Josh Heupal recaps Tennessee’s 71-0 win over Kent State.

Tennessee made a historic return to Neyland in its Week 3 game against Kent State, scoring 71 points and breaking several program records in a dominant win over the Golden Flashes. The Volunteers set new records for points in a quarter (37), points in a half (65), total points in a game (71) and total offensive yards (740).

Josh Heupal spoke to the media after Tennessee’s win in the Domain.

Opening speech

“First of all: our fans, the atmosphere was great. Vol Walk was electric, full. Many former players, former basketball players, even DK (Dalton Knecht) were back in the building. It’s so great that so many former players are back and taking part.”

“Just like a football team, we started fast. There are still a few things we need to improve, but overall it was a good performance. On defense, we controlled the line of scrimmage and got off the field on third down. On offense, we were able to run the football and create some big plays as well. The special teams also put in a solid performance.”

If he believes it is important to play well before the Vols enter conference play, and if that game is broadcast

“Every week has its own identity. Man, I’d rather play well. I’d rather continue to gain consistency in execution, fundamentals and technique. There were some things we did well tonight, there are also some things we need to improve on, and we need to take the next step as a program.”

His thoughts on the use of many young players and the game of newcomer Mike Matthews

“A lot of young players played, some of them late in the game, some of them early. Mike is a guy we trusted a lot during spring ball, he got hurt early in training camp. With him being healthy tonight, we were able to use our four-man package and it was good to have him out there. He made good plays and did extremely well in the flow of the game. I’m really excited about what he did, but also a lot of our young players.”

About DeSean Bishop’s development over the course of the season

“Yeah, first of all, he comes into the meeting room, on the practice field, he’s the same guy every day. He’s competitive, he wants to develop, he challenges himself. He responds well to the challenges of his coaches. I thought he did a really good job tonight of pressuring the line of scrimmage and getting to the third level and making big plays.”

About Nico Iamaleava’s performance

“I thought he played really well. He used his feet when it was time to use his feet. There were a couple things early in the game, we had a drop over the middle of the football field early in the game, he missed a little RPO, just generally wasn’t in a great position, but overall he played extremely well. Made good decisions.”

His thoughts on the defense, which did not allow a touchdown in 16 quarters

“Tim did a great job setting things up. Our staff, but also our players, understand what we’re doing, the fundamentals, the technique, how to play with him. They play really hard. The challenge was to maintain our level regardless of who is in the game and win the fourth quarter. I’m really proud of how we played in the second half.”

On the question of whether the introduction of a running clock was discussed after the first half

“You would have to talk to our administration about that. And I say that because it was talked about, but ultimately it didn’t happen.”

When asked if he had ever played in a game where he was leading 65-0 at halftime

“I don’t know. At the end of the day, we played good football at the beginning. Then we came out and played good football in the second half and got the win.”

On Dylan Sampson’s success and consistency this season

“He’s got great vision and great speed. He puts pressure on the line of scrimmage. Blocks. He’s elusive in space and when you combine all those things, you have someone who can be efficient with the football in his hands. And he would certainly give credit to his five offensive linemen, the tight ends and all the talented guys on the perimeter, they were a big part of that as well.”

Lance Heard does not play

“We contained some guys tonight that could have been gone just because of the length of this season. We contained them tonight.”

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