The questions have almost become laughable. It seems like Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is queried weekly on the playing status of freshman receiver Mike Matthews.
Perhaps it’s because Matthews was such a highly touted prospect or perhaps it’s because he caught two passes for a touchdown in the Vols’ 71-0 win over Kent State. Whatever the reason, the questions just keep coming up about the talented freshman, who also had one kick return for 32 yards against the Golden Eagles.
“Yeah, you know, Mike’s gotten some opportunities,” Heupel said on Monday during his weekly press conference. “I feel like there’s a greater opportunity for execution at times when he’s out there. Some of that’s the guys around him. Some of that’s him, too. We need him to continue to come on and be a big part of what we’re doing here in the back half of this conference season.”
Really? We’ll see. Matthews doesn’t have a catch in the Vols’ last four games. Could a bye week help him get on the field more on Saturday when the No. 7 Vols host Kentucky at 7:45 EST in Neyland Stadium?
“I made the point to our football team the Monday after the last football game that how you prepare, it’s not just during a bye week,” Heupel said when asked about younger and/or inexperienced players making a mid-season jump thanks to the bye. “How you practice. The immediate gratification doesn’t come after one practice. You just keep stacking days and good things inevitably happen.
“There’s great examples of that on our football team during the course of the season. So every player, not just young players, continuing to invest and improve is really critical. You start showcasing those things, being consistent on the practice field, it will translate over to game day and that’s the challenge for all of us.”
This might not be the week to break out a new receiver, despite the extra playing time leading into the Kentucky game. The Cats are actually quite solid in pass defense, ranking third in the SEC by allowing 178 yards per game through the air.
“They’ve got length, athleticism,” Heupel said. “They’ll play multiple fronts, three (and) four-down (and) drop eight (defenders into coverage) at times. They play with great discipline, pattern-reading and causing issues with windows. We’ve got to do a great job of recognizing their rotations, feeling the underneath coverage and getting to the right spot at the right time with the ball.”
That may be a lot to ask of a freshman no matter the time of the season.
