Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel comments on lack of deep passes so far this season
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel knows the deep shots haven't been there for UT so far this season like they were a year ago, but he's hoping that will change in the second half of the season. Heupel was asked about UT's balanced approach so far in 2023 on Wednesday night during Vol Calls […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel knows the deep shots haven't been there for UT so far this season like they were a year ago, but he's hoping that will change in the second half of the season.
Heupel was asked about UT's balanced approach so far in 2023 on Wednesday night during Vol Calls and the third-year Vols head coach indicated that he thinks Tennessee isn't that far away from connecting on more deep shots down the field.
“We love a lot of the balance that we have," said Heupel. "I still think there’s some big play potential left in our pass game. That’s offensive line blocking. It’s wide receivers being on the right page — making a competitive play and us being accurate with the football consistently down the field. And not that we’re far off. I just think there’s another step left for us in that way. And obviously we want to see that on Saturday afternoon.”
Tennessee should have some chances for some of those deep shots against Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon. The Aggies love to blitz — they blitzed Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on 70 percent of his drop backs this past weekend. That will create plenty of one-on-one matchups for the Vols in the passing game.
If Tennessee's pass protection can hold up, the Vols' wide receivers will have chances to win some of those one-on-one matchups and create some explosive plays in the pass game.
Of course, that's easier said than done — Texas A&M has one of the best defensive fronts in the nation. They're inevitably going to get home a few times against Joe Milton — even if the Vols' offensive line plays at a high level.
But if Milton can connect on a few of those opportunities down the field, it should be enough to flip this game in Tennessee's favor.
The Vols and the Aggies kick off at 3:30 PM ET on CBS on Saturday.
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