With the 2023 home opener in the books, No. 11/9 Tennessee now turns its attention to its SEC opener and first true road game of the year as it prepares to head down to Gainesville to take on Florida this Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
During his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon, head coach Josh Heupel expressed that he and the team as a whole are fully aware of the challenge that lies ahead this weekend at The Swamp.
“Looking forward to going and playing a really good football team here,” Heupel said. “Great opportunity. You come to Tennessee because you want to play in these types of games and these types of environments. Sitting on primetime Saturday night. Great challenge in front of us (against a) really good football team. They’re big, strong and athletic on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The skill players on both sides are really good. Great speed and will be a huge test for us.”
With Saturday marking UT’s first road test of the season, Heupel was asked about how to combat the loud and raucous environment that the team will encounter down in Gainesville.
“You’re not going to completely tune out the noise,” Heupel said. “Once you get the play call, you’re focusing on your job. It’s 11 guys inside the white lines. I don’t care if it’s at home, on the road, in the backyard, these guys have been doing it for a long time. You do have to control your emotions. You have to be able to execute a play from within yourself. That will be a big part of the football game.”
A major reason for the Vols’ 2-0 start to the season has been the play of the defense, which is holding opponents to just 13 points per game and 270 yards per game, both marks that rank top five in the SEC and in the top 30 nationally.
“We’ve done a good job of disrupting blocks at the line of scrimmage. Second and third levels have fit it right,” Heupel said when asked about why the defense has been so productive so far this season.
“At the end of the day, we’ve changed the line of scrimmage here the first couple of weeks. This will be the best offensive line that we’ve seen. They’re big, strong, they’re athletic and look like a typical Florida offensive line.”
In the first two games, Tennessee’s offense wasn’t able to get off to the fast starts it has become accustomed to over the past two seasons. A quick start offensively could play a pivotal part in Saturday’s game as the Big Orange will look to build early confidence and try to take the crowd out of the game.”
When asked what the offense could do to start faster, redshirt senior tight end Jacob Warren said he believes it’ll come down to the little things and simple execution.
“Just sticking to our basics, our bread and butter. Getting in some confidence plays and just making plays,” Warren said. “I think the biggest part is seeing a guy make a play down the field or having a back find a crease and have a good run. Not necessarily something that’s huge like a 75-yard touchdown but putting good plays together and getting that first down. Getting that ball rolling is really big for us.”
