By Jay King
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 24th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers took care of business in Week 1, defeating the Syracuse Orange 45-26 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Here is what head coach Josh Heupel had to say about his team’s performance, as he recapped key moments and looked forward to this weekend’s matchup versus ETSU.
The challenge of ETSU playing two different former Power Four quarterbacks
“The preparation of who they are, and how they play, and the subtleties of what we’re doing,” Heupel said. “Be fast, play as a staff. How you want to call it, a little bit different, but both of them played well.”
What he liked about quarterback Joey Aguilar
“Yeah. I thought he was good in his decision-making and communication. I said that after the football game,” said Heupel. “Super calm, I thought he used his feet at the right moment. Great demeanor throughout the course of the game. A lot to really like from him.”
Expectations from players going from Game 1 to Game 2
“No, the standard is the standard,” said Heupel. “We’re all chasing perfection and understanding it’s also not going to be obtainable in this game, but you’re certainly chasing it, and you know, we need to take a jump that’s collectively as a team by unit and certainly individuals as well, so you gotta approach the week the right way.”
The status of defensive lineman Jaxson Moi
“Well, I like the guys that got more play than maybe anticipated earlier in the football game. You know, we got some young guys that continue to get better and feel like they’re going to be able to play at a high level. Jaxson will be out this week,” Heupel said. “Hope to get him back quickly and so in this game, you guys have heard me say it, but the strength of the position group can’t be one guy, you know, everybody’s got to be ready and prepared. But when they get their call, they gotta continue to grow.”
Heupel also disclosed that cornerback Rickey Gibson III will be out for “an extended period.”
The defense struggling to get off the field on third and fourth down
“It’s all 11 playing together, some of our zone principles. Playing those things out based off of the route combinations of the right way,” Heupel said. “Some of that’s alignment, some of that’s technique off of, you know, the route patterns that they’re seeing, you know, pressure up front, getting home and you know, forcing the quarterback to get rid of it, all those things play a part of it, you know, third and long, fourth down, we got to do a better job getting off the field.”
The performance of sophomore transfer cornerback Colton Hood
“Next guy is up, Colton’s performed at a really high level from day one getting here,” Heupel said. “He’s smart, he’s had position flexibility. He learned multiple spots when he first got here. Super consistent, his competitive makeup every day in the meeting room, practice field, a guy that has had some time on the field, but has continued to grow at a really high level since he first got here, and a great teammate, great player. Nobody in our building is surprised that he played extremely well on Saturday. Continued to expect great things from him as we go throughout the course of the season.”
Heupel’s evaluation of the receiving room
“Chris was you know, missed the first half of training camp, you know Braylon played extremely well early and he missed the 10 days in the middle of it, Mike got back pretty quickly. Not surprising how they played or performed and all those guys have been super diligent, consistent and how they tried to grow since they got here in January, the time that we had with them there in spring ball, through the course of the summer,” said Heupel. “And you know, free from different times as far as when they were available during a train camp with all performed at a really high level, and I thought they did an elite job on Saturday.”
Defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby and what stood out to him on tape
“Being aggressive, honestly, getting off blocks… like block shedding definitely,” Weathersby said. “Being aggressive with my hands, and, yeah, especially like, attacking the tight ends and stuff like that… and the run defense.”
Tight end Myles Kitselman on being with Aguliar before the game started
“I know [he has a lot on his mind], a lot on [his] plate, but he’s a naturally confident guy, and I know that,” Kitselman said. “But just going up to him, let him know, I have his back, you know, I’ll be there for him, and just go out there and make plays. You know, you’re a ball player. There’s a reason why you’re here.”
Offensive lineman Jesse Perry on getting the surprise start over highly-touted freshman David Sanders Jr.
“It was pretty last-minute. I got told in the morning, but I was ready for it. I’ve taken enough reps at tackle, I felt confident to go out there,” Perry said. “It sucked not having David out there, but like as a unit, we’re ready. Next man out mentality. Just go out there and play for each other.”
Perry’s assessment of his performance on Saturday
“Yeah, I think he handled it pretty well,” Perry said. “Of course, it’s disappointing, like he didn’t get played in his first game. But on the sideline, he was still out there being like having some leadership to him. Even as a younger guy, you don’t see that very often.”