Josh Heupel discusses performances of Jackson Ross, Joe Milton following win over Virginia
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Josh Heupel and Tennessee suffered from a few hiccups along the way, but the Vols are 1-0 heading into Week 2 following a dominant 49-13 win over Virginia Saturday afternoon.
Joe Milton played well in 3 of the 4 quarters Saturday, struggling slightly to move the ball in the beginning of the 2nd quarter. The Vols’ defense, however, was lights out all afternoon, especially in stuffing the run game.
Heupel was pleased with his team postgame when he met with reporters to dicsuss the Vols’ season opening win. Here’s a few snippets of what he had to say.
It may seem weird to start with Josh Heupel’s comments on a punter, but Jackson Ross’ performance Saturday might have been the most concerning of all. The Aussie redshirt freshman shanked a pair of punts and had a bit of an unorthodox approach to kicking the rock, electing to wait for his defenders to traverse the field rather than getting it out quickly.
Here’s what Heupel had to say about Ross:
#Vols coach Josh Heupel on freshman Aussie punter Jackson Ross’s early struggles but better finish: Imagine coming all the way across the world to a foreign country and playing a game for the first time in your life. What you saw late is more like what we expect. He’ll be fine.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 2, 2023
On the other side of things, running back Jaylen Wright was fantastic Saturday against the Hoos. Wright rushed for 115 yards on 12 carries. Though he failed to reach the end zone, his job as the Vols’ most dynamic back was apparent.
For Heupel, Wright’s big day was business as usual:
Heupel: “Jaylen Wright ran as physical as he has. … He showed a lot of what we saw in training camp.”
— Ryan Schumpert (@rschump00) September 2, 2023
Here’s more from Heupel’s postgame press conference:
#Vols coach Josh Heupel: Lots of things out there today that we need to do better as a program. Happy with the defense, but a lot of stuff to clean up.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 2, 2023
#Vols coach Josh Heupel notes that the Vols have set Nissan Stadium records each of the past two times they’ve played here.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 2, 2023
Josh Heupel on #Vols QB Joe Milton: I thought his command was really solid. There were a couple of throws he would want back. But this game isn’t going to be perfect. It’s how you respond and continue to compete.
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) September 2, 2023
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
