Tennessee coach Josh Heupel wasn’t interested in looking at what went wrong during his team’s loss to rival Georgia last week.
As a matter of fact, Heupel was quick to turn the page as his 15th-ranked Volunteers (2-1) prepare to host UAB (2-1) on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“At the end of the day, in this game, you have to constantly move forward, and you have to take advantage of every day,” Heupel said Monday, two days after his team’s 44-41 overtime loss to the Bulldogs.
“You can’t look in the rear-view mirror. You have to look out the windshield and keep driving forward.”
Saturday’s contest will pit a Volunteers team that ranks sixth nationally in average total yards per game (568.7) against 40th-ranked UAB (451.7).
The teams’ respective quarterbacks also are airing it out, with Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar ranking 10th nationally in passing yards (906) and UAB’s Jalen Kitna 12th at 892.
Aguilar accounted for five touchdowns — a career-high-tying four passing, one rushing — vs. the Bulldogs. He completed all 14 pass attempts in the first quarter and finished 24-of-36 passing for 371 yards, with two interceptions.
Chris Brazzell II reeled in career-high totals in receiving yards (177) and touchdowns (three) for Tennessee. A 72-yard touchdown reception by Brazzell in the first quarter was the longest of his career and was the second scoring strike of at least 70 yards in the past three weeks by Aguilar.
Brazzell leads the Volunteers in catches (20), receiving yards (364) and receiving touchdowns (five).
“I think attention to detail has been a huge part of his success,” Heupel said. “Understanding coverage, understanding his role in the scheme, playing with great fundamentals and technique. He’s playing really confident, going up and attacking the football. He did a great job on Saturday, and he has the first couple of weeks, too.”
Braylon Staley enjoyed a career day against Georgia with nine catches for 97 yards. He also scored his second touchdown of the season.
The Volunteers hope to see the return of Stanford transfer Jaxson Moi on Saturday. The defensive tackle is deemed to be day-to-day by Heupel as he works his way back from an upper-body injury suffered in Tennessee’s season-opening 45-26 victory over Syracuse on Aug. 30.
UAB, meanwhile, bounced back from its first loss of the season by scoring all of its points in the first half in a 31-28 victory over Akron last Saturday.
Jalen Kitna threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns for the Blazers, and Solomon Beebe earned American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors after totaling 190 all-purpose yards and 154 kickoff return yards.
UAB coach Trent Dilfer stressed the benefit of playing a Power 4 opponent this week.
“I think as a team, it is a great opportunity to go and show up and dress for success, so to speak. Make everything you do, how you act, how you compete, how you think, how you respond, making plays, show up and let your light shine,” Dilfer said on Monday.
“Not to be cheesy, but be somebody that somebody who has never watched UAB football watches the game, and they are like, ‘Dang, that offense can really go,’ (or) ‘Man, that defense plays hard,’ (or) ‘Man, they are really good on special teams.’ People take notice of what you have worked so hard to build.”
