What's the Vols' vibe? How Josh Heupel feels about his return to OU. Why Tennessee's defense has surprised
All that and more with the Voice of the Vols, Bob Kesling.
Bob Kesling has been the Voice of the Vols for more than a quarter of a century.
That means he's seen Tennessee football in good times and bad.
But right now, times are looking great for the Vols. They ran through their first three non-conference games, outscoring opponents 191-13.
Saturday, they'll be in Norman hoping to continue their dominating ways against the Sooners.
We'll talk to Bob about this Tennessee team and about the vibes around Vol Nation with its team being OU's first SEC opponent.
All that and much more right now on The Jenni Carlson Show.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel here: YouTube.com/@Jenni-Carlson
Episode highlights
1:12: What’s the vibe around Vol Nation right now?
2:56: How much Tennessee orange will be in Norman on Saturday?
4:25: Lots of talk swirling around Josh Heupel. How is the OU great and Tennessee coach approaching this game?
5:44: Tennessee is outscoring opponents 191-13. Has the 191 or the 13 been more impressive?
7:40: Trigger warning, Sooner fans: Tennessee’s defensive line is crazy good.
10:22: Where might the Vols’ offense try to exploit the Sooners’ defense?
14:14: Bob tries to help me pronounce Vol QB Nico Iamaleava’s last name!
15:47: What’s been most impressive about Iamaleava so far?
18:06: Who could’ve imagined OU and Tennessee would be conference foes last time they met in 2015?
Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove
Creative Director: Michael Lane
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Transcript
Jenni: Bob, people in Norman, fans of the Sooners are super excited about this game for obvious reasons. First SEC game for OU. But give me the vibe. What's the vibe around Vol Nation right now?
Bob: Well, I think that most people here believe that this team is better than they thought it was going to be back in August. The defense hasn't given up a touchdown in 16 quarters, which is almost remarkable. Nico (Iamaleava) is as good as advertised. The wide receiver corps is as good as advertised or maybe better. And the defensive line goes 12 deep, and they can all play.
You know, when Josh Heaped got here, I think he only had 58 scholarship players. Then he had the NCAA problems. And so it's taken a while to get this roster restocked. A lot of times in his first couple of years, they get to the fourth quarter in some of these SEC games and they just didn't have the depth. They just ran out of gas. Well, that's not the problem now because they run those defensive linemen in like hockey shifts, four at a time. And every three or four plays, here comes a whole new wave. They've been fresh, and they've been strong.
Now, the competition steps up. The first three games, it wasn't much of a challenge. Now it'll step up a little bit and we'll see how this thing plays out. But everybody's excited and everybody's excited for the SEC season to get started. I think all summer people are saying, ‘Is Tennessee one of the best 12 to get in the playoffs?’ Well, now Tennessee's up to sixth in the country. So if you keep it going, you're in the playoffs. Now, just how good can this team be? And I think that's where they are right now.
Jenni: I want to talk more about that defensive line in a second because I think that's going to give some Sooner fans nightmares after what they've seen from their offensive line. But let's hold off that talk for just a second.
We saw the Vols in Norman not too, too long ago. Less than a decade ago, and the fans traveled well then. What's your sense of what Norman's going to look like? I I know there's going to be a lot of crimson, but how much orange are you expecting to see there on Saturday?
Bob: How many tickets can you give them? That's the question. And then take that and double that because there'll be that many people trying to get tickets to get there. You know, this whole Tennessee athletic department is on such a run right now. Rick Barnes is doing a great job with basketball. The baseball team won the national championship. Softball teams getting to the NCAAs. The golf team. I mean, everything is doing great. Danny White has come in here as the athletic director and raised the bar and basically told these coaches, ‘Finishing fifth or sixth in the SEC might've been good enough in the past, but that's not good enough now. We're expecting to win championships.’ He's raised the bar, and football's helped. Where football was four or five years ago, it was not trending the right way. And since Josh Heupel has come on board, he has given the Tennessee fans hope that they can win. He's got an exciting offense, and they score a lot of points, and people love that. So there's a lot of enthusiasm around Tennessee football. So there'll be a bunch of big orange folks in Norman this weekend, I'm sure.
Jenni: Orange is not a color Sooner fans are very fond of. So it'll be interesting to see that mix again there in Norman.
You mentioned Josh Heupel. Obviously, the connection people around here know, national championship quarterback for the Sooners in 2000, offensive coordinator for many years, relieved of those duties. I've been told there may be some sort of recognition of him before the game. Don't know what that's going to look like, but what's your sense of just how Josh appears to be approaching this game?
