TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL: PURDUE VS TENNESSEE

December 30, 2021

Josh Heupel

Hendon Hooker

Theo Jackson

Cedric Tillman

Nissan Stadium

Tennessee Volunteers

Press Conference

Purdue 48, Tennessee 45, OT

THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. We're about to start with the University of Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

Coach Heupel, if you would make some opening remarks and statements.

JOSH HEUPEL: Disappointed in the outcome. Come so far, man. A special thanks to our seniors, guys that stayed, fought, competed, bought in, that led, that showed what the spirit of a Volunteer is.

Our young men that are not seniors, that will be coming back, how much growth they've shown over the course of 11 months, on and off the field. Disappointed tonight for them and our fans in the outcome of the game.

The passion of our fan base is just not surpassed anywhere in college football, man. They are on fire, man. Driving up with the buses tonight was a special scene, as good as I've ever been a part of. Appreciate all of their support tonight, through the bowl season, but really all season long. Appreciated them being on this journey with us.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Josh, did you get an explanation on Jaylan's play? Did they say that was not reviewable? Forward progress?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, they said the forward progress had been stopped. Sounded like the whistle blew after, but that's...

Q. Hendon, the big screen up there, you could see the replay, stretched over. What was your reaction when you saw the replay?

HENDON HOOKER: Initially I was excited, thought we scored. But it's a tough call. Feel like me and my teammates gave it our all. The outcome didn't end how we wanted it to.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSH HEUPEL: Completely out of the ordinary. I didn't feel like in the second quarter we executed some simple things very well. A couple things that got to be a chance to be explosive plays, we don't execute on. Some simple things, a some third down situations we don't execute. Not taking anything away from Purdue, but we weren't very good in that quarter.

I thought there were some things, maybe the layoff, uncharacteristic of us from how we were playing later in the football season tonight.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah, just some high coverage from them, box... Thought we had a chance to handle it, pick up some things. We didn't execute. When we're on the 41 yard line, 42 yard line, whatever it was there, for a couple plays there, get us in a little bit better field position.

Q. Was Small banged up a little bit?

JOSH HEUPEL: (Indiscernible) that was kind of true for a couple of our guys but certainly him.

Q. Theo, you said this was a game you may have some opportunities. You got three interceptions. Obviously they racked up some passing yards. What took place out there that you saw?

THEO JACKSON: I mean, like they didn't run anything that we haven't seen on film. We just didn't execute when we needed to. I know that they had guys out, we had guys out. But their guys stepped up and made more plays than we did.

Q. Second quarter, even in the third quarter, the offense bogged down a little bit. Then you caught fire late in the fourth quarter. What was the difference there?

HENDON HOOKER: Yeah, just regrouping on the sideline, talking to the offense, just getting them going, trying to get everyone's energy going in a positive direction to finish the game. We came out hot and executed how we needed to.

Q. Cedric, you guys ended up the highest score season in UT history. What is the ceiling or the top moving forward?

CEDRIC TILLMAN: The team is going to continue to get better, continue (indiscernible) next year. This is our first year in this system.

Q. (No microphone.)

HENDON HOOKER: Yeah, like the rest of my teammates, he's like a brother to me. First day I got here, he took me into his home. I was his roommate. Everything that I had a question about coming to UT, where to go, how to get some breakfast, he helped me out. I couldn't thank him enough for that, me transferring into this program and welcoming me with open arms.

Q. After the season you've had, how frustrating of a loss is this?

JOSH HEUPEL: It's disappointing. Wasn't disappointed in the preparation. There was a couple things I think were just uncharacteristic of us tonight. I love these guys, man (indiscernible).

Q. Purdue had over 500 passing yards and five touchdowns. Was that their execution or...

JOSH HEUPEL: (Indiscernible).

Q. (Indiscernible).

JOSH HEUPEL: (Indiscernible). Right on the edge there. Coach believed in it. But the biggest thing is Chase did, too. He had the look in his eye where he wanted the opportunity to go drain it. Gave it a hell of a run (indiscernible). That's on me.

Q. Hendon, you see this as motivation going into next year or is that a complete restart next year?

HENDON HOOKER: I see it as something we can build off of. Right now, remembering this loss. To change that narrative is big.

