Josh Heupel had elite reaction to Tennessee Vols' blowout win against Mizzou
The Tennessee Vols cruised to a 62-24 win against the Missouri Tigers in Columbia on Saturday afternoon. This is what a Josh Heupel offense hitting on all cylinders looks like. The Vols ran the ball at will against Missouri's beleaguered run defense (UT racked up 452 rushing yards). Tennessee also hit on a couple of […]
The Tennessee Vols cruised to a 62-24 win against the Missouri Tigers in Columbia on Saturday afternoon.
This is what a Josh Heupel offense hitting on all cylinders looks like. The Vols ran the ball at will against Missouri's beleaguered run defense (UT racked up 452 rushing yards). Tennessee also hit on a couple of deep passes. It was an efficient performance from an offense that's been hit or miss early this season.
After the game, Heupel was obviously happy with the win. But in true head coach fashion, he wasn't overexuberant. Scoring 62 points was nice, but Heupel believes the Vols are just scratching the surface of what they can be.
And that has to be exciting for UT fans.
"I said this to the players too, this is the tip of the iceberg," said Heupel after the win. "We’re just scratching the surface of what we are capable of. There is a whole lot more for us in our growth."
"We’re in a race against ourselves to be as good as we can as fast as we can, there’s just an intrinsic internal battle that you’re fighting with yourself to become your best," continued Heupel. "Today, from last week to today, there was a ton of growth. Most of it is off the field and in our preparation. Our guys have had really good practice habits, but we continue to grow. I thought the last 48 hours were absolutely our best."
"Those things show up in how you play on the field, too. Excited that our kids got this result. At the same time, I think that they know, and our coaches know too, that we’ve got to come back and get better on Monday."
Heupel's calm demeanor — he never seems too high or too low — is exactly what Tennessee needed after the roller-coaster Jeremy Pruitt era (a coach who often had a difficult time controlling his emotions). Tennessee has a head coach with a steady approach, a clear plan, and a specific vision of how to be successful.
Heupel expected the Vols to put a lot of points on the board on Saturday. That's why he's not acting like Tennessee has "arrived". He knows there's work to be done. He knows Alabama and Georgia await later this season. And he knows the Vols have to continue to improve to have a shot in those matchups.
The Vols have a good coach. We'll see if he has what it takes to be a great coach in the coming months/years.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
