Josh Heupel didn't have injury update for Keenan Pili, but paid tribute to redshirt senior LB
Josh Heupel didn’t have an update on injured Tennessee Football linebacker Keenan PIli late Saturday night, after the 23-17 overtime win over Florida at Neyland Stadium. What the head coach did have, though, was a tribute to who Pili has been for the Vols since arriving in Knoxville last year.
“Don’t have an update on Pili,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference. “We’ll know more tomorrow.
Pili was on the field for just two snaps before appearing to suffer a leg injury. He walked off under his own power after being examined by Tennessee trainers, then was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Keenan Pili tied for team lead with 29.0 tackles in six games
Pili is tied with Will Brooks as Tennessee’s leading tackler through the first six games of the season, with 29.0 total tackles (11 solo, 18 assists), including 1.5 tackles for loss. He also has two quarterback hits.
He had a season-high 10 tackles last week in Tennessee’s 19-14 loss at Arkansas. Pili had five tackles at Oklahoma, three tackles against Kent State, four against North Carolina State and two in the opener against Chattanooga. He had 0.5 tackles for loss against NC State and 1.0 at Oklahoma.
Pili transferred to Tennessee from BYU before last season, but he was injured in the season-opening win over Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and was lost for the season.
“I’m not sure there’s a better representative of what a Volunteer is than Keenan Pili,” Heupel said Saturday night. “You talk about a selfless guy that cares about the people around him way more than he cares about himself.
“That’s an elite competitor, great leader, tough as nails, athletic, explosive, everything that you want. Just he’s a dude, man. Special dude.”
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Up Next: No. 11 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Alabama, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Tennessee’s defense stayed tough without Pili Saturday night. The Vols continued their run of holding opponents under 20 points for the sixth straight game to start the season, something the Vols hadn’t been done since 1969.
Tennessee forced five Florida punts, recovered one of two Gator fumbles and intercepted a pass that turned into a field goal. James Pearce Jr. forced and recovered a fumble on the Tennessee 1-yard line and the Vols twice made stops on fourth-and-1.
Florida got the ball first in overtime and lost four yards before missing a 47-yard field goal attempt.
Without Pili available, Jeremiah Telander led the linebacker snap count with 67. Arion Carter had 67, Kalib Perry played 35 and Jalen Smith played 19.
“Defensively,” Heupel said, “elite performance — physicality, strain, most of the night assignment sound. Made plays. James on the goal line, forcing the fumble. Just so many things that they did at a really high level and kept us in the game.”
