KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following another successful season opener under head coach Josh Heupel, No. 15/15 Tennessee was back to work on Monday morning as it begins prepping for a ranked matchup against No. 24/22 NC State in the Duke's Mayo Classic on Saturday night in Charlotte.
The Vols opened their 2024 campaign with an emphatic 69-3 victory over in-state foe Chattanooga but know this weekend's opponent will present a steep challenge and will require a locked-in mentality throughout the week and on gameday.
"We have a big football game this week," Heupel said during his Monday press conference. "Really good opponent that we are playing. They play all three phases of the game really well together.
"Defensively, they've been really good. It will be a great test for us up front, on the perimeter and at quarterback. Offensively, they have a really experienced quarterback. They have great playmakers around him. Their special teams are really good too. Huge test for us this week. It's one we're excited about, travelling a few hours down the road. Looking forward to seeing Vol Nation show up. It will be a great contest."
Heupel made it clear on Monday that learning from last Saturday's victory and finding areas of improvement will be important for the team in order to continue improving each and every week.
"Everybody faces the same challenge," Heupel said. As a competitor, you can live in what everybody is talking about last week, but the reality is that you're only as good as your next performance. Prepare, practice the right way and get ready to go play."
Redshirt senior safety Will Brooks added to Heupel's point when asked what the defense could improve upon from week one.
"There is obviously always something to improve on," Brooks said. "Our coaches do a great job of finding our weaknesses, pointing those out to us and just making sure we are continuously improving throughout the season so we are getting better each week."
The Vols and Wolfpack will square off 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium on ABC with Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call.
Videos and quotes from Monday's availability with Heupel and select players can be seen below.
Head Coach Josh Heupel
Opening statement…
"Good start this past weekend. Appreciate our fans, they did an awesome job. Players were in this morning and got an opportunity to learn from the film. We have a big football game this week. Really good opponent that we are playing. They play all three phases of the game really well together. Defensively, they've been really good. It will be a great test for us up front, on the perimeter and at quarterback. Offensively, they have a really experienced quarterback; they have great playmakers around him. Their special teams are really good, too. Huge test for us this week. It's one we're excited about, traveling a few hours down the road. Looking forward to seeing Vol Nation show up. It will be a great contest."
On what wide receiver Kevin Concepcion does well for NC State…
"First of all, he has elite speed, really good hands, and he makes plays on special teams. On the offensive side of the ball, they do a really good job of moving around and finding space for him to work and operate. He's strong and explosive. We have to know where he is throughout the course of the football game."
On the emphasis they put on being more effective over the middle of the field on offense…
"It's been a part of our offense. Last year, we weren't as efficient in the middle of the field as we wanted to be. Had a good start to it this past week. There are a lot of things within the structure of what we're doing offensively that we could be better at, too. The guys have had an opportunity to watch it with their coaches today, and we have to make improvements. This is a good football team we're getting ready to go play."
On what he liked about Nico Iamaleava's vision on when connecting with receivers…
"I thought he was extremely accurate and had his eyes in the right spot. Did a really good job of hitting windows; that's in-between defenders at the second level and over-under balls between the second and third level."
On what it means for Nico Iamaleava to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors…
"It means that he played well in Week 1 and had an opportunity to grow, learn from the tape today and get ready for a really good football team this week. Young quarterback who is going to continue to get better. Great test this week that we have coming up in NC State."
On what it was like to finally see the defensive line depth in action…
"A bunch of guys that played up front will continue to rotate as we go. I thought they all played extremely hard. Did a good job disrupting blocks. There are some things we have to get better at, but effort and technique for the most part was really good. One of the strengths of that unit is the ability to play multiple guys so you are fresh upfront. I thought our second level did a really nice job playing physically and playing downhill too."
On if he was surprised on how the running backs were able to be physical, despite previous health issues…
"I wasn't surprised by the way they ran the football. Each of them has a different story as far as their progress physically. A couple of guys had offseason surgery, but throughout the course of training camp, they worked themselves back into playing football in playing shape. I felt like they were executing those things that we wanted them to fundamentally at the end of the runs. There are some things they have a chance to grow from here watching the film, but excited about the way that group played as a whole."
On how he felt about the tight ends, particularly Ethan Davis…
"Ethan made some nice plays out in space. I thought the other guys did a really good job out in space as well. All three of them played solid in the core, in the run game, and a couple times they were in protections as well. Like that group, we have to continue to grow and get better this week."
