joe Milton

Tennessee has its own issues at quarterback to work on this week, as starter Joe Milton made mistakes and was inconsistent against Florida. This week, Josh Heupel addressed those issues he’s been dealing with.

“There’s some real positives. The efficiency, the communication, handling all that. We have to be better, he’s got to be better, and the guys up front have got to be better too. Some of our skill guys have to (be better) as well,” Heupel said.

“He did some really good things the other night. The pick? We can’t just throw it up. He’d like to have that one back. We’ve got to be better in protection too in that situation. The decision-making, where he’s going with the football? I’ve said it before the game, I’ll say it after the game too. He was in the right spots. Accuracy? The wide receivers were being exact in their routes.”