After a 69-3 win over a talented FCS team, Tennessee football is now focused on Week 2 ahead.
Head coach Josh Heupel met with the media on Monday to recap the weekend, while discussing what’s to come against NC State.
“A huge test for us this week,” Heupel said. “One that we’re excited about. Traveling a few hours down the road, look forward to seeing Vol Nation show up and it will be a great contest.”
Here are three takeaways from Heupel’s availability.
Week 1 a stepping stone for Nico Iamaleava
The biggest takeaway from everybody is the emergence of Nico Iamaleava in his record-breaking start at Neyland Stadium. For obvious reasons, the hype matched the production.
Though the opponent was inferior, any competition is good competition — especially for a signal-caller as young as Iamaleava. That is why Chattanooga serves as a stepping stone for the quarterback’s development.
“I thought he was extremely accurate,” Heuple said. “Had his eyes in the right spot. Did a really good job of hitting windows. That’s in between defenders and the second level and over-under balls between second and third level.”
His 314-yard first-half performance landed him as the SEC’s Freshman of the Week. Heupel recognizes the award, but the improvements matter more than the accolades.
“It means that he played well in Week 1 and had an opportunity to grow,” Heupel said. “Learn from the tape today, get ready for a good football team this week. (He’s a) young quarterback, going to continue to get better. Great test this week that we have coming up in NC State.”
There is a difference in competition now as Tennessee shifts the focus to Week 2. The Vols move from a ranked FCS squad to a ranked FBS squad, signifying a steeper challenge to overcome.
“Everybody faces the same challenge,” Heupel said. “As a competitor, you can live in what everybody’s talking about last week. The reality is you’re only as good as your next performance. So prepare, practice the right way and get ready to go play.”
Battle of defenses in Charlotte
Tennessee’s defense showed up and performed to high standards on Saturday against Chattanooga, but now a tougher task lies ahead in an offense that features transfer quarterback Grayson McCall and Freshman All-American wide receiver Kevin Concepcion.
“Really good opponent that we’re playing,” Heupel said. “They play all three phases of the game really well together. Defensively, they’ve been really good, and it will be a great test for us up front and on the perimeter and at quarterback. Offensively, they’ve got a really experienced quarterback, got playmakers around him and the special teams are really good too.”
On the other side, the Wolfpack will be tasked with a Vols offense that posted 69 points and 717 yards of offense in game one. Defenses will need to be at the top of their games this coming week.
Concepcion started the season the same way he capped his 2023 year off. Week 1 brought over 100 yards receiving and three touchdowns for the sophomore.
“First of all, he’s got elite speed,” Heupel said. “Really good hands. Makes plays on (special) teams, on the offensive side of the ball. They do a good job of of moving him around and finding space for him to work and operate. He’s strong, he’s explosive. We got to know where he’s at throughout the course of the football game.”
Tennessee’s defense features a strong front unit, led by James Pearce Jr. However, the talented pass rusher was limited to just 10 snaps on Saturday. Heupel will continue to use the depth to his advantage.
“A bunch of guys that played up front will continue to rotate as we go,” Heupel said. “I thought they all played extremely hard. Did a good job destructing blocks. There are some things that we got to get better at, but effort and technique for the most part was really good. One of the strengths that unit is the ability to play multiple guys so you’re fresh up front. I thought our second level did a really nice job playing physical, playing downhill, too.”
On NC State’s end, the secondary they present is a turnover-heavy group. Last season, the Wolfpack ranked third in the country with 17 interceptions. However, starting safety Devan Boykin will not participate in the matchup. Boykin led the team in picks last season with three. Regardless, the Wolfpack will give Tennessee a challenge.
“All three levels of their defense playing together is a big part of the picks (last season) and their zone coverage,” Heupel said. “Dropping out, making the windows tough and then in their pressure, applying pressure to the quarterback, getting home and making it uncomfortable for him.”
Injury update
Despite seeing many Vols make their debuts on Saturday, a few were held from the competition with caution.
Those who did not play include starting cornerback Rickey Gibson III, who is Tennessee’s top defensive back option.
“We held a couple guys (out) on game day,” Heupel said. “You might have seen him warm up. End of the day, he’ll be ready to roll this week.”
Additionally, true freshmen wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley did not see the field.
“Felt like for our football team and the longevity, all of it, There were a couple guys that we held out that could have played in that one but will hold for this week.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 7.
