What Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said about Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, in his fourth year at the helm, kicked off Week 8 of the college football season by discussing the Vols’ upcoming game against rival Alabama. 

“Another huge contest here for us,” Heupel said. “Rivalry game and college football as good as it gets here with these two teams playing. So looking forward to seeing our fans out on Saturday and needing a great week of practice preparation for a really good football team that we’re playing. 

“Talented, as everybody knows. Ability to make explosive plays on the offensive side of the football. Starts with their quarterback, him being a part of the run game and then playmakers out on the outside. And defensively, personnel-wise, they look like they always do. Big and strong up front and second level can run and third level is extremely athletic. 

“So a huge task for us. We got to continue to get better and get ready to go play really good football.”

Heupel mentioned Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe unsolicited but was later asked about the Crimson Tide’s starter, who has thrown for 1,483 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.7 percent of his passes. Milroe leads the nation in yards per pass attempt (11.2) and is among the top five FBS players in passer rating (191.04, 2nd) and completion percentage (5th). He also has 11 rushing touchdowns this fall, which is the second-most in the SEC, the sixth-most in the nation and the second-most by a quarterback.

“He has been extremely accurate with the football,” Heupel said. “Been a pretty sound decision-maker. I think while you’re trying to apply pressure to him, right? So those guys don’t have all day to run around on the second and third level. You have to be mindful of not letting him escape. 

“His athleticism when he does escape is special. You put all those pieces together, you got to do a great job of having rush integrity, getting off a block, making a play when he tucks it.”

Heupel and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer are both South Dakota natives, with Heupel hailing from Aberdeen and DeBoer’s hometown being in Milbank. This year’s Third Saturday in October will be their first meeting as coaches, but DeBoer visited Oklahoma, Heupel’s alma mater, earlier in their careers, and the two have stayed in touch, Heupel said.

“Not a lot of us from us from South Dakota,” Heupel said. “But anyways, knew of him when I was younger. And through his coaching career, he was just somebody that I stayed in contact with at times. Got great respect for him and what he’s done throughout his career and how he handles himself.” 

Saturday in Knoxville will mark the 107th meeting between Alabama and Tennessee but the first without Nick Saban since 2006. Heupel will coach in his fourth Tide-Vols matchup, and he was asked on Monday if it seems weird preparing to face Alabama without the legendary coach.

“This rivalry has been around a long time before Nick Saban was a part of it or I was a part of it,” Heupel said. “The magnitude of this rivalry is the historical nature and what it’s meant inside of this league a lot.”

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