Everything Josh Heupel Said on Wednesday's SEC Teleconference Ahead of Georgia

Less than 24 hours after his team was ranked number one in the country by the College Football Playoff committee, Josh Heupel joined the SEC Teleconference to discuss his team ahead of Saturday's top-ranked showdown with Georgia. Below is everything he said.

Opening Statement

Everybody here understands the test we have on Saturday against a great opponent. The preparation here to this point has been really good. We have to finish out this week and get ready to go play and lay it all out on the line for sixty minutes. Our kids are excited and our staff is too.

On Reaction to Being Ranked No.1

Didn't know where we would be ranked, but I talked to the kids early on Monday. Those are great for the fans to be excited about and pay attention to. As a program, you work to put yourself in a position to be highly thought of. End of the day, as a competitor, it is all about the next one. We are only as good as our next performance, so just prepare the right way and get ready to go play hard. Our guys have been really good (about doing this). Today was a good practice, and we understand the test we have in the next game and the next part of our journey.

On What Makes Georgia A Great Tackling Team

Being a great athlete allows you to get there and get in a better position for more tackles. You are not out of position for tackles. They are great fundamentally, too. They do a great job with their eyes and they are great at wrapping up. They have great speed on all three levels of their defense. It is not just one guy that is there at the party, there are a bunch of guys closing in and that space constricts and makes it extremely difficult.

On What Impresses Him the Most About Stetson Bennett

Just watching him over the last couple of years, like his growth as a quarterback, confidence, which stems from complete command of what they're doing offensively and what he's seeing on the other side of the football. He's been so accurate and such a good decision-maker and taking really good care of the football. I think one of the things, I said it earlier in the week, he's sometimes undervalued, just his athleticism and ability to extend and make plays, scrambling out of the pocket, throwing the football down the field, or using his feet. There's a couple of plays in that game last year that were critical downs and he made a play with his feet that changed the game.

On How Crucial The Run Game is to Tennessee's Success

For us, we have balance in what we do offensively. The run game is critical to our success. The line of scrimmage in this football game will play a big part in determining the ball game. I think we've continued to get better up front, defensively and offensively, throughout the course of the season. We still have a lot of room for growth that they continue to prepare and practice the right way and compete. Our running backs have done a really nice job. I think they've grown in their understanding of offensive football and run schemes and how to deliver blocks and understanding pace until you see the hole and accelerate through it. They've gotten better being physical at the end of runs. This is a big test. The line of scrimmage is going to matter in a big way and, I think I said it earlier, that it'll be a huge part of deciding the football game.

On His Thoughts with Margin of Victory Being a Factor Moving Forward

Man, I'm going to be honest, I don't think about that at all. College football, you look at scores across the country every single week, and it's about finding a way to win. Certainly in this league, every week you're facing somebody that's extremely talented, well-coached and it's about being the best team on the field each Saturday.

On What He Thinks Georgia Loses Without Smith, Thoughts on Robert Beal Being the Next Guy Up

Really good player. Disruptive. The ability to affect the line of scrimmage in the run game, but affect the passer, too. Their defense is deep enough up front that they play multiple guys, they rotate and the next guy up, there's no drop-off. They have guys that they'll be able to rotate in this ball game, and not just at that position, but across the board and all of them have the ability to affect the quarterback.

On What He Heard About 1971 Oklahoma-Nebraska Being Tabbed the Game of the Century and Being In a Similar Game This Week

Yes, for sure. That game was a big part of the history of the University, but also the rivalry there. Before we played them in October of 2000, people were comparing those two games to each other. I don't know what people are calling it (this week). We've been pretty busy game-planning here. This is a great opponent that we're playing and excited that we get an opportunity to play in a game that means a lot, that has a lot of attention and obviously will be a great environment there in Athens. For us, inside of our building, man, it's really just there on the preparation and being ready to be our best when we get to kickoff.