What Josh Heupel said after No. 14 Tennessee's 33-27 loss to No. 17 Oklahoma

What head coach Josh Heupel said during his postgame press conference Saturday night after No. 14 Tennessee’s 33-27 loss No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium:

Opening Statement

“Obviously extremely disappointed with the outcome. Everybody in program is extremely disappointed. Fans were awesome tonight, as always, I want to thank them. First half, thought defensively we played extremely well. Offensively, move the football, don’t get points in the red zone, turn the ball over, give them 16 points in the first half and just can’t win that way. They’re a good football team. And then at the end just didn’t have enough to do over the hump. So give credit to them. We got to play smarter to win a game like that. 

If the Oklahoma defense did something to make Tennessee’s offense play out of character

“Well, really didn’t handle it well enough. The turnovers, uncharacteristic. And they turned them into points. And that’s a double whammy right there. Give credit to them. There’s some things that we did really well. I didn’t think we operated a couple of possessions in the red zone the way we need to. And then the turnover. You give him 16 points in the first half. And kicker did a really nice job. It was three long ones. Just didn’t execute (on offense).”

What he saw on Joey Aguilar’s two interceptions in the first half

“One is just off his back foot. Another one, doesn’t see rotation, hangs it up for the safety.”

Why Tennessee couldn’t run the football against Oklahoma’s defense

“One, they’re good up front against the run. Two, there’s some times where we had some runs and we’re throwing perimeter tags when we shouldn’t. So combination of all those things. And then late the game plays out the way it does.” 

How different Oklahoma’s looks were pre-snap on defense

“Some of it was different. Some of the pressures were a little bit different. All in all, adjusted to some of that. We got beat a couple of times, which is going to happen. Early I thought Joey did a good job getting to some check downs too.” 

If he will have big-picture conversations with Tennessee after suffering a third loss

“Yeah. Ultimately, we’re not in control of any of those things. We’re in control of what we do. Disappointed. Thought they prepared extremely hard. There’s some things that were really good defensively early tonight. I thought they played really good football. Got a choice to make. Life, how you going to respond? This group has competed, continued to try to get better every day. Expect and demand that as we get going here on the back end of the season.”

The fourth-and-1 incomplete pass to Jack Van Dorselaer

“Yeah, long yard right there. They’ve been good in those situations and had something that we thought, as multiple as they are in that situation, that would give us a chance. And he gets hung up a little bit coming around the edge. I haven’t watched the video of that specific play yet. Whatever, we got to squeeze it a little bit and let him get his head around. We just got to make a play. I can’t tell you right now, but we had a chance there.”

What went wrong to have to take a timeout before that play

“We were just behind in the sequence of it.”

Defending Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer in the run game

“Early, I thought we did a good job. As the game went on, he made some plays with his feet. Out of gaps a couple times and sometimes he made just a good play. Third and 16, we let him escape and pick up a critical first round.”

His assessment of his defense, especially in the first quarter

“I thought early played well, first half. Tough when you give up 16 and play really well defensively.”

Conversations with Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert

“Ultimately, you got to go out there and drain it. Misses one early and comes back and hits one. That’s part of the difference in the game too. All that. All the little things. Play good competition, which they are. That’s what’s in this league. It comes down to making those plays.”