Josh Heupel downplays struggles from Lance Heard, John Campbell Jr. at OT

Josh Heupel met with media Monday afternoon to discuss Tennessee’s upcoming matchup against Florida. He also answered some questions looking back at last Saturday’s ugly road loss to Arkansas, the Vols’ first setback of the season.

Tennessee was completely discombobulated on offense Saturday. Pre-snap penalties plagued Heupel’s crew and it was obvious from the jump that the crowd in Fayetteville was going to be a major factor. That may be an understatement. The Vols have been tested on the road this season, but they looked completely unprepared out of a bye week against a good, but far from elite Arkansas squad.

One of the most glaring problems from Saturday was the play from the offensive line, especially in pass protection. Offensive tackles John Campbell Jr. and Lance Heard really struggled – especially the latter.

Now, let’s add some context. Heard and Campbell have been nursing injuries. And when the entire offensive line is actively shooting your team in the foot (penalties, missed assignments, etc), it’s hard to put too much blame any individual. Not to mention, QB Nico Iamaleava had far from his best game in the Orange and White and Tennessee’ receivers were mostly useless past 10 yards down the field.

I’ll just let you be the judge. Is this acceptable, Tennessee fans?

WTF Lance Heard? pic.twitter.com/cZwEV57nZx

— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) October 7, 2024

On Monday, Heupel told reporters that despite their struggles, he has full confidence in both Heard and Campbell moving forward. Keep in mind that there’s no universe where Heupel says anything otherwise.

#Vols coach Josh Heupel said he absolutely believes in offensive tackles Lance Heard and John Campbell Jr., and that everyone in the offense needs to improve.

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) October 7, 2024

And as for the struggles from the offense as a whole, Heupel insists the team wasn’t surprised by anything thrown at them Saturday. Execution just needs to be better.

#Vols coach Josh Heupel said Tennessee’s offense is capable of handling the odd fronts that have given it problems, and that it just has to execute.

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) October 7, 2024

Tennessee is back in action this weekend against Florida, which sits at 3-2 on the season after a good win over UCF. The Gators are playing better football than you’d think right now and have given the Vols fits in the past, as Tennessee fans well know.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday evening.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.