Q. Coach, when you say getting back together in January, personally will you feel all caught up? Given that you were so far behind on this cycle in late January, do you feel like you finally caught up?

JOSH HEUPEL: (Indiscernible) when you're in this spot. But, yes, it will be completely different because you're able to put a plan together for your second semester before the second semester starts. In that way it will be good for myself, our staff and our players.

Q. Theo, what do you think makes the passing game of Purdue so effective?

THEO JACKSON: Honestly, they ran good routes, they caught the ball. They made very tough catches. They just were efficient. Like we had some busts, so that kind of helped them out. They were just efficient in everything that they did tonight as far as passing.

Q. Theo, it look like you slid out to corner for a couple drives. Did you get practice time there or...

THEO JACKSON: I've always practiced it because I want to know who is doing what. When he threw me out there, I already knew what to do and where everybody was going to be at.

Q. Can you put into words what that year with this coaching staff has meant to you, Theo?

THEO JACKSON: Honestly, one word that stick out to me was 'growth'. Coming off of last year, we were all falling apart. As soon as Coach Heup and his staff got here, it just started. That was way higher than what we had it.

Just growth.

The young guys, I've seen a change in them, just like doing what the older guys, myself and Hendon and Ced are doing. Just extra stuff. Growth is really the biggest thing.

Q. This late in the game, this late in the season, how do you make sure the message is perspective, not too much emotion?

JOSH HEUPEL: You sit back and you think about the things that you have a chance to control. At the end of the day when you're in a competitive environment, you got to control your controllables. That's it.

There's some things that we handled really well tonight. There's some things that we didn't. That's myself, our coaching staff, that's our players. It's all of us getting better.

Yeah, you walk in the locker room, and you could see it when they walked off the field. It hurt, right? Shoot, if it ever doesn't, then you got the wrong group of guys inside the building.

They're prideful. They care. I think that's shown up in the way they competed tonight. But it's shown in the growth over the last 11 months. Always come from a place of passion and love and be careful with the emotion of anything that's going on. Just think before you speak.

I'm proud of these guys, man. I really am. Disappointed in tonight. The journey is way more important than the destination in some respects. I mean, not that we don't want the right destination either, right? But this journey has been awesome with these guys.

Q. Josh, do you support some kind of mandatory cooling off period for injured players before returning to the game or is that just the reality of the sport?

JOSH HEUPEL: No, it's crazy. The officials wanted that tonight. I thought that was pretty comical they came up to me and said that.

Q. They said they wanted a rule change?

JOSH HEUPEL: Yeah. They think there needs to be a rule change.

Q. Cedric, would you talk about the quantum leap you had this year, what this season meant to you.

CEDRIC TILLMAN: I think the biggest thing is the team, like to see us grow. Theo mentioned earlier, truth be told, we were just falling apart. Coach Heupel came in here, set a standard. He's done so much for me and my teammates. I try to play my butt off for my teammates and him.

I think I grew a lot this year. One thing I really take from this year is how much the team grew.

Q. Cedric, when you caught the second touchdown, did you know that put you over a thousand? Did you kind of know it?

CEDRIC TILLMAN: (Indiscernible).

Q. How physical was it?

CEDRIC TILLMAN: It was physical. They did a lot of press. They was out there (indiscernible). Nothing my teammates and I can't handle. We played physical, too. It was definitely a physical game.

Q. How do you plan to try to get better with your receivers, offense, team in the off-season? How quickly will you get to that?

HENDON HOOKER: As soon as we get back, first day of workouts, I know me and Ced are planning to stay up, get some of those young guys out there to stay up, do some pitch and catch, get some extra film as well.

Q. You probably want to go back and watch, but how would you evaluate how you played?

HENDON HOOKER: I'd say average. Really proud of my teammates. They had my back the whole game. I just try to go out there and play hard for those guys and the coaching staff and the university, as well.

Q. Theo, after the last whistle, what was going through your mind?

THEO JACKSON: I mean, it just hurt was what was going through my mind. I laid it down the line for my brothers, then they did the same. It just hurt not coming out with a win.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you very much.