AFLAC KICKOFF: SYRACUSE VS TENNESSEE

August 30, 2025

Josh Heupel

Tennessee Volunteers

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Postgame Press Conference

Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26

JOSH HEUPEL: First of all, just want to thank everybody here at Aflac. Tremendous opportunity for us to come down here and play. Everybody associated with the Peach Bowl, Gary Stokan and his entire staff, do a great job all year long. Appreciate everybody.

Great venue. Appreciate our fans coming out the way that they did. At the end of the day it was great to get a win today. Good start. A lot of positives. A lot of things that we're going to have to clean up, as well.

Proud of the way that our guys came out and competed for the most part. Some of the game one issues, how they can show up, substitutions, those type of things. All three phases handled that well.

I'll open it up.

Q. Josh, this was your first opportunity seeing Joey, coaching him in an actual game. What did you think about his composure in the moment to start the game when he took some hits?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, he is who he was on the practice field: just very even-keeled, composed. I thought he handled the operation extremely well in the football game. Just very steady.

That's a testament to who he is. That's who he is as a person. He certainly handled that that way today, too. It's a really good start for him. You look at a guy that's come in, three and a half months, whatever it might be. To be able to learn, grasp and play the way he did today, it's a testament to his work.

Q. On Joey, the first possession, he converts a third and 10. A second possession he converts a third and 10. You've played that position. Given that new situation, how big of a deal is that to come through?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, I thought the third down conversions early in the football game were a big part of how the game played out in the second half. From him being decisive, decision making, accurate with the throw, our guys getting up front on the perimeter.

First ballgame, that was a real positive early in the football game.

Q. Talked about going into the season playing some of the younger plays. Talk about some of the young freshmen that kind of got thrown into the deep end.

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, young guys that didn't have time to be young. Certainly in this one you're playing a really good opponent. I thought it's a big testament to them. Nobody had any hesitation of playing those guys.

You look at the guys on special teams, offense, defense that got their first action, maybe as a true freshman or first time starting. I thought they handled themselves extremely well throughout the course of the football game, made adjustments throughout it, as well.

Q. There are plenty of explosive plays, probably none bigger than the 73-yard bomb. What gives you the confidence to call a play and how nice was the execution?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, protection was good on that one. Braylon did a great job getting on top of the defense. Joey threw the deep ball well today. There's some things that we can be better at: handling our skill, some things on the protection piece on a couple of 'em.

It was good to see us hit some down-the-field shots today. That's got to be a part of who we are as we move forward.

Braylon played well. I thought all the wideouts handled themselves extremely well today.

Q. Is that what you've seen out of Colton Hood since he's been at Tennessee? Looking ahead, how nice of a problem is it to have that you'll have to balance Jamal, Rickey and Colton?

JOSH HEUPEL: Strength in one position group can never be one guy. Colton has come in, he's handled himself with great maturity, blended into the fabric of the culture of our football team extremely quickly. He's smart. He's competitive. Cares about the people around him. Great teammate. Great to see him go out there and obviously make a huge play in the football game, but play well throughout the course of it.

Q. You mentioned protection on the deep ball. Can you talk about the five guys you started with on the offensive line and what you saw from them today.

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, heading into game one, some different things that they showed defensively throughout the course of last year, anticipating their personnel, being new, what could it be. Those guys had a lot on their plate in preparation for this game.

Left to right, I thought they played really well. There's some things fundamentally that at times we'll clean up to be a little bit more effective on some of our combinations. But all in all, it was a really good day from those guys. That's in the run game, but also in the protection.

Q. What trait would you say characterized this win for your team?

JOSH HEUPEL: All we're trying to do is be the best football team on the field every Saturday.

Good teams continue to get better. This is the beginning of our journey. We got a long ways to go. Don't ever take them for granted. Celebrate it, enjoy it in the locker room tonight.

We get back on Monday, it will be time to get better. I think we got really strong leadership. We really do. Locker room full of great, I'm going to call them kids, they're not kids, but great guys. It's fun being around 'em.

