Everything Josh Heupel Said To Open Texas A&M Week

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel took the podium to preview their upcoming matchup with the Texas A&M Aggies.

Fresh off the bye week, Tennessee is gearing up for an important game against Texas A&M. The Vols got their first SEC win against South Carolina two weeks ago, generating a good bit of momentum for the program. Head coach Josh Heupel took the podium on Monday to preview the upcoming week.

Opening Statement...

"Last week was a good opportunity to get some work in on the field and, at the same time, get some guys healthy here. I think everybody enjoyed their weekend off. Coaches had a big week recruiting on Thursday and Friday. So, a lot of good work there. You know, this is a big football game that's coming up. It's a really good football team that we're playing. Checker Neyland. Excited to see all of our fans in the atmosphere on Saturday afternoon. I know our guys and our staff are ready to get back on the field. Really good football team that we're playing in all three phases of the game. They have scheme and players that can change the way the game is played defensively, playing as good as anybody in the country. Offensively veteran quarterback and skill players that can make a bunch of plays, and on special teams, extremely dangerous as well. We also get a chance to welcome Eric Berry back here. He's a two-time all-American; he's going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame here later this year. The guy represents everything that's good about Tennessee football, and I'm excited to have him back here home. So with that, I'll open it up."

On if Dont'e Thornton can play on the outside...

"Yeah, he can. That's just the way Bill wanted to list it. We'll see as he gets back on the field this week, and he's worked at both spots."

On Texas A&M's defensive front...

"Yeah, they're good at stopping the run. They're good at getting after the quarterback, too. You know, first of all, they got really good skill. And when I say that, I'm talking about their big skill up front. They're physical, they're dynamic, they're thick. They play strong; they're multiple upfront; they've created a bunch of negative yardage plays in the run game. And that's given the ability to get to get after the quarterback. Second and long, third and long, too. So, you have to do a great job in communication. You have to win some one-on-ones when you're in a one-on-one. You're double teams got to be good enough to change the way the line of scrimmage looks, too. So big test for us up front and across the board offensively."

On the difficulties of defending a Bobby Petrino offense...

"Well, first of all, I've said already, they've got really good personnel. The quarterback is a smart decision-maker. He's able to extend and make some plays with his arm. But he's always got some balance in what he does, too. So we got to do a good job in the run game and be able to handle all the different pass concepts that you're going to see from them."

On if the offense changes with Bru McCoy out...

"Offense won't really change. Those guys have been involved in perimeter screens where the ball carrier. You know, they've been involved where they're the blocker offensively. We feel good about their development. You know, they've got to practice well, prepare well, and get themselves in a position to go play well. We certainly expect that from them. I know they're excited about the opportunity."

On how many receivers Tennessee will play...

"I expect all of them to play at a high level. We're going to need all those guys. That'll be through the course of Saturday but also throughout the course of the season. So expect to see all those guys."

On if Chaz Nimrod, Dont'e Thornton, and Kaleb Webb will be with the No. 1 offense...

"I anticipate Don'te [Thornton] again. You know, we're on grass today, and we'll see how the week unfolds, but absolutely expect all those guys to play again on Saturday."

On how the tight ends can help in Bru McCoy's absence...

"Bounce back - don't let one of one play affect another play. Being able to reset is extremely important at every position when you're a competitor. You're going to play for 60 minutes. Not every play is going to go your way. It won't on Saturday. Don't expect our guys to play perfectly. That's what we strive for, but that's just not the nature of this game. There's good players on the other side. They have coaches that are scheming it, too, so it's not going to be perfect. I understand that reset and play as hard as you can from snap to whistle. McCallie [Castles] will do that, man. He's a really good player. The tight ends will be a part of what we do in the passing game, and we need them to continue to come on. They've created some big plays, some big plays that, you know, we were close on too, with them. So they'll be a factor in the game."

On the differences between Texas A&M's offense with Conner Weigman vs. Max Johnson...

"Not a ton of difference in them. Both of them were able to extend and make plays. I don't think they philosophically have changed what they're doing. Max [Johnson] is a guy who has played a lot of football, is a guy that's played in a lot of different environments; he does a really good job of taking care of the football. He has the ability to extend and make plays and throw the football down the field when the play breaks down or when he's got pressure on him, and so we got to do a great job of matching guys out on the perimeter."

On Jacob Warren's pace for a career year...

"Sometimes it can just be the ball finding him based on the coverages that you're seeing. But I also think Jacob's [Warren] developed a dynamic leader for us on the offensive side of the football. He's had continued physical development, which has allowed him to play his best football that he has up until now. Fundamentally, that's in the passing game, but it's also what he's doing inside of the core, too; in the run game, he's been really good."

On if Doneiko Slaughter will play on Saturday...

"Yeah. It's important for Doneiko [Slaughter]; it's important for some other guys inevitably in this game and certainly in this league - it's a physical battle every time you're out on the football field. So, Doneiko, we anticipate being ready to play. Again, he's got to go through the week and be in the right position, but anticipate that happening."

On if he watched last week's Red River Rivalry...

"I saw the last drive. Great job by Dylan [Gabriel] and that offensive unit. That was not the game that I was watching earlier in the day.

Tennessee Volunteers HC Josh Heupel during the win over South Carolina. (Photo by Caitie McMekin of the News Sentinel)

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