Bob: Well, he's not talking much about it. And you can tell there's some raw emotions there, whether good or bad. I don't think anybody really knows, but he shies away from the subject. I know there's still some hurt feelings. Nobody wants to get fired. And, you know, when that happened, I think, and especially from your alma mater, I think that left some raw nerves there.
But obviously he had good times at Oklahoma. I'm sure when he walks in the stadium on Saturday, that'll bring back a lot of great memories. But then, if I know Josh, he probably wants to out and lay 50 on the Sooners if he can. And he'll try and do that. So Sooner fans better be ready. They better play some defense, or he's going to put up 50. You know, Tennessee has scored over 50 points in three straight games to start the season. That's the first time that's happened in school history since 1913. So he would love to make it four straight over the Sooners, I can assure you of that.
Jenni: Yeah, no doubt about that. You mentioned those big margins, 191-13, Bob, in these first three games and that includes what looks to be a pretty decent NC State team. Obviously it's not an SEC opponent, but still 191-13. Have you been more impressed by the 191 or the 13?
Bob: Probably the 13 because when you figure out the 13, there's not an offensive touchdown in there. So it's field goals and other stuff. There was a defensive touchdown they gave up, but they have not given up … no offense has scored a touchdown on Tennessee yet. I don't think anybody really anticipated that.
We all thought from looking at the returning guys and the fact that they did such a great job recruiting, guys that were eligible to come back for another year and not go to the NFL or do something else. There are lot of veterans on this team, but Keenan Pili, the linebacker, started college in 2016 at BYU. And then he played, and he went on a Mormon mission and came back, got injured, came to Tennessee, got injured. So he's been around college football since 2016. And this has been really a big boost to the defense because he's such a veteran guy and such a leader and people respect him. The fact he came back for another year, and the reason he came back is because he thought this was going to be a special team. And so far it's proved to be that way.
Cooper Mays, the same way at center. He’s been around since it seems like 2000. And so all these guys that have elected to come back have given Tennessee a lot of depth on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And as Sooner fans will find out, the SEC is a line-of-scrimmage game. If you don't have some of the big uglies up there in the fourth quarter that can rush the quarterback or open up a hole for a running back and score a touchdown, you're not gonna win. And Tennessee really believes they've got those guys.
Jenni: Well, let's talk more about that defensive line. You mentioned them earlier, Bob, 12 deep, running in like hockey change lines out there. And Oklahoma has looked shakiest on the offensive line. They've had shaky play from quarterback, their run game as well, but that front five for them has been really suspect. And Tennessee not only has a deep defensive line, but they also have one of the best players in all of college football in James Pearce. What kind of licking of chops are we seeing out of that Vol defensive front as they get ready for this game in Norman?
Bob: Well, on paper, it doesn't look like a good matchup for Oklahoma, but I'm sure that the Oklahoma coaching staff is going to come up with some ways to attack the Tennessee defense. Now, the one thing that if there is something about the Tennessee team that is still a question mark, it's the secondary. You know, they lost 12 players in the secondary off last year's team, some to the NFL, some to transfer, some to just graduation, and they're not going to play football anymore. That's a lot of experience and a lot of vets back in that secondary. So they've rebuilt. They've gone to the transfer port a little bit. A couple of guys that didn't play much last year like Andre Turrentine, he’s moved into a starting role. Will Brooks, starting safety, is a former walk-on that was has been on special teams and now suddenly is the quarterback of the secondary, and he's earned that right. I mean, he's played very well. He intercepted the pass and ran it back 85 yards against NC State. He's a great story in college football. Just the fact that he waited his turn. He did whatever the coaches told him to do. And now he's starting and playing well for Tennessee.
But the secondary hadn't been tested yet. NC State couldn't throw the ball very well. Chattanooga was just totally outmatched, and Kent State is one of the worst teams in college football. So the fact that really you don't know — you think you're pretty good on defense, you think your secondary is getting better, but you don't know till you really get tested on the road and especially in a place like Oklahoma. And I'm sure that Oklahoma will come up with some schemes that will be able to allow them to throw the ball and try and move the ball better. But they're gonna have to run the ball some on Tennessee if they want to win this game. They've got to keep them honest.
Jenni: Lots of question marks for the Oklahoma offense. As you're talking about that secondary for the Vols, I think Sooner fans would say, ‘We got that many questions and more. We'll see your questions and we'll raise you about 25 on the OU offense.’
But Oklahoma's defense, clearly the strength of their team. Heading into the season, felt like it was going to be the area where they were strongest. Tennessee's offense, as you mentioned earlier, has got some firepower. Where is this Tennessee offense going to try to exploit that Sooner defense?
