‘I should have said that at the beginning’ – Josh Heupel gives credit where it’s due after Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State
A couple of minutes into Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel’s post-game press conference on Saturday evening, following UT’s overtime win against Mississippi State, he realized he needed to give credit to his defense. Tennessee was far from perfect in its 41-34 win against the Bulldogs, but both sides of the ball ended up making […]
A couple of minutes into Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel’s post-game press conference on Saturday evening, following UT’s overtime win against Mississippi State, he realized he needed to give credit to his defense.
Tennessee was far from perfect in its 41-34 win against the Bulldogs, but both sides of the ball ended up making some huge plays.
And the defense, specifically, made a couple of plays that kept Tennessee in the game when the offense wasn’t scoring points.
Josh Heupel gives credit to Tennessee’s defense
“It was a great effort by our defense tonight — I should have said that at the beginning — the entire night,” said Heupel. “There was a couple of things they busted — run fits early. Also, the outside zone, and we [gave one up] down the middle of the football field, a big play for them.
“But there were a lot of things that they did at a really high level, and they had to face some adverse situations, too. And [they] continued to respond. Really proud of those guys. Obviously, a couple of huge plays. Defensive linemen, you know, a strip sacks, scoop and score. And the pick-six.”
Tennessee’s defense actually only gave up 378 total yards — the Bulldogs were gifted with a couple of short fields after a couple of interceptions from Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar (both went off Vols tight end Miles Kitselman’s hands).
The Vols finished the night with five sacks, 11 tackles for loss, four passes defensed, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and two touchdowns.
It will never be perfect when you’re competing against SEC competition (or any competition, really). And things certainly weren’t perfect for the Vols on Saturday evening in Starkville.
But Tennessee kept competing hard even when things didn’t go its way. That says a lot about the character of this team. There’s a lot to clean up. But a win on the road in the SEC is always a good thing, no matter how ugly it may have been at times.
Tennessee Volunteers News
SEC Network announcer goes viral for hilarious mistake during Tennessee vs. Mississippi State game
SEC Network play-by-play announcer Dave Neal went viral during Saturday’s matchup between the Tennessee Vols and the Mississippi State Bulldogs for a hilarious gaffe he made in the second half. In the third quarter, with Mississippi State trailing 20-17, the Bulldogs attempted a 42-yard field goal. The attempt was shanked to the right — the […]
