KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Josh Heupel is staying loose, to the extent the Tennessee head coach is taking the daunting challenge his team faces in stride.
“He’s as relaxed as he’s been all year,” noted Brian Rice, a Vol Network broadcaster and award-winning Knoxville radio personality.
“And he coaches the biggest game of his career in two days. That’s contagious.”
Heupel has a good idea of what to expect from Kirby Smart when the CFP’s No. 1-ranked Vols play a Georgia team ranked No. 1 in the AP and Coaches’ Poll in a first-ever matchup of that kind at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
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Heupel has faced Kirby Smart defenses before as a coordinator at Missouri, Oklahoma and then last year as the Vols’ head coach, but he knows there will be some intricacies and wrinkles on Saturday.
“Everywhere you are at, your personnel is different, so your scheme is subtly different,” Heupel said. “Everybody continues to evolve in what they are able to do.”
Georgia got the better of Tennessee last season in Knoxville, winning 41-17.
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The Bulldogs lost eight NFL draft picks off that defense, including five first-rounders and the Butkus Award winner.
The Vols, meanwhile, returned the majority of their key personnel, including quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Tennessee leads the nation in total offense, scoring offense and passing efficiency and have scored 30 points in 11-straight games.
Smart, whose Georgia teams are 2-9 when allowing 30 or more points, said that experience makes things challenging, along with the pace of play and Heupel’s unorthodox offensive attack.
“A lot of their (offense) is very different; it’s very unique and they have a plan of attack based on how you’re going to play them,” Smart said. “You’re not going to trick them. You’re not going to show them something they haven’t seen. You got to do what you do better than they do. And they’re really good at what they do.”
Heupel, however, notes that Smart still has enough talent to attack the Tennessee offense in different ways.
“The personnel they have gives them a great amount of flexibility,” said Heupel, who is 43-7 as a head coach when scoring 30 or more points. “I say that because it’s tough to find mismatches against them.
“They are deep from pressures to coverages, rotations, and all of those things that all are a part of how the game unfolds.”
Whatever Georgia does, Smart knows the Bulldogs will have to operate quickly.
“They were number one in the country last year in pace of play and pace of play in a minute, (and) they are number one this year,” Smart said. “I would say that is it faster because everybody is back. Their offensive line has four or five guys back. Their quarterback is back. The backs are back. The receivers are back.”
UT receiver Jalin Hyatt, most notably, leads the nation with 14 receiving touchdowns and is tops in the SEC with 113.4 yards per game.
“When you get everybody back,” Smart said, “You know how to do it quicker and get it in and out of plays, which they do a great job of doing.”
Here’s a look at how Heupel offenses have fared against Smart-coached defenses in the past, averaging 29 points, 327 yards passing, 3 TDs and 1.5 interceptions in four meetings:
2014 Sugar Bowl (2013 season)
Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31
Heupel OC, Smart DC
Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight
Oklahoma passing 32-44, 348 yards, 4 TDs 1 Int
Oklahoma rushing 30-81 yards
Oklahoma Third downs 7-15
Oklahoma turnovers 1
2016 SEC Season
Georgia 28, Missouri 27
Heupel OC, Smart HC
Missouri QB Drew Lock
Missouri passing 23-38, 376 yards, 3 TDs, 3 Ints
Missouri rushing 37-95
Missouri Third downs 6-16
Missouri turnovers 5
2017 SEC Season
Georgia 53, Missouri 28
Heupel OC, Smart HC
Missouri QB Drew Lock
Missouri passing 15-25, 253 yards, 4 TDs 1 Int
Missouri rushing 24-59
Missouri third downs 6-14
Missouri turnovers 1
2021 SEC Season
Georgia 41, Tennessee 17
Heupel HC, Smart HC
Tennessee QBs Hendon Hooker & Joe Milton lll
Tennessee passing 30-48, 332 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int
Tennessee rushing 36-55
Tennessee third downs 9-20
Tennessee turnovers 2