Bob: Well, obviously, Tennessee's game plan is to run the ball. Everybody thinks that Josh Heupel just comes out and throws it all over the place. That's wrong. He wants to run the ball. They run for over 200 yards every single game. And if you do that, against most teams, you're going to win.
And now he's added these two tight ends that they got the transfer guys, (Miles) Kitselman and (Holden) Staes from Alabama and Notre Dame. And suddenly against NC State, NC State was playing that 3-3-5 and they were dropping eight back to make sure Tennessee didn't throw it over their head. Well, what did Tennessee do? They put in two tight ends and just rammed it down their throat. And by the time NC State figured out what they were doing, then they made adjustments and then Tennessee threw it over their head. So that's how Tennessee is going to attack Oklahoma. That's how they attack everybody.
Dylan Sampson is turning into an elite running back. He has rushed for over a hundred yards in four straight games. He has explosive speed. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. And you know, last year we got to see him, but not as much as really you wanted to see him because Jaylen Wright had such a great year last year for Tennessee. So they had two really good running backs last year and ran the ball effectively. So, that'll be the game plan. And then when Oklahoma makes an adjustment to stop the running game, bam, we're going to throw it over your head. That's the way Tennessee attacks everybody.
They went out and got Chris Brazzell from Tulane, who's a big — 6-foot-5 — really speedy wide receiver. And he has lived up to what they expected him to be. A good route runner. And then Squirrel White is in the slot. He was the leading receiver last year, and you kind of lose him because he's not a very big guy. He's nicknamed Squirrel for a reason. He just kind of runs around in the secondary and gets open. And so, you've got to find him. And then they have Bru McCoy, who came back. You know, Bru got hurt in the first game last year, the transfer from USC, and didn't play last year. And so everybody thought, ‘Well, he'll go to the NFL,’ but no, he came back as well. And he has been a tremendous asset, just an unbelievable leader for this team.
You got those veteran guys that have been around five or six years, they kind of get those rookies and those freshmen and they snap them into shape pretty quick because this is how we do things around here. And so you've got really a talented wide receiver corps. You got a good running back. You got veterans in the offensive line. You got two new tight ends and a promising young one that's coming along. He's probably the best catcher, pass catcher among the tight ends. There's a lot of things like about this offense.
Jenni: Hey, I'm the leader of the Throw It To the Tight Ends Club.
Bob: Always open.
Jenni: So if they want, they want to throw it to some tight ends, they always seem to be open, Bob. It's just universal. It's universal.
Bob: Yeah, always open. Throw it to the tight end, for God's sake. So they like these guys and they they caught two touchdown passes against NC State, so they like the tight ends and you know, as Coach Heupel will tell you, tight ends, good ones are really hard to find because you gotta find a big guy that can run who wants to block and can catch passes. That's a rare combination. And the Travis Kelces and those guys, they just don't come along very often. And Tennessee thinks they have two pretty good ones that they got through the transfer portal. And that's really given them lot of versatility in the offense.
Jenni: You mentioned Nico a little bit ago and just how good he's been. By the way, you've got the toughest job in sports having to say Nico's last name on a regular basis. I've tried.
Bob: Give us your best shot.
Jenni: I can't do it. I'm not even going to flub it, Bob. I looked at it last week, and I even listened to a video of him saying it. And I'm like, I can't. I just can't do it.
Bob: Well, the video with him, he kind of slurs it, so it makes it even harder, but it's really pretty easy. ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va. We go through the first series and we call him Nico Iamaleava, and it's Nico the rest of the way. My color guy, Pat Ryan, who by the way is from Oklahoma before he came to Tennessee and went on to play with the New York Jets. He's coming in early, and he's playing every good golf course in Oklahoma and then he'll be ready for the game on Saturday. But anyway Pat hasn't tried it yet either. He didn't even try it in the spring game. I said, ‘At least give it a try.’ ‘No, I'm not doing it.’ So it's Nico the whole time. And you know, Coach Heupel calls him Nico all the time, too. And that's fine with him, but it's kind of one of those, you know, once you get the rhythm of it, it's really not that bad to say.
The guy that is now the quarterback in Florida State, I've never gotten his. Ukulele, whatever the heck it is. [It’s DJ Uiagalelei, or oo-ee-AHN-guh-luh-lay.} I have never gotten that guys. So luckily I haven't had a game with him playing, but games on TV, they say his name four or five times and I still I still can't get.
Jenni: I get it. So what has most impressed you about Nico this season? What have you liked out him through three games?
