KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 2 Tennessee will face No. 1 Georgia in Athens this weekend. It’s the biggest game of the season thus far and one of the most compelling Georgia-Tennessee games in the history of their rivalry.
Here’s what Volunteers coach Josh Heupel and Heisman front-runner quarterback Hendon Hooker said about Georgia on Monday:
Heupel:
In opening comments: “We’re playing a great opponent; they have great personnel in all three phases of the game and they’re well coached. Huge test for us. We’re looking forward to the week.”
On Georgia’s tight ends: “Those guys are hugely involved in everything they’re doing. They do a good job in the run game. But then the play-action pass, the boots, the movements, the shots, using them on reverses, all those things. Eye discipline is extremely important inside your defense at the first, second and third levels. It’s a huge test for us. Their athleticism creates a lot of explosive plays for them.”
On last year’s 41-17 loss to Georgia: “Their personnel was really good. And it is this year, too. There were some things we did, too. In games like this, situational football, third downs, fourth downs are going to be critical in the way the game ultimately ends up playing out. We have to do a lot better job in a lot of those situations offensively and defensively.”
On Georgia’s defense: “They’re athletic. They can run, all three levels. They’re physical on all three levels. They don’t have any busts. They play their assignments extremely well. They make you earn it. It’s a great test for us. You’re going to have to win one-on-ones. That’s out on the perimeter, the offensive line, in the trenches, and you’re going to have to sustain drives.”
On Georgia tight end Brock Bowers: “That matchup changes because of where they position him. They do a great job moving him around. You have to identify him in all the different formations you’ll get from them. You have to have great eye discipline, too, because of the play-action pass and their ability to uniquely get those guys, him in particular, into situations where they create grass for him. You have to be able to handle the run game, too. All those things play off that. Line of scrimmage will be vitally important in this, but you have to know where he’s at.”
On Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter recently returning from injury: “Athletic, disruptive. He’s great on third downs rushing the passer. He’s explosive, dynamic and changes the way the game is played if you watch the video when he’s healthy. On normal downs, too. Versatility from him, he can be a problem.”
On facing the Bulldogs in Athens after experiencing electric home crowds throughout the season: “Great environments, that’s why you come to coach and play in this league. You want to be in big-time games. There’s something unique about being on the road and facing that type of environment. It’s fun and exciting. We’ll practice with crowd noise like we do. When we’re at home, we practice it as well with the defense because they have to learn how to communicate through it. So we’ll try to prepare for that and be able to handle it. We obviously know it’ll be a great environment.”
On Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett: “The confidence, just from the first time he got on the field to who he is now, it’s complete confidence and command in what they’re doing offensively. He has great playmakers around him. He does a great job distributing the ball. I think he’s undervalued in some respects with his feet. He’s explosive. He’s twitchy. He extends plays. That can be him throwing on scrambles but also him tucking the ball. He made a couple of those plays against us last year that changed the game. You have to do a great job with bottling him up.”
Hooker:
On Georgia’s defense: “They’re very coachable, as you can see. They match the scheme that’s been at Georgia for years. They play extremely hard, fly to the ball, instinctive. I’m looking forward to going out there and competing at a high level.”
On last season’s loss to Georgia: “They had playmakers, I will say that. They had a lot of playmakers. But we had a lot of mental errors and physical as well. That was a tough game.”
Lessons from last season’s loss and parallels between Georgia and Alabama in the back seven: “It all comes down to the guys out there being coachable. As you can see, they have some great coaches behind them. They play extremely hard. That’s something you can’t teach. The effort, the attitude, the toughness that they bring to the game is immaculate. That’s what SEC football is about. The top brand of football. That’s one of the reasons we came to the schools we chose and what we want being top competitors in football. From a scheme standpoint, they play a lot of similar things. They communicate the same way. Expecting to get certain looks from one school to the other is normal.”
About the Author
