#21/19 Vols Turning the Page for Matchup with Top-Ranked Georgia at Neyland

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a disappointing loss at Missouri, No. 21/19 Tennessee knows it must quickly wipe the slate clean as it prepares for a huge game at home against top-ranked Georgia this Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.

"I think no matter what you do the previous week, you have to put the game behind you," head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday. "Certainly, we understand the quality of the opponent that is coming to town this week. Our guys understand who they are, what they are about and the way they are going to play. It will be a great test for us."

Being back inside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium should help provide a boost to the team entering this weekend's matchup. The Vols have been fantastic at defending their home turf during the Heupel era and carry a 14-game home winning streak into Saturday's contest against the Bulldogs.

"It's the first time we have been back home for an SEC game inside Neyland Stadium in over a month," Heupel said on Monday. "Looking forward to our fans, seeing them there on Saturday. We need a great atmosphere."

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Kurott Garland echoed his coach's thoughts on what he expects will be a great atmosphere this weekend on Rocky Top.

"I feel like with it being a home game, our fans are going to be there and they'll be really good support for us," Garland said. "We're hoping to give them a good show this coming Saturday."

Videos, a full transcript of Heupel's press conference and select player quotes from Monday can be found below.

Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening statement…
"Guys came in this morning, and you could see the disappointment on their face still. There is an opportunity to learn from it as we watch the tape. At the end of the day, some of the things we talked about going into the game, we didn't do. We have to play smarter football, in particular on the offensive side of the football. You look at the drives, most of them ended with a major penalty that puts you in second and extra-long or first and extra-long, and the turnovers on the plus side of the territory as well. So, a lot to learn from. At the same time, you have to wash it whether you win or lose, and you have to move on to the next one. We have a great opponent coming to town this week. You look at Georgia, they play extremely well—smart football, physical football in all three phases of the game. They have dynamic playmakers in all three phases of the game as well. So, it is a huge test for us, and we have to have a great week of preparation to get ready for these guys. It's the first time we have been back home for an SEC game inside Neyland Stadium in over a month. Looking forward to our fans, seeing them there on Saturday. We need a great atmosphere. Dolly (Parton) is going to be there as well, so my mom will be excited about that one."

On fixing the amount of penalties the team commits…
"Some of it is personal accountability. Some of it, you look at some of the penalties on the offensive side of the football, the playing penalties. It comes down to fundamentals and technique and body position. You do those things right, and you have an opportunity to not have some of those things happen. You have to be smart at the end of a play as well."

On how strict their practice officials call penalties in preparation for a game…
"They pay attention to everything that is going on. They are there for a reason. The way you finish plays in practice isn't necessarily the same as a game."

On the run game against Mizzou and how they can get it going again against Georgia…
"Part of it is the way the game ended and the type of scenario that you are playing out, but a bunch of it is us doing a great job with communication, fundamentals, running backs pressing the hole and doing a good job of reading things too. It was a combination of all those things the other night."

On Dee Williams having flexibility with how he approaches kickoff returns…
"We have an idea of what we are doing before we go out there, but based on the kick too, there should be a decision that is made during the course of the play as well."

On if playing against the No. 1 team in Neyland helps the team put the Missouri result behind them…
"I think no matter what you do the previous week, you have to put the game behind you. Certainly, we understand the quality of the opponent that is coming to town this week. Our guys understand who they are, what they are about and the way they are going to play. It will be a great test for us."

On wide receivers stepping up after WR Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s injury...
"Dont'e will be out for the remainder of the regular season. We'll see where we're at as we get into postseason play. Young guys, there were some real positive things that they did during the course of the game. Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb, all in all, I liked a majority of what they did."

On how much he has to change offensively to compensate for injuries...
"You're always going to subtly change your scheme based on what you're seeing structure-wise and personnel-wise on the other side. You always try to put those guys in a position where they can go win. In this one, there's a bunch of one-on-ones. It's going to be tight, contested coverage out on the outside. At the end of the day, they're going to have to win some of those battles."

On his assessment of LB Elijah Herring...
"The other day, I thought he got his eyes just caught in the wrong place on a couple of his reads. Missed a couple open-field tackles, but he did some good things as well. He's a young player that has to continue to grow. He didn't play extremely well on Saturday afternoon."