On Nico Iamaleava's Week 1 to Week 2 progression and a challenge that a quarterback faces in that second game…
"Everybody faces the same challenge. As a competitor, you can live in what everybody is talking about last week, but the reality is that you're only as good as your next performance. Prepare, practice the right way and get ready to go play."
On what makes NC State so impressive in the secondary…
"They have some transfers that they brought in. All three levels of their defense playing together is a big part of the picks and their zone coverage dropping out, making the windows tough. In their pressure, applying pressure to the quarterback,getting home and making it uncomfortable for him."
On his evaluation of the starting offensive line…
"I thought they played really solid. We rotated some early in the football game. Some things that all of them can do better fundamentally, but all-in-all, thought it was a solid performance."
On Lance Heard's first game and his adjustment to the tempo of the offense…
"I thought he was really comfortable in what we were doing within the tempo of our offense. He performed really well. I thought he played extremely well."
On the status of DB Rickey Gibson III…
"We held a couple of guys on game day, you might have seen them warm up. End of the day, he'll be ready to roll this week. I just felt like for our football team and the longevity, there were a couple of guys we held out that could've played in that one, but we'll hold them for this week."
On if he thinks the offensive and defensive lines are the deepest since he's been at Tennessee...
"Yeah, for sure. I think I've said it before, but as we've had to navigate our roster, build our roster back from when I first got here while taking some deductions, this is certainly the deepest that we've been, and we're close to being at full strength. We're not quite there yet, but this will be the last year that we're a little bit thin. As a whole, the development, the body types and athleticism that we have is definitely the deepest that we've been."
On redshirt freshman placekicker Max Gilbert…
"I feel really good with him. Really strong leg. I like his competitive makeup, very confident and comfortable no matter what situation we've put him in. Obviously game day is a different deal, but really solid. He's got a smooth swing, he's consistent, and I trust him."
RS-Senior DB Will Brooks
On getting the start on defense…
"It was a great experience. The atmosphere was incredible. It was super exciting to be able to get out there, start the game and get the season started off fast which was really nice."
On finding things on film to improve on even after a comprehensive win…
"There is obviously always something to improve on. Our coaches do a great job of finding our weaknesses, pointing those out to us and just making sure we are continuously improving throughout the season, so we are getting better each week."
On Boo Carter's urgency getting the quarterback…
"He is obviously a really talented player. He is super dynamic. He has just been continuously improving all throughout camp. You all saw it in the first game how explosive and talented he is."
RS-Freshman TE Ethan Davis
On how it felt to score his first touchdown as a Vol…
"It's a great feeling. You wait for that moment your entire time when you're playing offense here at Tennessee. Just being able to score that first touchdown in front of 102,000 is a dream come true. It was an amazing feeling."
On what makes the tight end room at Tennessee so effective…
"Honestly, just how we piggyback off of each other's games. I feel like all three of us can do whatever we need to do, whatever our coaches ask from us. Whether that is blocking or being out in space, I feel like we are all more than willing to get in the core, bang up and hear those loud noises, but also go outside the core, work in space and make big explosive plays. I feel like the potential with our group this year is through the roof. There is no limit for us."
On how important the timing with Nico Iamaleava was when he scored his first touchdown on Saturday…
"It's extremely important. Especially being in the red zone. You only have a very limited amount of time before the defensive line is at the quarterback. You have to be moving fast and be decisive with your decisions. He knew where I wanted the ball, and I knew where he was going to throw the ball. It was a good chemistry thing between us two."
Sophom*ore LB Jeremiah Telander
On observations of how Keenan Pili played…
"Keenan played great, just like how I thought he would. He got 15 snaps and each one of those he was very disciplined, made a difference. Was at the point of attack almost every single play. It's great to come in behind somebody like that who you can learn so much from."
On what there is to clean up defensively…
"Football is never going to be perfect, there's always something that you can find. So even with the score the way it was, we're still looking at the film and finding ways that we can perfect our game."
On the energy in the locker room getting ready for the neutral site game…
"We can't wait. I know it's the Duke's Mayo Bowl, I've been watching that my whole life. Can't wait to be a part of that. Just can't wait to get together with the guys again and go play, it's going to be fun."
