What Josh Heupel said on the SEC Teleconference ahead of Alabama

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel answered questions from the media n the weekly Southeastern Conference Teleconference. What did the Vols coach have to say about the upcoming rivalry game – the Third Saturday in October – with Alabama in Tuscaloosa?

Below is a written transcript of the teleconference.

Opening Statement…

“Obviously everyone inside our program understands the test that we have facing a really good Alabama football team. They play all three phases of the football game extremely well. They are playing extremely well together. It’s going to be a great environment and a huge test for our football team. 

Offensively, they are really efficient in what they are doing in the run game. The offensive line plays extremely well together and the quarterback continues to develop at a really high level. He’s playing really good football right now. Obviously, he’s extremely dynamic in what he is able to do in the run game, but he has really continued to develop as a passer. He’s pushing the football down the football field as well as anybody in the country right now with his completion percentage on chunk plays. They have dynamic skill players outside. It’s a huge test for us defensively.

Offensively, their defensive front, their ability to stop the run. They are big, thick, strong, but extremely athletic up front. They have obviously been able to get after the quarterback as well if you look at their sack stats. They have really good personnel on the back end. Special teams are extremely solid too. It’s a huge test here for us, but it’s one we are excited about.” 

I know you heard about this rivalry from day one, but having gone through it at each location now, what would you say you have learned the most about it? 

“I don’t know if there’s anything that’s completely unexpected. It was the first thing that I heard about when I came here. For our fan base, this is one that  they point to. A historic rival obviously always played the same weekend. The passion and the pageantry of the game. The excitement that surrounds it. I think it is really unique and, and obviously it’s a big football game. It has historically had huge importance on the SEC races and the ability to put yourself in to doing the things you want to within the conference.” 

And on a completely different topic, it’s not every matchup that has two quarterbacks who have career runs of 75 plus yards, like these two do. How hard is it to emulate quarterback runs in practice when you’re dealing with bigger physical quarterback, but they’re wearing non-contact jerseys? 

“It’s extremely difficult to finish the way these quarterbacks has a chance to finish. His (Milroe’s) strength, his speed, his ability to change direction, all of those things are something that is extremely difficult to emulate. For us defensively, we gotta settle into the football game extremely ear early on that side of it. I think the running quarterback is one of the hardest things to simulate during the course of your preparation. One, you’re typically not tackling that guy and, two, as dynamic as he is, it’s hard to have somebody back there that your defense is facing on a consistent basis throughout the course of the week.”

There’s great shot Postgame from last year’s Tennessee, Alabama game of you smoking a cigar on the field, but to what extent have you noticed kind of that part of the tradition and the rivalry, over the years and if anything, have you noticed that it’s kind of grown maybe more among the fans over the last couple people? 

“Just hearing it from, people that have been around this program, I think that part of the tradition of the game has only continued to grow. I think it’s, it’s really unique. I’ve been in trophy games, before, but had never been involved in anything quite like this one where the cigar is  a part of the celebration on the back end. My first memory of that obviously was, uh, being in Tuscaloosa when we were on the wrong side of it. It’s a really unique part of the game and celebration of this rivalry.” 

Josh, I’ve got another cigar question. I’m just curious about the logistics of this. When you’re the home team, you had cigars there, Alabama will have them, I’m sure they had ’em last year. Do you have to make sure going into the week that like there’s like a, like an ops guy or something that brings cigars with you to Tuscaloosa? 

“I’m gonna be honest, that’s the first time I thought about that this week. There’s enough to to do in our preparation to get ready for these, for these guys.” 

This rivalry I know has been talked quite a bit about, and you said you first thing you were told was it was a big deal when you were first hired. How is this at all comparable to Oklahoma and Texas, this rivalry coach? 

“This is a special one. The proximity of everybody, the importance that it is always had. It’s different than that game and then that game’s always played in a neutral site, so it’s a little bit different. It makes it extremely special because you are bouncing back and forth between being home and on the road too. So this rivalry  is extremely special.”

In terms of Alabama’s ability to stop the run and your run game in particular and the kind of the growth that you’ve seen, what have you seen out of your run game this year, coach? 

“I said it earlier this week. We’ve had a lot of different pieces upfront. It’s just the way the season’s unfolded. We’ve had to play multiple guys because guys have been nicked up at times and I feel like they continue to settle in, continue to grow, continue to get better. But our tight ends have been really instrumental in it. We got three running backs that, that have had experience and are playing their best football and all that pairs in together. Obviously the quarterback’s a part of that too. 

“I like the growth of what we’ve been able to do up there. But, this is a big challenge, man. These guys, first of all, the personnel is really good on all three levels. I say that meaning their safeties are in the fit too, and they’re doing an extremely good job tackling. The linebackers are fast and physical and the front four is special. So huge test for us in this one. We got to be able to maintain some balance. I think the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is really important in this game.”