Bob: How he throws the ball. He has such tremendous touch. Last year, we had Joe Milton, and Joe was a physical freak, just unbelievably big and strong and fast and could throw the ball 80 yards if he had to. But he didn't have much touch on the ball. Sometimes, decision making was a little slow, and it cost Tennessee. Nico, of course, was able to sit back and watch for a year and a half while Joe was playing. So that really helped him. And now he knows the offense. He knows where he wants to go with the ball. But he throws one of the most catchable balls that I've seen of any quarterback that Tennessee's ever had. And he's got enough juice that if he needs to throw it 60 yards, he could do that. And he threw a pass to Brazzell last week. I think it was 53 yards or something for a touchdown. And Brazzell never even broke stride. I mean, it was right down the sideline, right in the end zone. You couldn't have laid it out there any better. And I kind of like to say he lays the ball out and just floats it out there where guys can catch it.
He had two interceptions against NC State. One was a bad throw, and the other one, his arm was hit and the ball fluttered. But other than that, he has really been very, very efficient and effective throwing the ball
Now, the defenses he's thrown against haven't been very good, and we'll see how he does against Oklahoma. So I'm sure Oklahoma will come out and disguise some things and give you some different looks. Their middle linebacker will be all over the place jumping routes and trying to cut that stuff off because he's really good. And their secondary is good. (Billy) Bowman's good. So they'll throw some different things at Tennessee that maybe Nico hasn't seen, but so far he's been very poised and there's a calm demeanor about him and a quiet confidence. He's not a yeller and a screamer. He doesn't jump up and down. But he knows he's good. His teammates know he's good. His coaches know he's good. And now he's out trying to prove how good he really can be. So far, it's been really impressive.
Jenni: Before we let you out of here, Bob, I mentioned those previous OU-Tennessee games about a decade ago or so. You were obviously on the mic for both of those, great game in Knoxville followed the next year by a more commanding win by OU in Norman. But I was thinking, that wasn't that long ago. And here we sit: this is an SEC game now. Could you have imagined back in 2014 and ’15 that this is where we would be?
Bob: No, no, I'm still not sure I understand how we got here, but here it is and away we go. I watched the replay last night of the Oklahoma-Tulane game, and I've watched some of the earlier Oklahoma games, and it still hadn't set in. When you look down on that field and see that big SEC logo on the field of Oklahoma, you're thinking, worlds are colliding here somehow. I mean, something ain't right about this. But it is what it is and it's going to make everything really interesting. Everybody's trying to figure out who from the SEC is going to the playoffs and all those things. There are going to be a lot of car wrecks over the next month or so. And there are going to be a lot of teams that are going to find out that this is tough sledding in this league, and it just got tougher with Texas and Oklahoma. So I think it's going to be fascinating to figure out how this thing is going to play out for the rest of the season and what kind of impact really that Texas and Oklahoma are going to have. Cause as we all know, somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. And when you start losing a lot in this league, people aren't very happy. So, they'll find out it's really competitive and it's really each week, it's a tough deal.
Even when you look at Tennessee’s schedule, you got Vanderbilt. You think, ‘Well, Vanderbilt's not very good.’ Well, Vanderbilt is Tennessee's biggest rival. They circle that game every year. So every time Tennessee plays Vandy, no matter how many games they've won, you better be ready to play. Tennessee found that out … for a while there several years ago when Tennessee wasn't very good and Vanderbilt jumped up and knocked them off a few times. So this is a league where there are good players all across this league and you better be ready to play each Saturday.
I really can't wait to see who's going to be the last three or four teams standing that makes the playoffs. Maybe five. I'm not sure they'll get five in there, but they could. But I'll be in very interested to see who's standing at the end of the year.
The one thing too about this league, the injury factor. And that's why a lot of the coaches don't want to go to nine games (of conference play). And they've resisted really going to the big playoff because it's not like the NFL where you can go to the practice squad or go pick up somebody that's been cut by another team. You got who you got. And by the time you get to the end of November, you’re beat up, bruised and everybody's hurting and everybody's got some kind of injury. You lose your quarterback or lose your top running back, you're in a world of hurt in this league in November. So that's one of the things, the rate of injuries and guys being backed up just escalates as you get into November. And it's hard to win games in November and that's when you win championships.
Jenni: Lots of intrigue and it starts with SEC play for OU for the first time on Saturday. Bob, enjoy the trip to Norman. Thanks for joining me to talk about the Vols. I appreciate it.
Bob: I’m just going to try not get run over by the Schooner when I go out there. I can do that, I’ll be great.