Josh Heupel loved the atmosphere, and that Tennessee got a much-needed win over Florida in a rivalry series that saw more energy than it had in years.

In the end, the Vols prevailed 38-33.

“How much fun is this,” Heupel told CBS Sports after the game. “Kid competed, man, battled all night long. Fans were awesome, environment’s better than anything I’ve ever experienced. What a win.”

Heupel loved what he saw from his quarterback, Hendon Hooker, who shook off an early upper body injury to lead the Vols to a 4-0 start.

“He was electric all night long,” Heupel said. “Unbelievable job throwing the football, used his feet, opportunistic, just competed, man, and everybody fed off his energy on the offensive side of the ball. Helluva effort by him tonight.”

Heupel deflected a question about upcoming games against LSU and Alabama.

“It’s just the beginning of our journey with these guys, but I absolutely love our football team,” he said. “They compete really hard, they practice great, they love one another. This is college football as good as it gets, man, Rocky Top’s back.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.