What Josh Heupel said after losing to Georgia
Tennessee lost to Georgia 44-41 in overtime on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Here is what Volunteer head coach Josh Heupel said about the Bulldogs after the loss.
Opening statement: “Give Georgia credit for finishing it the way that you need to, to win that game. Our players, man, I love the fight, the strain, the willingness to just keep battling and playing the next play. And played physical, played hard. End of the day, coaches and players, got to be a little bit better to win that football game. Tonight, man, it’s going to hurt. We need to drink all that in and taste all of it because we’re gonna move forward and be the team that we’re capable of, this feeling tonight’s got to be a part of what continues to propel us.”
On what Heupel told Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert after the game: “Man, listen, told the team. It’s a series of one plays that make the difference. And as a specialist, sometimes your life gets showcased in a way where you get very limited opportunities. I love the fact that he came back overtime, drains it. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the one before. But he had his head high. It’s the life of being a kicker, you know what I mean? Love the way he responded. He’ll continue to grow. And we’ve got great trust in him. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish that one.”
On what he told Tennessee players about closing out games like this: “Certainly, it’s everything. Defense gets a big turnover. Offensively, details on what we’re doing to go finish it and drain the clock and make it a full two-possession game. It takes everything, fundamentals, technique, all of it. The competitive makeup of it, though, I love what I saw. We’ve just got to get a little bit better.”
On if he feels like this is something Tennessee can build on: “Losses never feel good, taste good. That’s not the expectation inside of this locker room, just to play somebody tight. I think the disappointment of tonight can be a moment, something in our journey together that can springboard and propel us if we choose to use it that way.”