Josh Heupel makes bold statement to Tennessee Vols fans
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel loves scoring points, but ultimately all he cares about is winning games. Whether it's a 55-0 blowout win or a 24-21 grind-it-out-and-find-a-way-to-win performance, all that matters to Heupel is getting the W. That's why Heupel isn't alright with just having a mediocre defense on Rocky Top. And it's why […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel loves scoring points, but ultimately all he cares about is winning games.
Whether it's a 55-0 blowout win or a 24-21 grind-it-out-and-find-a-way-to-win performance, all that matters to Heupel is getting the W.
That's why Heupel isn't alright with just having a mediocre defense on Rocky Top. And it's why he promised fans this week that Tennessee will play "elite" defense.
Heupel made the statement about the Vols' defense at a Big Orange Caravan stop in the Tri-Cities on Wednesday.
“We’re going to play elite defense, not just good defense, but elite defense, at Tennessee," said Heupel (via 247Sports).
"We took huge strides in Year Two, second in the league in zero and negative yardage plays created, creating havoc on that side of the football," noted Heupel. "I expect us to take a whole ‘nother jump this year.”
Tennessee's run defense and pass rush played at a high level at times in 2022. The area where the Vols really struggled was in pass defense. Tennessee statistically had one of the worst pass defenses in the nation last season (UT was No. 127 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game in 2022).
Heupel is confident that Tennessee's pass defense will be better in 2023.
“A year ago, we were hurt by the injury bug at the defensive back position, and we were thin there,” said Heupel. “We’ve added some guys through the portal and through our recruiting efforts, guys that can and will make an impact next fall. They’ve got to grow and compete, but we have competition at that position."
“We should take another jump with our pass defense this year," added Heupel. "It’s critical to our success this fall.”
If the Vols' pass defense would've played at a high-level last season against South Carolina, Tennessee would've been in the College Football Playoff. Heupel recognizes that Tennessee has to play elite defense to make some noise in the postseason. The narrative from the national media and opposing fan bases is that Heupel only cares about offense, but it's clear from his comments this week that he fully understands the importance of playing high-level defense in the SEC. And he's confident that the Vols will be able to play at that level moving forward.