There's a maturity to them, as well. I was talking to a couple guys when we were walking to the band afterwards. They were excited about the win. It's important to enjoy 'em. Something I didn't do probably young in my career enough. Never take 'em for granted. At the same time it's a group they recognize as men. We got to continue to get better.

They continue to have that trait, coming into the building with the mindset we had since we started, this team's got a chance to continue to get better.

Q. On the leadership, maturity aspect, so much was made of the adversity that you faced at the end of spring. How impressed from then until now have you been with the way your guys haven't flinched?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, adversity can divide you or ultimately bring you closer together, too.

This is a close group. Doesn't matter in a position room, a unit room, on the other side of the football, they care about each other. They also expect and demand the right things from each other, as well.

If you want to have a special team, your locker room's got to be wired that way. It can't just be coach-driven. We spent a lot of time in our off-season trying to develop that. These guys have taken great ownership of our football team.

Q. Star Thomas had a good game tonight. Another transfer that came in and did well. Can you see something game planning that he could exploit in this matchup or did he take advantage of what he was given?

JOSH HEUPEL: We got great trust in really all of our backs that are in that room. There's six guys in that room that are wired the right way. Believe in them on special teams. But the offensive side of the ball, the ability to play with the ball in their hands, out in space, but also in protection, too.

Star had a great night. Obviously touchdown reception on scramble drill. Did a great job with some of the subtle details that go into playing the game at a really high level. I thought he did a really good job in the run game, pressing and making cuts.

DeSean played well. Peyton did, too. I really like that group. They come to work every day. I'm excited about 'em.

Q. Can you elaborate on David, not being able to be today. Do you expect this to be a long-term thing or short-term thing?

JOSH HEUPEL: Just late in practice on Wednesday, kind of got nicked up. Anticipated him being able to play. This morning our medical staff felt like probably wasn't the right thing to do. We're always going to be mindful of our guys and their health. They get cleared, they're ready to roll, we'll go play with them.

It was hard for David when he got that news. He anticipated being ready to play. There's a lot of work that he's put into it. Thought he handled it extremely well. He was a great teammate today. Anticipate him being back as we get going next week.

Q. How big was that scoop and score in the first half?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, momentum plays. Talked about third down conversions offensively early. Defensively Nate Robinson applying pressure and Colton scooping and scoring just changed the way the game was played early in the football game.

Start off the second half with a big turnover, too. I think J Mack got a tip on the ball. There was a lot of great things that showed itself defensively.

There's some things that we gave up, too, some things that in our zone principles we can match out better, third and fourth down conversions.

I think as a football team, one of the things we need to get better at is playing for 60 minutes. I felt like we just dipped a little bit in the second half. There's a fine line in this game. You got to be on the right side of it, that competitive edge, got to be able to sustain it for 60 minutes.

Q. How did you feel about Atlanta turning into Rocky Top South today with all the sea of orange out there? What do you think about Arion Carter's development today?

JOSH HEUPEL: Got the greatest fan base in college sports. Was looking out my hotel room last night. A bunch of orange walking around. You saw it this morning. Walked into the hotel yesterday... Our fans show up. They travel. They're passionate. They care. 365 days out of the year. That's what makes this such a special place.

The fan base is as good as it gets. It's always been a dream of mine to be part of something that people care about, and they certainly do in a big way here.

AC, infectious leader. You look at him primarily as a running back in high school. His continued growth and development with Coach Inge and our staff. Those backers, first guys in the building. It pains me to say that being a quarterback coach, because it's always been the quarterbacks. But they're there early.

They found a way to bring that entire group with them. It's awesome to see the investment, the leadership that they have. It's a special group. AC certainly is a leader of that group. Expect him to play with his hair on fire every Saturday. It's what he does every day on the practice field. He's a pro in the way that he approaches it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.

JOSH HEUPEL: Thank you.