What Josh Heupel said after No. 20 Tennessee's 31-11 win at Florida

Everything head coach Josh Heupel said during his postgame press conference after No. 20 Tennessee beat Florida 31-11 Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, matching the program record for the biggest win at The Swamp:

Opening Statement

“The way that they prepared, practiced, and came ready to play early in the football game, really all three phases competed hard and played smart football early. We talked about this game being a game of physicality and thought we won the line of scrimmage early and for the most part during the course of the football game. Started fast. Second half offensively, just kind of messed it up a couple of times. Got behind the chains on the first drive. Second one, throwing an incompletion, behind it and end up missing a field goal. But good drive to finish it. Defense, gives up the one big play on the wheel route. Want to finish better than that, but a good win. A lot was made before we came down here about the streak. I’m proud of our guys’ preparation to give themselves a chance to come down here and win. So a good night for Tennessee.” 

Tennessee’s fast start, scoring touchdowns on the first four drives

“That (Florida) team lost a couple of close games, neutral (site), road games against really good teams. And execution early, (offensive) line, wide receivers, quarterback, everybody playing at a really high level in their job. Defensively, winning the line of scrimmage, matching things out, applying pressure, getting off the field on third down, fourth-down stop. It comes down to all 11 doing their job and we did that early. Proud of our guys for that.” 

If that was the most complete game Tennessee has played this season

“I think first half we started and played the way we’re capable of, at a high level. Second half, opening kickoff, we get a short field, holding call, didn’t like that sequence. But all in all, I like the competitive edge in all three phases, playing smart physical football and playing together.” 

Tennessee not letting Florida take the momentum with a big play

“Yeah, we talked about that this week, too. In our previous two trips as a staff and program, there’s been a momentum swing that got us off. And it doesn’t have to be that way. And no matter what would happen tonight, we talked about, man, next play and staying and fighting and competing together and not being rattled. And ultimately, tonight that never happened in the early part of the football game. But ultimately that comes down to 11 guys on the field playing hard and playing physical and doing their job in all three phases. Proud of our football team tonight.” 

The talk around college football that players and teams might not be motivated for games once they’re out of the College Football Playoff picture

“I think this team, they care about each other and they love competing. They love playing ball with each other. And you guys have heard me say it, we hadn’t put all of it together at the same time yet. And after tonight, I’m still going to say the same thing, but we continue to push forward and get better. So enjoy this one on the plane ride back. It’ll be early morning when we get there and it’ll be time to get ready for Thanksgiving football.”

What stood out to him about the performance of Tennessee’s running backs

“I thought they ran physical, ran hard and finished plus two, moved the pile. The goal line runs, they were physical, got some movement up front too, but they created movement all night long. That was a point of emphasis. Star does a great job on the outside zone on third down. Stretching it, puncturing it, and then running through one and making a big time play.”

Tennessee playing more disciplined football against Florida

“I don’t know. I feel like we’ve gotten smarter throughout the course of the year, and we’re going to need that again next week too.”

What the scene was like in the locker room after the game

“This one mattered to them. It was a lot of fun inside of that locker room. It was important to them. They understood the history of this rivalry. We’ve talked about that. And it was fun to see them enjoy this moment and have a lot of fun together in the locker room. It was cool.”

Tennessee not creating chunk pass plays, but moving the ball on the ground

“At the end of the day, I would say running football is our identity. Structure-wise, you got to play to what they’re giving you. Two high of structure and had some space and we’re able to move the football. Credit to the guys up front, tight ends, wide receivers out on the perimeter, and certainly our running backs running extremely hard in this football game.”

The performance of Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter

“Resilient, tough, super smart in the middle of the football field. And his ability to communicate the subtle details of what we might be doing based on a formation, back set, whatever. He’s dialed into all those things and then plays with speed and violence and great tackler.”

Why Tennessee players and coaches walked down the sideline high fiving fans after the game

“Man, there were a lot of Tennessee fans here tonight. You felt them. I felt them when we got off the bus. And it’s been a while since that group’s been down to Gainesville and been on the right side of it. And they’re a part of our journey. And I appreciate our fan base. I know our players do too. They’re a huge part of the growth of our program from when we got here. A huge part of recruiting. Not a better fan base.”

Tennessee freshman Daune Morris increased workload, how he performed with it

“For young players and for their families, it doesn’t always happen exactly when you want it. And I’m just saying this in general. Guys that keep pouring into it, keep working, keep competing, and prove and show that they’re going play at the level that you need to to win a SEC football game. Those guys win out 100% of the time. And I’m really proud of Daune as a young player, his growth in the return game, us totally trusting him to play in the running back position. He’s had all the traits, man. Now, his understanding and growth and practice habits and consistency, now the guys around him and his coaches, everybody believes in and trusts in him. Pass protection, whatever it might be. It’s how you become a good player and then a great player. There’s no shortcuts. You’ve got to go through the forest. You’ve got to put in the work. And I’m proud of what he’s done this year.”

His assessment of Tennessee’s defense, particularly defensive front

“Running back’s a really good player. Lagway’s ability to be a part of the run game. I thought we did a really good job at the point of attack. Front seven, safety fits, corners too at times. Did a really good job against the run. Tackled extremely well. I’m going to go back and watch the tape. There might be a couple that I’m not going to be excited about, but for the most part, tackled extremely well. And the ability to apply pressure to him and limit what he was able to do down the football field was a big part in our success in this game defensively.”