Sad news: Josh heupel have been fired by NFL that……….
FINAL: Georgia Destroys Tennessee In Humbling Affair
The Tennessee Volunteers (7-4, 3-4) got out-classed in all three phases by the Georgia Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0) on Saturday evening.
Evan Crowell
Nov 18, 2023 6:44 PM EST
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Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee has hit a reset point. They were outclassed by the Georgia Bulldogs in all three phases on Saturday afternoon in front of a national audience, a sold-out Neyland Stadium, and dozens of blue-chip prospects. It was a humbling moment for a program that intended to reach high heights this year.
Now, Georgia is the two-time defending national champions who just became the first program to have three consecutive undefeated regular season runs through the SEC. They had already clinched the SEC East Title before this contest but still found ways to improve. Quarterback Carson Beck was phenomenal all afternoon, staying on time and putting great zip on his balls.
The Vols now have a losing in-conference record, one year removed from winning a New Year’s 6 Bowl. Those around the program expected a potential step back, but few imagined them being 7-4 through eleven games. You have to wonder if the coaching staff will opt to play quarterback Nico Iamaleava during the bowl game or if they will stick with quarterback Joe Milton III.
Georgia Bulldogs QB Carson Beck during their win over Tennessee. (Photo by Randy Sartin of USA Today Sports)
Georgia Bulldogs QB Carson Beck during their win over Tennessee. (Photo by Randy Sartin of USA Today Sports)
Betting Lines as of 11/18 – Georgia vs. Tennessee
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5 things Tennessee HC Josh Heupel needs to explain after Vols’ second straight blowout loss
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Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
5 things Tennessee HC Josh Heupel needs to explain after Vols’ second blowout loss in a row
Zach Ragan
Updated:
Nov 18, 2023
Original:
Nov 18, 2023
In this story:
Tennessee Volunteers
For the second straight game, the Tennessee Vols suffered an ugly blowout loss — this time in front over 100,000 UT fans.
The Vols fell 38-10 to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville in a game the quickly got out of hand.
Aside from Jaylen Wright’s 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, there weren’t many positives for Tennessee.
A loss to Georgia can certainly be excused — the Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since the SEC Championship in 2021 — but the way the Vols lost on Saturday is going to be tough to digest for Tennessee fans.
Two things can be true of Tennessee football this season. A step back in 2023 was expected with all of the talent the Vols lost to the NFL and there are some questions that have popped up about UT’s approach that Josh Heupel needs to answer.
Saturday’s game was essentially a microcosm of the Vols’ season. And there are five questions that Heupel needs to answer about the loss to Georgia that also apply to the entire season.
1. Why didn’t Jaylen Wright receive more touches?
Running back Jaylen Wright scored on a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game. He only received eight touches the rest of the game. Tennessee ran 55 plays on Saturday and Wright, who had the only explosive play of the day, only touched the ball nine times.
A week ago, Missouri leaned heavily on running back Cody Schrader against the Vols. Schrader shredded Tennessee’s defense for 321 yards. Missouri ran 75 plays and Schrader had 40 touches. The Vols have talked plenty about riding the “hot hand”, but we haven’t really seen that in practice.
2. Why wasn’t there more of an effort to score before halftime?
Fans were booing at Neyland before halftime because of Tennessee’s clock management. And while I don’t love the boos, I can understand the frustration.
Tennessee got the ball back down 24-7 with two timeouts and 1:31 left in the second quarter. With Georgia set to receive the ball after the half, it was critical for Tennessee to find a way to score 7 points. The Vols, however, didn’t seem to have much urgency — at least not the same urgency that we saw from Tennessee last season in similar situations. The Vols got the ball to midfield with 1:03 left and two timeouts. Joe Milton completed a seven-yard pass on first down — after not seeing an open deep throw that could’ve easily been a touchdown — and then on second-and-three, the Vols chose to run the ball for a short gain which brought up third down. The seven yard pass, a two yard run, and a one yard run to get the first down took 43 seconds off the clock. Tennessee eventually used both timeouts and kicked a field goal to go into the half down 24-10. It was a huge missed opportunity for the Vols to potentially put seven points on the board.
3. What was the purpose of attempting a 55-yard field goal while down 38-10 in the fourth quarter?
Another baffling decision came in the fourth quarter. The game was pretty much out of reach at this point, but when you’re down by 28, there’s no need for field goals. Yet on fourth-and-8 with 12:24 left in the fourth quarter, Tennessee opted for a 55-yard field goal. The kick was missed and Georgia got the ball back at their own 45-yard line.
I can’t make that decision make sense. You need touchdowns to have any chance of winning the game. The field goal doesn’t do any good. And the 55-yard field goal is probably as big of a risk as going for it on fourth-and-8 (I’m sure an analytics person might have the exact numbers on that, but either way, both are a risk). It felt like that move showed a severe lack of trust in the offense.
4. What’s up with the play calling? Why has the quarterback play not been better?
Speaking of the offense, what’s up with the play-calling? Not just against Georgia, but really the entire season. It’s been unimaginative and the bulk of the passing plays have been screen passes on the perimeter (which haven’t been quite as effective without Bru McCoy out there blocking). It feels like a lack of trust in the quarterback. And it’s been clear from watching Tennessee’s SEC games this season that their quarterback play has been near the bottom of the conference. That’s not to say that Joe Milton has been bad — he’s taken care of the football for the most part. And he’s operated what Tennessee’s asked him to operate. But he hasn’t been out there “winning games” like Hendon Hooker last year. I’m not trying to suggest that Heupel should’ve been playing true freshman Nico Iamaleava this season. But it feels like the only reason for the extremely vanilla play-calling is a lack of trust in the quarterback. If that’s the case, then Heupel made a big mistake by choosing to ride with Milton instead of going all-in for a quarterback in the transfer portal and having a true quarterback competition. Heupel’s offense needs an elite quarterback to thrive. And right now, where you would rank Milton among SEC quarterbacks? I’m not sure he’d be in the top 10 based on what we’ve seen this season.
5. Why hasn’t there been an adjustment when it comes to tempo?
Tennessee’s tempo wasn’t just confusing against Georgia, it’s been confusing all season. It doesn’t feel like the Vols are moving at lightning speed like they did in 2022. Nearly every series, there are several looks to the sideline to adjust the play, which kills the need for any tempo. Yet the Vols are still going somewhat fast, though it’s rarely been fast enough to catch the opposing defense out of position. But it’s fast enough that a three-and-out only seems to take a minute in real time, which is absolutely killing Tennessee’s defense.
I get the tempo when the Vols are in a rhythm and it’s putting pressure on the opposing defense. But this season, it seems like it’s only putting pressure on Tennessee’s defense. The Vols either have to find a way to use tempo more effectively, or they need to slow things down so their defense at least has a chance to catch their breath. Tempo isn’t going to do much good when the offense is only averaging 19 points per game in SEC games.
Josh Heupel is the right guy for the Vols. I think it would be foolish to think otherwise. (Hopefully that goes without saying.) But that doesn’t mean he’s absolved from criticism. And it seems clear that there are some serious adjustments to his approach that he needs to make moving forward to help Tennessee football be at its best under his guidance.
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