KNOXVILLE (AP) — Joey Aguilar stayed on the ground after a long run and the Tennessee fans held their breath until he sat up.

Then they started chanting "Joey! Joey!"

The quarterback who came through the transfer portal from Appalachian State via a short detour to UCLA has been everything they could have wanted. Aguilar quickly picked up the offense, which is humming at coach Josh Heupel's up-tempo pace as the No. 11 Vols go into Saturday's showdown at sixth-ranked Alabama.

Heupel, who won a national title and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy playing quarterback for Oklahoma in 2000, said Wednesday that Aguilar came in humble and ready to compete and worked to earn the trust of his new teammates after arriving in mid-May. Aguilar's experience helped.

"He's handled it at a really

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