After No. 11 Tennessee beat No. 20 Florida 38–33 in a statement victory in Knoxville, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel sounded off on the huge win for the program.
“How much fun is this?” Heupel said as he opened his on-field interview with CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell.
“Man, I love it. The kids competed … battled all night long, fans were awesome. The environment’s better than anything I’ve experienced. What a win,” Heupel added.
A big reason for Tennessee’s victory was the play of senior quarterback Hendon Hooker. The Virginia Tech transfer has gotten off to a hot start in his second year with the Vols, and his strong play continued on Saturday. Hooker completed 22 of 28 pass attempts for 349 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 13 carries for 112 yards and a score on the ground.
“[Hooker] was electric all night long,” Heupel said.
“Unbelievable job throwing the football. He used his feet opportunistically and everyone fed off his energy on the offensive side of the ball. Hell of an effort by him tonight.”
When asked about the upcoming stretch that includes games against LSU and Alabama, Heupel made sure to commend his program for its effort and how it’s competed thus far this season.
“This is just the beginning of this journey with these guys, but I absolutely love our football team. They compete really hard, they practice right, they love one another. This is college football as good as it gets. Rocky Top’s back, let’s go!” Heupel said before ending his on-field interview.
The Volunteers will more than likely be ranked in the top 10 of the next AP poll. Although there are several big games left in front of them, there’s plenty of reason for the Vols to be hopeful for the future.
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