NC State Wolfpack safety DK Kaufman might have unintentionally provided some bulletin board material for the Tennessee Volunteers ahead of their matchup in Charlotte this Saturday.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Kaufman was asked about the challenges of simulating Tennessee’s fast-paced offense during practice. He implied that facing the offense in a game could be less challenging compared to practicing against it.
“We’re doing a good job simulating Tennessee’s tempo,” Kaufman stated. “We try to hurry up and get back to the ball, get everyone in position quickly. In a game, we’ll know where the ball will be placed on the hash, which will be easier compared to practice where hashes frequently change. Practicing against it is honestly tougher.”
Kaufman further expressed confidence in his defense’s ability to handle Tennessee’s tempo, saying, “Practice is always harder than a game—at least it should be. We’re prepared to handle their speed.”
He also emphasized that the main difficulty in facing Tennessee’s offense is not the scheme itself, but the pace at which they operate. “The biggest challenge is definitely the tempo,” Kaufman explained. “They try to mask a lot of things with it, but fortunately, we have coordinators who have faced this type of offense before. We’ve been able to adapt and learn.”
Kaufman added, “Ultimately, it’s up to us. We’ll focus, execute our game plan, and do what we need to do. It’s going to be a tough game, but it’s going to be exciting.”
While Kaufman’s remarks weren’t intended as trash talk, he did emphasize that NC State must improve from their performance in their season opener against Western Carolina to avoid being outmatched. His confidence in handling Tennessee’s up-tempo offense might serve as extra motivation for the Volunteers, especially under head coach Josh Heupel, who has a history of using perceived slights as fuel for his team.
For Tennessee, Kaufman’s comments could provide added incentive, and it might be wise for the Vols to use his words as a rallying point in their preparation this week.