Josh Heupel reflects on conservative playcalling in fourth quarter vs. Georgia

Tennessee led Georgia 35-30 in the fourth quarter on Saturday, and a strip sack by the Volunteers defense put the Vols in the driver’s seat late. However, Georgia would come back to win 44-41 in overtime.

On offense following the fumble recovery, the Volunteers were a little bit more conservative given the situation. Tennessee called three-straight run plays and were forced to kick a field goal. It pushed the lead to eight points, which Georgia would tie on the next possession. After the game, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel broke down his philosophy on that pivotal drive.

“It’s a situation where they’re in the two-high bracket coverage. We obviously don’t pick up what we need to. We get behind the chains,” Heupel explained. “And I was willing to be aggressive there if we got to a fourth down, too, had a little trap play. And end up losing inside on it. And we don’t pick it up and end up having to kick. And you got a chance to take it to full two possessions, for sure. But, first to second down, a little bit of how they were playing was why we were doing what we were doing, too.”

Tennessee would have an opportunity to win the game on a field goal during the final moments of regulation. Max Gilbert eventually missed the 43-yard attempt and the Volunteers would go on to lose during the first overtime period.

The cautious approach to the drive that pushed the Tennessee lead to eight points isn’t something a Josh Heupel-led offense is known for. After all, the Volunteers put up 496 yards of total offense including a 371-yard passing performance from star QB Joey Aguilar. Tennessee added 125 yards on the ground during the losing effort.

Defensively, Tennessee allowed Georgia QB Gunner Stockton to pass for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He completed all but eight (23-31) of his passing attempts on the night. The Bulldogs’ rushing attack provided nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns of additional production.

“Offensively, we weren’t able to pick up the yards we needed to sustain a drive and go score,” Heupel said. “It’s not for lack of effort. Just didn’t make the plays at critical moments when we had to in this game. That being said, in the back and forth of the game, this group competed really hard.”

Tennessee will look to regroup during Week 4 against UAB before returning to SEC play the following week. They’ll pick back up against Mississippi State on Sept. 27 when league play resumes for the Volunteers.