Everything Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday

What head coach Josh Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday, looking back at No. 15 Tennessee’s 44-41 overtime loss to No. 5 Georgia and previewing the UAB game on Saturday (12:45 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network):

Opening Statement

“Had a good morning with the guys. Obviously everybody is disappointed with the outcome from Saturday. But it was a good morning, good energy and a lot of things that we’re in control of that have an opportunity to change that game, coaches and players. At the end of the day, in this game, man, you got to constantly move forward and you gotta take advantage of every day. Can’t look in the rear view mirror, you got to look out the windshield and keep driving forward. So good morning with the guys. 

“We got an opportunity to be back home, see our fans again this coming week. Early kickoff, expect them to be a part of the game here on Saturday. We need a great week of preparation, continued growth, and get ready to go play our next football game and play in a great way.” 

Where David Sanders is physically and mentally while being held out

“Mentally, I think anytime anybody in this game gets injured and isn’t cleared to play, it’s a tough battle mentally. You grow, you compete, you strain, get yourself prepared to go play. And he has certainly done that. And (it’s a) unique injury that, you know, doctors are uncertain. That’s why he’s kind of been day to day for a while here and uncertain. It’s not like a sprained ankle or And I say that meaning there’s not a definitive timeline and so he’s been having to fight through that. Guy wants to be out there. It hurts him badly. Our football team, guys in his position room can see that. But he’s been a good teammate, too, and I think as a young guy staying the course through something that’s a little bit unknown is hard. He’s done a good job with it. Just going to continue to do that and hopefully our doctors clear him at some point relatively quickly.

If it’s something that could clear up quickly based on how Sanders is feeling and the general uncertainty of the timeline moving forward

“That’s why it’s been day to day. He’s not, I’m going to say, in control of it. Our medical staff is doing everything that they can. It’s a little bit of an unknown timeframe. He could wake up tomorrow and be ready to go. Obviously he’s had some time, some healing. We hope that happens before we get to Saturday.”

The decision of David Sanders not to play being made by the medical staff

“Our medical staff always handles (injury decisions). Guys are okay to play in this game. After Day 1 in pads, nobody’s feeling 100%, right? But it always goes through our medical staff and they handle those decisions.”

Updating the status of Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy, if he could play before the bye week on October 4 or if that is too optimistic

“I don’t know the timeline on Jermod. And I say that meaning he’s gotten started, back out on the field, how his body responds and also being ready to go play and compete are all things that he’s got to continue to prepare for. He wants to be out there. He’s been a great teammate. He’s done a really good job in his rehab, too, and so has our medical team. So it’s all about how we can get him prepared to actually go out there and play.” 

Tennessee’s defense on third downs through three games 

“Been some really good things and then some things that we haven’t done well enough. At times we’ve applied great pressure to the quarterback. Other times we can be better in it. Some of that’s our pressure packages adjusting to the formations that they’re seeing. And at times we play really good coverage and at times, you know, we’ve given up some things that we feel like we’re in control of too. Can be alignment, technique, whatever it might be. That’s an area where we can continue to get better.” 

What kind of adjustments they need to see from the defense

“We got to do a great job against the run, but with who we’re facing, what they do offensively, shift-trade motions, communications, all three level, and then pass defense. But again, when I talk pass defense, you guys hear what I say, it’s all 11 being a part of that. You know, it’s communication second and third level, it’s pattern recognition in our zone concepts and then it’s applying pressure to the quarterback, which can be just your front four, but it can also be any of your 11 in that package.” 

Caleb Herring’s performance against Georgia, how he’s different this season 

“I think just mentally he has a real focus on what he wants to accomplish. Caleb is a guy that’s had to deal with some injuries that have set him back from sometimes just the opportunity to play, but also just the opportunity to grow as a player during your practices. And (he’s) super mature, cares about the guys, got great energy every single day. Guys that keep investing in this game reap the rewards. It’s not always on your time and my time, but you’re going to reap the rewards of it. And he’s continued to grow and play really well.” 

Developing depth, if it’s worrisome how many snaps some guys are having to play

“Yeah, sometimes with injury, guys get forced into playing more of a load than you anticipate. But the other part of it is, that was a challenge to some of our young guys this morning. They got to continue to grow where we can trust them out there. So certainly any ball game, but also just the totality of the season.”

Chris Brazzell having already exceeded his receiving yards from last season

“I think attention to detail has been a huge part of his success. Understanding coverage, understanding his role in the scheme, playing with great fundamentals and technique. He’s playing really confident, going up and attacking the football. He did a great job Saturday and has the first couple of weeks.”

Where Daevin Hobbs, Jaxson Moi are in their recovery

“Moi, day to day. Hobbs continues to do a really good job in his rehab. So how fast that progresses here, I can’t give you an answer today. But he’s done a really good job. Hopefully, we’ll have him back soon too.”

His evaluation of Tennessee’s linebackers against Georgia

“I think all-in-all there were a lot of things that were really positive from them in identification, communication, and fundamentals and technique within the scope of the scheme. There’s a few things that we didn’t hit on. Some of that could have been our pressure. All in all, as a football team we weren’t good enough on Saturday, coaches and players together.”

What his team learned about itself, not taking moral victories

“There’s no moral victories in this game. We’re certainly long past anything like that. I think (I like) competitive makeup, competitive composure, the ability to go play the next play. That’s important in big games. I thought they handled themselves well the majority of the night in that. I think looking at the film today, the ownership that each individual person has to take and the things that they can do where it’s not me that allows a play to unfold. There’s going to be competitive plays that you don’t make, man. You’re playing good competition. It’s the things that you give away in this game that hurt you.”

Tennessee’s offensive line needing to be better identifying blitzes

“Well some of that’s all 11 being on the same page too, right? Quarterback knowing where you’re hot, when you’re hot, how you gotta get rid of the football where the hot answer is. Some of that’s running backs, tight ends. And then five guys up front, there’s been a lot of really good things in our protection. There’s some things that are unique to handle that we got to handle it in a better way off of some of our pull pro. But all in all, there’s been a lot of really good. Joey’s been clean a lot of the time. That’s allowed us to get open down the field too.”

The challenge of getting Tennessee’s young players to understand small details

“Well, it’s showing them. That can be in the position room, can be in the unit room, can be in the team room. Small little details matter. Back to me, back away, my leverage that I got to play with, my eyes, the discipline that you have to have, formation, motion, shift, trade, all those things. And defensive football, there’s checks and all 11 have to get on the same page, too. You can see that as you’re watching the tape. Is it harder for a young guy? Yeah, because he doesn’t have any of those experience where it was him. That’s gotta be the focal point.  It has been for our coaches and our leadership in all those rooms, not just during game week, but you’ve heard me say young guys don’t have time to be young since January, right? So all those things have come into it.”

If it’s easier to move on from a tough loss as a coach compared to a player

“There’s nothing easy about the disappointment of competing in the arena and being on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Nothing easy about that. But as a coach, you got to move forward. You watch the tapes of staff on Sunday morning, and then you got to move forward too. And your players, they’re in the building on Sunday. They come in on Monday. They’re gonna watch the tape with our staff on Monday. And when you get down with that team meeting before you go on the field, you got to flush it. And that’s true whether you win or lose. It’s always about progress moving forward and what’s coming the following week. Ultimately, Saturday, last Saturday, defined that week, right? We got another one this Saturday that we’ll define this week and we got to find a way to continue to grow.”