Josh Heupel reveals key to Tennessee's red zone success

Tennessee’s offense has become one of the dominant on-field stories of this college football season, fueled by extreme tempo and a scheme that has quarterback Hendon Hooker a bona fide Heisman candidate as he sprays the ball around to the Volunteers stable of talented receivers.

And there’s been no let up in the red zone for Tennessee, either, something head coach Josh Heupel said has more to do with the offensive line playing strong, receivers making plays and Hooker being savvy than it does scheme or tempo. So far this season, on 44 red zone trips, the Vols have come away with 35 touchdowns.

“At the end of the day, it still comes down to execution,” Heupel said. “So when we’re good in the red zone, it’s because the quarterback is making good decisions, we’re being physical up front, we’re able to run the football effectively, make competitive one-on-one catches. The tempo can be an advantage for us but you’ve seen us at times slow down and still execute, too.”

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The Volunteers are 42-of-44 in the red zone, kicking seven field goals on the season, too. Settling for field goals isn’t that common for Tennessee this year, but it’s reflective of the decision making that Heupel mentioned, as Hooker doesn’t put the ball in jeopardy when a scoring opportunity is on the table.

And for all the play calling and knowing what needs to go right, Heupel knows it’s a tall order to have all 11 go out and execute things right, time and again. The field is compressed, defenders have less space to cover and windows get tighter.

Everything is sped up. But for a team that seems to find its calm amid the up-tempo chaos it creates, no wonder the offense is so lethal in the red zone.

“So our guys are able to be flexible in what we’re doing,” Heupel said. “And at the end of the day, when you’re down there, decisions have to be faster for your quarterback, you gotta make competitive plays and our skill guys have been doing that, and you’ve got to be really physical up front.”