What Josh Heupel said about Tennessee-Oklahoma on The Mike Keith Show

What head coach Josh Heupel said Thursday afternoon on The Mike Keith Show while previewing No. 14 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) against No. 17 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2) on Saturday night (7:30 Eastern Time, ABC) at Neyland Stadium:

Tennessee redshirt sophomore wide receiver Braylon Staley finding his rhythm in the offense 

“I think Braylon has done a great job of recognizing coverages and working in the middle of the football field and finding grass. Joey (Aguilar) has great trust in him in the middle of the field. Those two seems to really be in sync right now.”

If it took Staley a while to figure out the slot receiver position

“I don’t think it took him a long time to figure it out. I think every time you play, you get better. And as a young wide receiver who has gotten his most opportunities in the early part of this season — played more for us really late last year — I think he’s just got great comfort and continues to get better ever week.”

Chris Brazzell’s productivity going back up at Kentucky, if it was more opportunity or something Brazzell did

“Little bit of both. But Chris has played really well. And sometimes based on defensive structure, whatever it might be on the backend, you might not get as many opportunities. And certainly on Saturday Chris maximized all those opportunities and Joey did a great job delivering the football.”

How much confidence has played a role in Chris Brazzell having a breakout season in his second year at Tennessee

“I think a great deal of it is confidence. But that all stems from a place, too. That stems from the work you put into it. That’s why he’s gotten an expectation to go out and play at a really high level every Saturday.”

Tennessee getting tight end Ethan Davis back from injury, catching a touchdown pass at Kentucky 

“I thought he played really well, in the pass game in particular. He’s got great feel, understanding of pass patterns versus coverages, getting to the open grass and making plays. Really pleased with what he did coming back after being out almost a month.”

Tennessee freshman Radarious Jackson returning from injury, his approach and his opportunities

“(One of the) young wide receivers that played early, got banged up in the early part of the season, had been missing for a handful of weeks. We have great expectations of what (the young receivers) are going to grow into. But I did, we pointed out what Radarious did while he was out, still (doing) extra walk-through, extra meeting time, diligent in how he prepared like he was going to play. He was prepared when the opportunity came early in the (Kentucky) game to go out and play the way that he did. It’s a great visual for our young players about just continuing to progress. And what you put into it is what you get out of it.”

Edwin Spillman having 15 tackles in Tennessee’s win at Kentucky, what impressed him

“I think Ed did a really good job on the communication side of it, allowing all three levels of the defense to play in sync for a majority of the day. He’s violent, he’s disruptive, he’s going to play through the echo of the whistle. He’s great in pursuit. Ultimately that’s what great defenses do. They run to the football and play violent when they get there.”

Where he wants to see Edwin Spillman improve in the final month of the season

“I just want to see him continue to progress. Some of that can be the communication with all three levels, controlling and commanding in an even better way. I think that’s one of the areas we need him to continue to improve on.”

Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge and how he can continue to get his group to grow and perform

“You won’t get every rep in every game, but you’re not going to get every rep during the week, either. I’ve said it before, but our linebackers are the first ones in the building. They’re meeting early. But what Coach Inge does in the meeting room, I think, is a big part of their ability to grasp and retain the information. That’s a huge part of why young guys continue to progress really quickly with him.”

Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter not playing at Kentucky, but continuing to lead and work with his teammates

“It’s a great brotherhood inside of that position group. It’s a part of this team being cohesive and being together, as well. Coach Inge a huge part of that, but the linebackers, the personality and the traits of those guys is a big part of it. And Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, those guys spearhead that for sure.”

Tennessee Football going with the ‘Dark Mode’ alternate uniforms against Oklahoma Saturday night

“Game day (on) Rocky Top is always special. Dark Mode is a unique experience in itself as well. Our fanbase, how they’ve grabbed onto it, makes it special. It’s a huge part of it. At the end of the day, this thing still comes down to the deal — 11 on 11, the details in your preparation, playing harder for longer, playing with great physicality and winning the ball.”