Josh Heupel has great reaction when asked about bad call in bowl game against Purdue
Josh Heupel had a tremendous first season as the head coach of the Tennessee Vols, but it ended on a bit of a sour note. The Vols won seven regular-season games, surpassing expectations in year one of the Heupel era. Tennessee could've easily won eight games, however, if the proper call had been made in […]
Josh Heupel had a tremendous first season as the head coach of the Tennessee Vols, but it ended on a bit of a sour note.
The Vols won seven regular-season games, surpassing expectations in year one of the Heupel era. Tennessee could've easily won eight games, however, if the proper call had been made in the Vols' loss to Purdue in the Music City Bowl.
If you don't recall, Tennessee lost to Purdue after it was ruled that running back Jaylen Wright's forward progress was stopped short of the goal line.
That was a clear touchdown. And outside of Purdue fans, it's hard to find anyone who disagrees.
On Tuesday evening, Heupel was asked about the play by a fan at Tennessee's Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga.
“Well, did you guys read my lips?” responded Heupel.
Here's the moment that Heupel was referring to with this response.
Heupel also mentioned on Tuesday evening that one of the referees watching the replay in the stadium thought the call would be overturned.
“He thought it was going to get overturned like I did,” said Heupel. “We were watching it on the jumbotron together.”
It was certainly a tough break for the Vols, but that's how it goes in college football sometimes. Teams have to control what they can control and move on when a bad call is made. It's frustrating, but dwelling on it can cause a game to spiral out of control.
Heupel was understandably frustrated in the moment, but he did a good job of moving on after the bad call was made. That's a sign of a good coach.
Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
