One of the most endearing statements coach Josh Heupel has provided to the Tennessee football fan base occurred after last September’s 51-10 humbling of North Carolina State at the Duke’s Mayo Classic inside Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
The Volunteers had just limited the Wolfpack offense to 10 first downs, 143 total yards and one field goal, as N.C. State’s lone touchdown transpired on an 87-yard interception return. After fielding a question about that defensive dominance and then listening to the start of the next question, Heupel interrupted the reporter in order to cap his previous response.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense,” Heupel said. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson and Eric Berry.”
For a guy known for his frenetic offensive tempo and some pinball machine point totals, Heupel sure has built a solid defense under the guidance of coordinator Tim Banks, who along with Heupel is entering his fifth season in Knoxville. Tennessee’s two victories over Alabama in Heupel’s first four seasons reflect that shift, with the Vols winning a dizzying 52-49 shootout in 2022 after surviving 569 yards by the Crimson Tide before adding last year’s way more methodical 24-17 triumph, when they held Alabama to 314 yards, including 75 on the ground.
Tennessee finished sixth nationally in total defense last season, yielding 293.2 yards a contest, and the 16.1 points per game allowed by the Vols ranked seventh.