It doesn't matter what the final score of the Music City Bowl was, the Tennessee Vols proved plenty
The Tennessee Vols didn't get their eighth win of the year on Thursday night in the Music City Bowl. Tennessee fell in overtime 48-45 to Purdue. But the final score doesn't even come close to telling the full story of the game. The Vols didn't play their best game of the year. The secondary was […]
The Tennessee Vols didn't get their eighth win of the year on Thursday night in the Music City Bowl.
Tennessee fell in overtime 48-45 to Purdue.
But the final score doesn't even come close to telling the full story of the game.
The Vols didn't play their best game of the year. The secondary was particularly bad. Between blown coverages and egregious penalties, it wasn't the best showing this season from Tennessee's defensive backs.
If you watched the game, you probably saw some questionable calls. That's true of any game, but it seemed especially true of this game. Did those calls impact the result of the game?
A few probably did.
For example, on the Vols' final drive of regulation, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr was targeted deep by UT quarterback Hendon Hooker. Jones, however, had his jersey blatantly held. No call was made, even though a similar call was made against Vols defensive back Warren Burrell earlier in the game.
A call in that situation would've given the Vols a closer field goal attempt to win the game in regulation. Instead, Chase McGrath came up short on a 56-yard attempt.
The biggest blunder of the game, though, came in overtime.
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright clearly scored a touchdown before any whistle was blown. His legs never stopped churning forward. The referees, however, inexplicably said his forward progress stopped and they didn't give Wright the touchdown — even though he crossed the goal line without being down or stopped. That call gave Purdue the ball back, needing only a field goal to win.
UT can't control incompetent referee crews. That's out of their control. There were plays that Tennessee could've made that would've ended the game in regulation. They could've played better and taken the game out of the referee's hands.
Ultimately, a win or loss in the Music City Bowl doesn't mean much. It's a meaningless bowl game. The only difference is the 7-6 or 8-5 season record in the record books. Eight wins looks nicer, but it doesn't change the outcome of the season much either way.
But here's what does matter — the Vols never gave up on Thursday. They never quit fighting. When Purdue punched, the Vols punched back. They didn't get frustrated when terrible calls went against them. They kept their focus and still had a chance to win.
The way Tennessee played against Purdue isn't indicative of what we saw all season. The competitive spirit, though, absolutely was what we saw all season. And it was something that was largely missing last season.
These Volunteers believe. They believe in Heupel's vision and process for the program. And nothing about Thursday night's debacle of a game changes that. That game was a 5-hour block of a year-long process. Those five hours don't define Tennessee football.
UT has a bright future ahead. And I feel as confident about that future after the loss to Purdue as I did before the loss.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK/Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
