Four downs with Josh Heupel: Playoff edition

Calling this a big week for Josh Heupel and Tennessee football doesn’t quite do it justice. The Vols are headed to Ohio State for a date in the first ever 12 team college football playoff and the stage could not be bigger.

Tennessee’s program is no stranger to the national stage, but it’s been a few years since the bright lights have consistently shined on this program.

Vol fans got a just a tantalizing taste of playoff post season madness two years ago when Tennessee flirted with making the field in Heupel’s second year on the job.

That Tennessee team debuted at No. 1 in the initial playoff rankings that year after an 8-0 start. But Tennessee lost two of its next four, at Georgia and South Carolina, to be left out of what was then a four-team field.

That team was electric and will always be remembered for bringing the Vols back with an 11-2 season, but from the outside looking in, it also kind of felt like things were happening too fast for that group.

Anything could happen as far as the outcome on Saturday, but this doesn’t feel like a team that’s going to have a ‘deer in headlights’ look about them because of the opponent or the setting.

Some might say that 2022 team raced to that 8-0 start, looked around at where they suddenly found themselves and what was at stake and got a little whiplash due to how quickly things had escalated.

That’s a notion that Heupel strenuously disputes, and that’s understandable, but this team feels much more ready for the moment.

“I don’t think anybody in the locker room had whiplash two years ago. But we understand what big games look like, what they feel like. The type of environments that you’re gonna play in,” Heupel said of the preparedness of this year’s team to handle everything that’s coming with this weekend.

“Certainly (we) understand you’re playing great opponents and the preparation, I think they have a great understanding of. And then the competitive makeup that you have to have when you get to game day. There’s going to be ups and downs, back-and-forths in these types of games. And staying consistent, having elite competitive makeup, mindset, really important.”

One of Heupel’s favorite catch phrases is that being elite isn’t and winning huge games isn’t about doing something special. It’s about ‘doing the ordinary things at a really high level consistently for 60 minutes,’ as the head coach likes to say.

This team, thanks to its experience, seems to have the mature mindset to carry that mentality into an environment that will be intense.

WHAT A WILD WORLD

It’s still hard to wrap your head around, but it’s just standard practice these days for players to head for the transfer portal before the postseason is even over.

As Tennessee—and everyone else—is discovering, that’s true even if you’re postseason is the playoffs.

The Vols have had eight players enter the transfer portal to this point—Jalen Smith, Vysen Lang, Khalifa Keith, Jordan Matthews, Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Nathan Leacock and Cam Seldon.

Smith, who saw regular rotational snaps at linebacker, is by far the biggest loss of that group. Nimrod, however, has also played a role at receiver as has Webb to a lesser degree.

To an older generation, leaving your team with the playoffs still out there and a chance at a national championship alive is unthinkable.

But that’s the new reality and Heupel knows it as well as anyone.

“Obviously the calendar and the way that it’s set up, it’s unique. It might be the only sport that operates this way. Transfer portal, free agency, whatever you want to call it, is right in the middle of your postseason play,” Heupel said of the process.

While you ‘never say never’ in this current climate Heupel did indicate that he felt like roster movement was finished and added that none of the eight players who entered the portal will be with the team going forward.

“We do feel like the roster is set. This group is ready to go compete and ready to prepare the right way. They have had really good energy and focus last week as we knew who our opponent was going to be and we and we could start our preparation. Had great energy today as well.”

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE!

There’s been some speculation out there that Tennessee may not be prepared to play in cold weather in Columbus, with temperatures expected to be in the 20s on Saturday night.

Heupel, who was born and raised in South Dakota, predictably scoffed at the idea that his team would be adversely affected by the conditions.

“It’s a June day in South Dakota. It’s going to be great football weather. A couple weeks ago we played in 30 degree weather. We practiced in the morning, in the chill,” Heupel said on the topic.

“As cold as it will be around this area, and at the end of the day, you get between the white lines, weather doesn’t matter. The temperature doesn’t. And we’ll be ready to go play. It will be a lot of fun.”

The prospect of cold weather certainly hasn’t deterred Tennessee fans from trying to find their way inside the game.

Vol fans clamoring for tickets—and they’re apparent success-has been its own social media storyline this week.

Watching to see just how many orange clad fanatics make their way into ‘The Show’ on Saturday night will be a point of curiosity for many observers.

Heupel couldn’t be less surprised.

“Not with this fanbase,” Heupel said of the demand for tickets.

“It’s a nice short drive up there. Christmas is right around the corner. It’s a great Christmas present.”

GROWING UP BEFORE OUR EYES

It’s safe to say that no matter how things shake out on Saturday night, Nico Iamaleava is going to have a large part in determining the outcome.

He hasn’t had a flawless first year as Tennessee’s starter by any means, but he has very clearly gotten better as the year progressed and was playing his best football in November.

Even in Tennessee’s loss at Georgia Iamaleava showed that he could stand up and compete in that type of environment against that level of opponent.

That may not have been true back in September. But it’s true now.

He also never blinked when Tennessee fell behind early at Vanderbilt, calmly leading a resounding comeback.

He’ll need all that poise and more this weekend, and his head coach sees a player that’s growing into his role.

“As a young player, everybody wants the quarterback to be the leader immediately. Smart, young quarterbacks understand that there’s a growth and an evolution to it,” Heupel said of Iamaleava’s growth this season.

The head coach noted that fans don’t see some of the most important aspects of Iamaleava’s growth as it relates to leadership and team chemistry.

They might see Iamaleava’s growth on the field, the way he’s improving his timing and accuracy with receivers or his command of the offense.

But not the behind the scenes stuff that Heupel sees and believes is so crucial.

“Nico’s got a great understanding of, man, you’ve got to be with the guys. You’re not one of the guys when you’re the quarterback, but you’ve got to be with the guys,” Heupel shared. “You see him at the hotel on Friday nights, he’s eating dinner with the offensive linemen, he’s with the defensive linemen.

“He does a great job of getting out of his quarterback group, or just the offensive unit, and developing relationships with those guys. That’s a big part of leadership.”

The post Four downs with Josh Heupel: Playoff edition appeared first on On3.