Tennessee HC Josh Heupel sent a clear message after Vols' dominant win against NC State

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel sent a very clear message on Saturday night after his team's 51-10 win against the NC State Wolfpack in Charlotte.

The Vols' defense held NC State to just 3 points and 143 total yards of offense (NC State's only touchdown came on an interception return). Tennessee's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown since their win against Vanderbilt in the 2023 regular season finale.

After the win against NC State, Heupel was asked what it was like to watch the Vols' defense dominate against the Wolfpack.

Heupel was quick to point out that it's not the first time that his defense has turned in a dominant performance. After pausing for a moment, Heupel quickly reminded everyone that the standard at Tennessee is to play elite defense.

"Let me just say one more thing, the standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense," said Heupel. "This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry."

There are plenty of folks in the media and opposing fan bases that view Heupel as an offensive minded coach that doesn't care as much about the defensive side of the ball.

But it's obvious from that answer that Heupel is just as passionate about the defensive side of the ball as he is the offensive side of the ball. And it certainly showed (again) on Saturday night.

Tennessee isn't a one-trick pony. The Vols are dangerous on both sides of the ball and that's not by accident -- Heupel's on a mission to dominate.

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