On Georgia's personnel this year compared to last...
"They have really good players across the board. Defensively, thick, strong and athletic up front. They can run. They cover extremely well on the backend. They don't miss tackles. You see them in close quarters and in open space, they tackle extremely well. Offensively, they've got dynamic playmakers. A few of those guys are just getting back and getting truly healthy right now, but the quarterback is playing extremely well. Really efficient, been accurate. He's done a really nice job."

On if Dolly Parton's presence will put pressure on the team...
"Anytime Dolly's hanging around it certainly adds pressure, absolutely, to our performance. For Tennesseans, that's one that everybody will enjoy seeing."

On DB Jourdan Thomas's performance at Mizzou and an update on Tamarion McDonald...
"I thought Jourdan did some positive things, was destructive and made some plays out on the perimeter. T-Mac (Tamarion McDonald) got nicked up early in the football game. I do believe that he'll have an opportunity to be ready for this one."

On what Missouri was doing to prevent the Vols defense from getting off the field on third down...
"Inability to get off the field, part of that was the quarterback extending and making plays with his feet, running, also scrambling and getting outside of the pocket. For us, you have to do a good job of applying pressure to him, too. You can't let him sit back there all day. But he broke contain on us. That was disappointing. Some of our choice games, our contained player didn't get there. He got out up through the middle of the football field one or twice, too. We've got to do a better job. That'll be big in this one too, and we've got to match things out on scramble drill."

On what he meant when he said he was disappointed in how the team finished at Missouri...
"Just the last couple of drives. Going back and watching it, a lot of them did continue to play hard. I just didn't think we played very smart at the end of it. We're disappointed in that."

RS-Senior TE Jacob Warren

On how they can improve the running game for a tough Georgia defense…
"Truly just matching the surge and matching the energy that those guys are coming off the ball with. Something that we have handled all year long is handling the physicality. Being able to go out there and move people, and not every single one-on-one because we all know that's unrealistic in this game. Understanding our angles on our double teams and understanding the footwork that needs to be taken for different techniques. Being able to adapt on three-down and four-down; they get into a lot of different things with their fronts and the guys that they have. Those things will help us for sure."

On only having two more games left in Neyland and feeling a sense of urgency…
"If you go about your business the right way, you handle things and you treat people the right way, I think people naturally feel that. I think people want the best for me and other guys in my position, the older guys on the team, the guys that are not going to be here next year. Not that they do anything special or different, but there's a sense of urgency that you want to have for those guys that are leaving the program. For myself as well, you have to capitalize on these next two weeks, because I'm not going to be able to play on that grass after this year. Why not go out the best I can?"

On how Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s injury affects the offense…
"I think it affects it in a way of, those guys are the guys that you've leaned on and trusted for all of the preseason, then you get into the season, and you lose a guy like Bru (McCoy) and you're leaning on guys like Dont'e. Now you can't lean on Dont'e anymore, because he's not playing for us. It's a matter of trusting the next man up. In this game, there are going to be times when you're going to be called upon, and there's going to be an opportunity for a younger wide receiver or a guy with less experience to step up into that role. We have the utmost confidence that they'll be able to do it because we know how to prepare, and we know how that room handles their business. Even Bru and Dont'e, the ones that are not able to play, are going to bring the guys along into what they need to be for the team."

RS-Senior DL Kurott Garland

On looking forward to the next opponent and getting to play in Neyland this Saturday…
"I feel like as soon as Monday comes, the switch flips on. Now we're back to focusing on a new team, a different team. I feel like with it being a home game, our fans are going to be there and they'll be a really good support for us coming out. We're hoping to give them a good show this coming Saturday."

On the challenge presented by Georgia…
"I think that Georgia is a pretty good team. They're tough, but I feel like if we can carry our mentality, our focus and make sure that we are more honed into this next game, then we should be ready for them."

On the home field advantage that Neyland Stadium brings…
"I feel like with how high the audio is in the stadium, definitely the fans contribute a lot to that. I feel like with that going on, the offense has to force themselves to switch up their cadence. They'll primarily try to stick to a quarterback clap."

University of Tennessee Athletics