What Tennessee's Josh Heupel said about Vanderbilt and the College Football Playoff on Monday

What Josh Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday, previewing Tennessee’s game at Vanderbilt on Saturday with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line:

Opening Statement

“Good afternoon. How’s everybody doing? First, this might be the last time before Thursday. I just want to wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving, everybody in this room. Appreciate all your kindness throughout the year. 

One of the things I’m thankful for. And I didn’t even get a laugh out of that, Hubbs. And then, obviously, our fanbase too and our families are spread out throughout the entire country. So happy Thanksgiving to everybody. 

“Big road game. Playing a really good football team in Vanderbilt. You look at what they’ve done throughout the season, but statistically they do a great job of tying all three phases together. They play complementary football. They’re smart. They’re tough. They’re physical. They’re disciplined. They make you earn it. Offensively, the quarterback (Diego Pavia) is a dynamic player. It’s quarterback run game. He has unique ability to extend and make plays outside of the scope of of the play call, too. And defensively, they don’t give up a bunch of big plays. They play assignment sound. And special teams, you look at what they’re doing, punt returner (is) dynamic. And their punt game, their punter changes the field. 

“So it’s a huge test for us and one we got to get prepared for and get ready for. And practice well and get ready to go play well on Saturday afternoon.”

If there are similarities in play style between Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia and what Tennessee just faced in UTEP QB Skyler Locklear 

“Their guy (Locklear) extended plays and made plays outside of the pocket. Diego is a special player. He just, in the read game, first-level players, running triple option off of it, all type of read schemes, drop-back situations, extending and scrambling and making plays. He’s done a really good job for them. And he’s one of the keys to the game for us. Certainly, defensively, he’s the key to the game.”

The emphasis for Tennessee’s defense to pressure and contain a mobile quarterback

“Yeah, you can’t just let him sit back there. But when you’re applying pressure, you got to do a great job of having lane integrity and not letting him get out the backside of the pocket. And that happened to us a couple times the other night (against UTEP). Within your twist games, you got to continue to keep your lane integrity as well. And that happens off of your pressures too. Your pressures got to maintain that. So it’s a dynamic player with his feet at the quarterback spot. You can’t just let him sit back in the pocket all day long, so you got to apply pressure. But while you’re doing that, you got to be able to to come off and make plays. So that’s the balance that you got to be on the right side of on game day.”

If it’s difficult to address the stakes of the game without dwelling on it

“No. I addressed it today. But I said it last week, there’s a lot of football to be played. That’s for everybody across the country. It’s for us and focus on the task at hand and we have to be our best on Saturday. You can look at how they’ve performed throughout the course of the season, how they’ve played at home, statistically what they’re doing in all three phases. You got to understand you’re going to get their best. Their best is really good and we gotta be at our best too.”

How the emergence of the transfer portal has affected high school recruiting

“Recruiting is 365 days out of the year. There’s no days off. The landscape of the portal, it’s been here for, I don’t know how many years, but probably my entire tenure here. It’s a part of how you supplement your roster and so you manage it. We build from high school and supplement our roster with the portal.”

Tennessee slowing down Vanderbilt’s tight ends after Georgia torched them throwing to tight ends

“Yeah. Better know where he’s at and within the scope of what you’re playing structure wise defensively, you got to have your eyes in the right spot. If you’re not, play action pass is going to be a problem and he’s going to find an opening. So it comes down to the ordinary things. The bigger the game, the better the opponent, it’s alignment, assignment, execution. Your eyes got to have discipline. That takes you to the plays that you got to make.”

There being more home success in the SEC this season

“First of all,  the league across the board, the depth of it —  it’s really good. And you go on the road, loud environments makes it a little bit more difficult if you’re not like communicating at a really high level. So those two things together make it difficult. It’s always been difficult along the road.”

What he’s thankful for during Thanksgiving week 

“Man, thankful for our football family, who I get a chance to to be with every single day, players and staff. Thankful for my own family, the health that they have, and thankful that I get a chance to be here and be a part of leading this program. And the opportunities that we have as an entire program.”

Tennessee corner Rickie Gibson’s growth from last year

“Just continued growth. Maturity, who he is, how we prepare prepares within what we’re doing, fundamentally continuing to grow. And through that, his confidence has grown and huge part of why he’s playing the the way that he is.” 

Tennessee’s defense shutting out UTEP, what it says about that group and their focus heading into the final week of the regular season 

“Yeah. Last Saturday, like every Saturday, has nothing to do with what happens this coming Saturday. But I think the competitive makeup, the physicality that they played with, resetting from play to play, guys making plays, it’s just continued growth in what we’re doing. There’s a lot of things that we can be better at as well as we watch the film today with them.” 

Nico Iamaleava’s biggest areas of growth from Week 1 to now

“I said it before the season started. Young quarterback, every rep he gets is going to make him better. Positive result, not a positive result. And I think his ability to withstand, push back, continue to compete, however you want to phrase it, from play to play as a young quarterback, just really strong from him. And continued growth and understanding of what we’re doing, command and control and being able to to handle everything that’s on his plate, which is a lot. Excited for him to continue to grow throughout this year and this week.”

What makes the Tennessee-Vanderbilt rivalry special

“A unique thing here at Tennessee is you got a bunch of (rivalries), but this is a long standing rivalry that we’ve had with them. And this Thanksgiving weekend, you’re playing in a big game against one of your rivals. This is the opportunity that you want to have.” 

How Tennessee’s offensive line has played this season

“Executed really well at times. There’s some things within the scope of the run game, protectionally, that they got to be better at. But some of that’s not them too. Quarterback controlling the protections, tight ends, running backs being a part of it. All in all, done a good job.”

Starting Jackson Lampley at right guard against UTEP instead of Javontez Spraggins

“Yeah, just an opportunity for Lamp on senior day to to get a start. Spraggs has been awesome throughout the course of the year. And he’s going to play a bunch of ball for us on Saturday.”