It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for holding your breath on the COVID-19 front.
The Tennessee Volunteers conducted their final on-campus football practice of the year Wednesday morning before players bolted to their various hometowns as the omicron variant continues to wreak havoc on the sports world and the world in general. Tennessee first-year coach Josh Heupel held a news conference Wednesday and will conduct his next one Sunday after the Vols arrive in Nashville to resume workouts for next Thursday’s Music City Bowl against Purdue.
A lot can change in a few days, as everyone has learned by now.
“Obviously there has been a spike just in our general population,” Heupel said. “You’re always concerned about that, because it deals with the safety of your football team. I think our vaccination rate is up above 90% and some guys have gotten boosters, but I don’t know the number of guys who have.
“We’re in a good spot right now and really haven’t had any issues with it, but as you disperse and players go home and then come back – you’re concerned about all that.”
Within the last week alone, three NFL games had to be postponed a couple of days, college basketball showdowns such as Tennessee-Memphis and Kentucky-Louisville had to be scratched, and the NHL decided to pause its season until after Christmas. College football has been impacted as well, with Texas A&M having to cancel next week’s trip to the Gator Bowl according to a Sports Illustrated report and with Georgia quarterback JT Daniels and receiver George Pickens reportedly testing positive.
Alabama announced Wednesday that offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone tested positive but should be available to coach in the national semifinal Cotton Bowl.
“Your first concern when you’re in this position is just the health and safety of your team as a whole,” Heupel said. “That’s the thing you’re most concerned about, and we try to educate them consistently throughout the year and not just in football season. You make them aware of what’s going on in the general public, as they will be in that area more going back home, and you’re just trying to make sure that they take care of themselves.”
A lesser concern for Heupel heading into this matchup of the 7-5 Vols and the Big Ten’s 8-4 Boilermakers is whether his offense will maintain its effectiveness following more than a month off. The Vols are averaging 38.8 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally, and they need 19 points to set the program’s single-season scoring record.
Tennessee has been especially sharp early, outscoring opponents 169-44 in the first quarter, which roughly translates to a 14-3 lead in every game.
“You watch bowl games, and you see turnovers and penalties rear their head in those games,” Heupel said. “Rust is a part of that, and I think it’s why you’ve got to do a good amount of good-on-good work while you’re here at home to make sure they still understand the speed and tempo. Bowl games are unique in that you’ve got to have some fun and enjoy being around each other, but when you’re in the building you’ve got to be able to lock in.
“These guys have had some really good practices here at home, and when you get to the bowl site, you’ve got to be able to manage that in the same way.”
A Mays update
Tennessee senior right tackle Cade Mays didn’t play in the 45-21 win over Vanderbilt due to an ankle injury he sustained the previous week against South Alabama. His status for next Thursday is very much in question.
“Cade continues to get better,” Heupel said. “He hasn’t gotten a ton of work here at home. We’ll see where he’s at when we get to the bowl site.”
Mincey addition
Heupel on Wednesday addressed the addition of Gerald Mincey, who recently transferred from Florida to Tennessee. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound tackle was a three-star prospect in the 2020 class out of Fort Lauderdale who redshirted his first year and played in 10 games this season.
Most of Mincey’s appearances this season occurred on special teams, and he was listed as the second-team left tackle.
“I had recruited him previously and knew his background,” Heupel said, “and (offensive line) Coach (Glen) Elarbee did as well. He’s a young man who has great physical attributes and is still growing as a player. I felt like with the number of years he still has that he could come in here and make a long-term impact.”
Midyear chaos
Heupel smiled during his news conference when asked how some of the midyear enrollees fared during the on-campus practices. Midyear enrollees are not under NCAA rules and allowed to practice at the bowl sites.
“They’re getting thrown right into the middle of it,” he said. “We’ve been working with our players for 11 months for them to be where they’re at and understanding our scheme, but the great benefit for them is that they get introduced to the team and get introduced to what the culture is in the meetings and on the practice field. They all kind of came in at different times, so some have practiced four times and some have practiced six, but they get great exposure.
“Now they’ve got three-and-a-half weeks to go back home and work out a little bit, because they got accustomed to what we’re doing in the weight room. When they come back, they will have more of a comfort, because they’ve already been introduced to their position groups, and they know all the guys.”
Best gift ever
Heupel was asked to name the favorite Christmas gift he could remember receiving.
“Probably a set of lockers when I was like 5 years old,” he responded. “My bedroom had turned into a locker room, and I thought that was pretty cool. They were purple and gold. I was a big (Minnesota) Vikings fan back in the day, so I was pretty excited about that.”
When pressed on being a Vikings fan, Heupel said, “You’re in South Dakota. Who are you going to cheer for?”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.