Josh Heupel anticipates Joe Milton will be at full strength for South Carolina game

Tennessee bounced back from their disappointing loss in the swamp with a dominant performance on Saturday, defeating UTSA 45-14 at home.

Things were running smoothly for Tennessee’s offensive attack until quarterback Joe Milton went down in the second quarter after his left knee bent awkwardly during a tackle. Milton got up gingerly, went to the sideline, and would return for the remainder of the game with a brace on his knee.

Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel was asked about the injury status of his quarterback as the team heads into their second SEC matchup of the season versus South Carolina, first addressing a picture circulating on social media of Milton checking in at the UT Medical Center on Sunday.

“Yeah I can’t believe it took this long to get that question,” Heupel joked eight minutes into his press conference. “For us I know there’s a picture out there. But for us, routinely on Sundays, we’re going to make sure that our players are healthy. We have a diagnosis inside with our doctors, but we’re gonna make sure medically they check up on him as well.”

Milton getting his knee evaluated sounds like a standard procedure for the Volunteers as it is for many teams across the country, as Heupel believes that his quarterback will be just fine when they host the Gamecocks on Saturday night.

“Joe’s been good, feels good. He was with us today so I anticipate him being ready to go play really well,” Heupel said.

Heupel has confidence in the health of his quarterback, but there’s no denying that he did play different following the injury to his knee.

Milton started off the day by ripping off an incredible 81-yard touchdown run on the very first play from scrimmage in the game, electrifying the home crowd in Neyland Stadium and showing off his speed and athleticism in the process. But after his injury, Milton did not attempt another rush for the remainder of the game.

His passing numbers also dipped after he put on the knee brace, completing 14 of his 19 pass attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns before getting hurt, then completing going 4-for-12 with just 53 yards after the injury.

Milton’s production quietly dipped following his injury amid Tennessee’s big win, and although he said he’s feeling fine after the game, it will definitely be interesting to see how his mobility looks early versus South Carolina this Saturday.

“I’m pretty good,” Milton said. “You get banged up in football. But one of the guys had my leg and the other guys tackled me. That’s part of football. Body-wise, I feel great.”