Joe Milton takes responsibility for key error in Tennessee's loss to Missouri
By the fourth quarter on Saturday night, things weren't looking good for the Tennessee Vols. But despite a rough performance through three quarters, the Vols, after forcing a Missouri punt with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game, had a chance to make it a one score game. A fumble with 10:57 remaining, however, […]
By the fourth quarter on Saturday night, things weren't looking good for the Tennessee Vols.
But despite a rough performance through three quarters, the Vols, after forcing a Missouri punt with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game, had a chance to make it a one score game.
A fumble with 10:57 remaining, however, put Tennessee's hopes on life support.
On an RPO play, Vols quarterback Joe Milton opted to pass the ball. But his hand hit running back Dylan Sampson before he could throw the ball, resulting in a fumble (it was initially called an incomplete pass, but it was correctly ruled a fumble upon review).
After the loss, Milton took responsibility for the turnover.
"That’s just me, I’ve got to clear the (running) back," said Milton. "That’s nothing to do with the whole offense. It’s just me. I’ve got to clear the back if I’m ready to throw. Just got to clear the back. That’s all.”
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel also mentioned the need to clear the running back when he was asked about the fumble after the game.
“Run, pass option, at the end of the day, both sides of it have to be in position to take care of the ball, clear the back," said Heupel.
While Milton took the blame, that's a play that just shows how out of sync the Vols were all night. For whatever reason, it seemed like Tennessee's players weren't on the same page for much of the game.
Those are the types of errors that can't be made if you're going to win road games in the SEC. And while it's easy to blame coaching, that's the kind of stuff that needs to be corrected via on-field leadership.
It's something that has to be fixed moving forward or the Vols are going to have a long afternoon next Saturday against Georgia.
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