On Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and their offense
“I couldn’t believe he is still around, he’s been there forever. He has continued to grow as a playmaker from the first time that I’ve seen him. He has great command and understanding of what they’re doing and is a really good decision maker. He’s got the ability to make plays too, uniquely able to extend and create plays. They put a ton of pressure on him, and when I say that, they put the ball in his hands a bunch and trust him. You see him play at a really high level.”
On DB Theo Jackson
“We expect him to play at a really high level because of who he is inside of our program. How he interacts with his teammates, how he competes every day, that’s why he was a team captain on Thursday night. We expect that high level, that’s how he has performed and really grown since we’ve gotten here. He’s got a great understanding of what we’re trying to do defensively, what his job is and the job of the guys around him, as well as.”
On what stood out on special teams
“I think some of our young guys flying around, whether it was kickoff or punt, just playing with effort, technique and strain, some of the things we’ve talked about since the first day we started in spring ball. Got a chance to see a lot of those things show up on tape. That effort and technique, those are things that correlate to the offensive and defensive side of the ball as well, so for a lot of young guys it starts right there. Saw a lot of guys play really well.”
NEXT: Josh Heupel previews Tennessee-Pittsburgh continued