Former Alabama QB details what he thinks is a major issue for Tennessee under Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel is 20-9 through his first 29 games as the head coach of the Tennessee Vols. That's probably a better record than anyone expected after 29 games when Heupel was hired in early 2021 to replace Jeremy Pruitt. But while it's been mostly smooth-sailing for the Vols under Heupel, there's one major issue that […]
Josh Heupel is 20-9 through his first 29 games as the head coach of the Tennessee Vols.
That's probably a better record than anyone expected after 29 games when Heupel was hired in early 2021 to replace Jeremy Pruitt.
But while it's been mostly smooth-sailing for the Vols under Heupel, there's one major issue that Tennessee has under Heupel that has to get fixed ASAP.
And it's an issue that former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback-turned-analyst Greg McElroy pointed out this week.
The Vols have to figure out a way to get better on the road. Noisy road atmospheres, specifically at night, have been Tennessee's kryptonite under Heupel.
Tennessee's two worst losses under Heupel — last year against South Carolina and last weekend against Florida — came in night games on the road. The Vols also struggled in Athens last season against Georgia (though it's not fair to call that game a "bad loss" for UT).
"One example of a poor performance on the road is an anomaly," said McElroy this week on Always College Football. "Well, the Vols had to grind out an overtime win last year in a mistake-filled game against Pitt where they fell behind 10-0, answered, then fell behind 17-7. So that's the first sign — that would be an anomaly. Two? Now it becomes an eyebrow raiser. Well they trailed to Georgia 21-3 early in the second quarter. Three times it happens? It becomes a trend. You let South Carolina start fast and [Tennessee is] down 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. Four times it's now happened in the last four road trips and two truly hostile environments? Now it is who you are. Florida went into the break at halftime [leading] 26-7. So yes, this is clearly an issue for Tennessee right now. And they're gonna have to get it addressed. And I think the way you can get it addressed is you have to make sure you work better with your nonverbal communication."
"You have to tackle, by the way," added McElroy. "I don't think crowd noise has a whole lot to do with tackling. But you have to try to recreate some of the things that give you a massive advantage at home because on the road it's been a completely different Tennessee team. So outside of the LSU game (a noon game where the crowd wasn't a factor), it's been a completely different Tennessee team these last four road trips."
Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked earlier this week how Tennessee can improve on the road after another rough performance in a hostile environment.
"We've done a lot of things," said Heupel when asked about handling crowd noise. "We need to ramp it up, I guess. And when I say I guess, meaning only intensify it. We have to be able to function better than we did. Part of that is the noise. Part of that is being able to reset from one play to the next. That is the hardest part to replicate during practice."
If the Vols are ever going to win a championship under Heupel, this is something that absolutely has to get fixed. The best teams in the nation win games on the road in hostile environments at night. So far, Tennessee hasn't been able to prove that they can do that under Heupel.
The Vols will get their next chance at a win in a crazy road environment on October 21 when they take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Florida players threw some shade at Tennessee Vols QB Joe Milton
Some Florida players threw some shade at Joe Milton
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
