VIDEO: Tennessee HC Josh Heupel looks hyped up as he meets fans right before Ohio State clash
Josh Heupel is fired up as the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers will take on the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. The first-round College Football Playoff matchup occurs at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ahead of the game, Heupel greeted fans waiting outside the venue.
Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) hopes to move on to the quarterfinals with a win over Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten). The Volunteers come into the contest with momentum after winning their last two regular-season games. In Week 14, the team had a 36-23 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6, 3-5 SEC) on Nov. 30.
"This is the next step that we had to take": Josh Heupel reflects on Tennessee making the College Football Playoff
In a press conference on Monday, Heupel discussed what it meant to him to play in the first-round playoff matchup. He said the achievement was a progression of the team's efforts since he joined the program three years ago.
"It happens(making the playoff) because of your staff and your players all buying into a vision and competing towards that every single day. We've continued to take steps. I'm really proud of everyone that was involved in that, but this is the next step that we had to take as a program, and it's a great opportunity, but now it's about what are you going to do with the opportunity," Heupel said.
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He added that preparation and practicing the right way also led to the team's success this season.
Ohio State facing pressure after loss against Michigan
Ohio State is looking to rebound suffered from a close 13-10 game against the Michigan Wolverines (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) on Nov. 30. The defeat continues a four-year streak of the Buckeyes' inability to beat their rivals. It also led to fans questioning coach Ryan Day's leadership skills and if he could lead the team to victory over Tennessee.
In recent years, Day has helped the team regroup after a loss to Michigan. One example was the team's dominant 56-27 loss to their rivals on Nov. 30, 2019. He helped Ohio State rebound the following game with a 34-21 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on Dec. 7, 2019.
On Thursday, college football analyst Joel Klatt predicted that Ohio State would perform better in Saturday's contest. According to him, Day will have quarterback Will Howard try to be aggressive on offense by throwing the football downfield against Heupel's team. He comes into the game completing 227 passes for 2,860 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Tennessee is 11th in the league in terns of fewest passing yards allowed with 2,144 yards. Howard's ability to pass the football will be critical to the Buckeyes' success. His two interceptions against Michigan contributed to their defeat. While the analyst believes Ohio State's offense could cause Tennessee issues, the pressure will be on the host team to learn from the mistakes from their previous game.
Day's team must step up against the Volunteers to avoid further scrutiny.