‘It was a really, really not good play call’ – ESPN’s Greg McElroy gets dramatic while criticizing Josh Heupel and Tennessee
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy was critical of Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols’ performance in Tuscaloosa
ESPN’s Greg McElroy was overly critical of a key decision that was made by Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols in a 37-20 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night.
McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback who called the game for ESPN on Saturday night, didn’t like Tennessee’s play call on second-and-goal just before half time.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar threw a pass to tight end Miles Kitselman that was intercepted and returned for a 99-yard touchdown. It was a massive turning point in the game. Instead of scoring a touchdown and making it a 16-14 game, the Vols went into halftime facing a 23-7 deficit.
“It was a really, really not good play call” – Greg McElroy gets critical of Josh Heupel and the Vols
“Biggest moment of the game — without question — the pick-six at the end of the half…it was a really, really not good play call,” said McElroy. “Partly because it’s goal-line personnel. The defense knows you have to throw it, and yet you have two defensive linemen and two tight ends on the field. It’s goal line. The only time you throw it out of that personnel is with the intent to deceive the defense — ‘Oh, they think we’re running it, let’s actually surprise them and throw it.’
“When you’re in a situation where there’s nine seconds left on the clock, and you have no timeouts, the defense knows you have to throw it. So you’re not going to catch them off guard. Just a bad decision.”
McElroy, who was weirdly critical of Tennessee’s offensive philosophy throughout the game, makes some good points. The play call felt predictable.
But what McElroy completely ignores, and maybe it’s because he seems to be focused on spreading a negative narrative about Tennessee’s offense, is that if Aguilar throws the ball to the outside of Kitselman, it’s a touchdown.
The play call wasn’t ideal, but if it’s executed correctly, the Vols would’ve scored a touchdown.
So no, it wasn’t a “really really” bad play call as McElroy suggested (the real problem was why the Vols were even in that situation with just nine seconds left in the half). But that doesn’t fit the narrative that McElroy is trying to run with as he continues to unprofessionally call games that involve his alma mater.
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