Tennessee
Josh Heupel updates injury status of DeSean Bishop, Braylon Staley and Joey Aguilar
Josh Heupel said Saturday night that he’s not concerned about the injury suffered by Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop in the third quarter of the 34-31 win over Arkansas at Neyland Stadium.
Bishop appeared to injure his right leg after a 26-yard run. He had 14 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.
“I don’t think it’s a long-term deal at all,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference.
Bishop was examined by trainers before leaving the field under his own power, without a noticeable limp. He did not return to the game.
Up Next: Tennessee at Alabama, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) finished with 264 yards on 40 carries as a team. Peyton Lewis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run after Bishop left the game, then added a 2-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter. Lewis finished with eight carries for 33 yards.
“You guys have heard me say it,” Heupel said, “I don’t care where you’re at, how much you’ve played, you get into this stretch inside the SEC, the next guy is going to be called upon.
“Those running backs have all played well throughout the course of it. And it was a huge (touchdown) run there by Peyton, really down the stretch in late third and fourth quarter. He played really well.”
Wide receiver Braylon Staley also left the game with an injury in the second half, but again Heupel was not concerned after the game. Staley led the Vols with six catches on eight targets for 109 yards, with a long of 42.
“Braylon, he was celebrating, having fun in the locker room,” Heupel said, “so I anticipate he can be ready to go.”
The Vols go to No. 8 Alabama (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
QB Joey Aguilar left game briefly late in fourth quarter
Quarterback Joey Aguilar briefly left the game late in the fourth quarter after a 28-yard run. He landed on the football while being tackled and said after the game that the wind was knocked out of him.
Aguilar completed 16 of 25 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown and ran five times for a season-high 59 yards. Backup quarterback Jake Merklinger replaced Aguilar.
“He just turned the numbers into our favor there at the end,” Heupel said of the 28-yard run Aguilar was hurt on. “Wanted him to get down once the play is over. Just knocked the wind out of himself. So in that way it’s positive, but I would like him to not take that hit at the very end.”
Tennessee
Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker and his aide, who were convicted on federal corruption charges
President Donald Trump pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who were convicted on federal corruption charges.
Casada, a Republican, was sentenced in September to 36 months in prison after being convicted on 17 charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Cothren, the aide, received a shorter sentence.
Casada confirmed the pardon on Thursday in a statement to NBC affiliate WSMV in Nashville, saying: “Yes the president called me today and granted me a full pardon. I am grateful of his trust and his full confidence in my innocence through this whole ordeal.”
In a statement, a White House official confirmed Trump’s decision to pardon Casada and Cothren and blamed the Biden administration for over-prosecuting the two men.
“The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers — which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000. The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years — penalties normally reserved for multimillion-dollar fraudsters,” the official told NBC News.
The investigation of both men began during Trump’s first term — and the raids of their homes — were conducted in January 2021, while Trump was still in office. The judge who oversaw the case and handed down Casada and Cothren’s sentences was appointed by Trump in his first term.
The charges against Casada and Cothren centered on a consulting firm they founded with another lawmaker, called Phoenix Solutions. Prosecutors alleged that the former House speaker and his aide used the company to illegally funnel money to themselves for campaign and taxpayer-funded work, including by organizing a $52,000 mailer program for Tennessee lawmakers.
Prosecutors said they used a false name — Matthew Phoenix — to run the company.
Several years before Casada was charged, he served as House speaker in Tennessee, but resigned in 2019 after a no-confidence vote by his fellow lawmakers. The vote came in the wake of another scandal involving Casada and Cothren, where the two were accused of exchanging sexually explicit text messages about women. Casada apologized for the texts and said that they were “not the person I am.”
The president this term has also pardoned several other former politicians, including former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Tennessee GOP state Sen. Brian Kelsey and former GOP Las Vegas City Councilmember Michele Fiore. He also commuted former GOP Rep. George Santos’ prison sentence.
The Tennessee Volunteers are in the middle of a bye-week, after last weekend’s loss to Oklahoma.
The playoffs are out of the picture, but there is still plenty of work left to do. The Vols will use this week to work on getting some guys healthy as they prepare for New Mexico State on November 15.
It will be interesting to see if there are any changes for the New Mexico State in terms of players. Will the Vols decide to go a bit younger and work in some younger guys as a way to jumpstart some guys who may battle for playing time and/or a starting position next season.
Josh Heupel met with reporters earlier today to discuss a few things as the team prepares to move forward.
Josh Heupel’s Opening Statement
“How’s everybody doing? Uh, good work today. Um, got another day tomorrow and then some of the coaches will hit the ground recruiting this week. Big focuses again on us during the bye and how we get better. So, open it up,” Heupel said.
Balancing Act
“Yeah, I think wherever your feet are and what’s important at that moment is what you got to be doing. So, uh the development of our current players, our preparation of the opponent that we’re playing, you know, for me, at times the projection of the following year in all departments you’re looking at. So, it’s a combination of all those things. December has changed a little bit on the calendar as well. That gives you a little bit more time potentially in December as well,” Heupel said.
Rotating Young Guys
“Guys that prove that they’re ready to play and play at a really high level, championship level. They earn the right to play and compete and that’s ongoing throughout the course of this season. These guys have worked really hard, disappointed in the results Saturday and a couple other during the course of the year, for sure. But man, it’s constant and consistent growth from everybody,” Heupel explained.
Click HERE to watch and listen to everything Tennessee Football head coach Josh Heupel said during his Wednesday media availability during the bye-week.
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