Josh Heupel explains not using timeouts in Tennessee's overtime win at Mississippi State

Josh Heupel had three situations Saturday at Mississippi State that seemingly called for a timeout. But with under a minute left both in the first half and in regulation, the Tennessee coach decided to let the clock tick.

The first was after a Fluff Bothwell run on third-and-10 gained eight yards with the game tied at 17. The Mississippi State running back was tackled with 58 seconds left and the ball on the State 37-yard line. 

Tennessee had one timeout left in the first half, but Heupel and his staff opted not to use it. Instead, the clock kept ticking and Mississippi State punted on fourth-and-2 with 14 seconds left before the break.

Joey Aguilar kneeled on the football after the punt and the game went to halftime. 

“There’s a lot of things that go into that,” Heupel said. “We get the ball after half and defense has been on the field. Burning a timeout, if they do go for it, giving them time, I just felt like it was the right thing with where the scoreboard was and how everything had transpired and us getting the ball to let that thing milk. 

“If it’s a long-yardage situation (on fourth down), it’s different.”

Up Next: No. 15 Tennessee vs. Arkansas, October 11

Later Heupel again opted to sit on the two timeouts he had in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

Tennessee went on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 34-34 after a 6-yard Joey Aguilar run with 1:55 left. The Vols forced a Mississippi State three-and-out and had the ball back just 32 seconds later.

DeSean Bishop ran for three yards on first down and was tackled in bounds, keeping the clock running. Tennessee didn’t snap the ball on second-and-7 until there were 42 seconds left.  

Tennessee took a timeout after an Aguilar scramble for nine yards, setting up a first-and-10 at the Mississippi State 49 with 29 seconds left.

‘A lot to clean up. Everybody, coaches, players, everybody’

Aguilar threw incomplete on a deep shot to Braylon Staley with 22 seconds left and Bishop ran for five yards for a first down on third-and-1, with the clock stopping to reset the chains with 13 seconds left. 

Again, Tennessee opted to not take a timeout, snapping with nine seconds left. Aguilar scrambled left and threw out of bounds, leaving just four seconds on the clock and time only for a Hail Mary attempt in the end zone.

“We actually had the second play ready to go,” Heupel said of the final sequence. “With the time on the clock, whether it was right or wrong, with the two timeouts, being able to get it out quick and burn it. We had the second play ready to go. That’s why I didn’t use it there. 

“With the time that it ended up, probably would have been right (to call the timeout).”

Tennessee not burning timeouts didn’t end up burning the Vols. Bishop ran 25 yards for a touchdown on the first play of overtime, then the defense got four straight stops inside the 5-yard line to end the game.

“A lot to clean up,” Heupel said after the 41-34 overtime win. “Everybody, coaches, players, everybody. But good road win against a good football team. Excited about that. And got a chance here (with the) bye week to heal some guys up, get better and get ready to get back to work.”