Joey Aguilar says exactly what he should after Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State, even if he didn’t have to
It’s what a leader does.
The Tennessee Volunteers escaped Starkville, Mississippi, with a 41-34 overtime victory on Saturday. Despite coming out on top, the Vols were far from perfect in all three phases of the game, to put it mildly. Errors on special teams, turnovers, and defensive lapses almost were Tennessee’s undoing in a back-and-forth nailbiter, as well as some questionable clock management at the end of regulation.
However, as has been the case all season, they got another strong performance from quarterback Joey Aguilar. The senior extended his streak of at least 200 yards passing to 29 games by completing 24 of 40 attempts for 335 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 21 yards, including a six-yard designed QB run late in the fourth quarter to tie up the game.
And in reality, both interceptions arguably weren’t on Aguilar. Both went to tight end Miles Kitselman and popped up in the air after going off his hands and landing in the arms of a Mississippi State defender.
Yet, when asked after the game about what happened with the interceptions, Aguilar blamed himself for the turnovers.
Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar says he has to put the ball in there better for his receivers
“Just bad ball placement,” Aguilar said after the game. “I’ve got to give my receiver a better chance to catch the ball, but nothing much other than that.”
Aguilar probably doesn’t have to say that, as he threw catchable passes on both interceptions. But Aguilar is an unquestioned leader on the team, and oftentimes, leaders will take on the blame in situations like that, which is what Aguilar did.
Technically, the passes could have been better. They could have been between the numbers. But that won’t happen every time, and pass catchers must catch them in different areas. Beyond the passes to Kitselman, Mike Matthews also had a drop on what would have been a wide-open touchdown deep down the field.
Tennessee has plenty to work on as it goes into its bye week. But Kitselman, Matthews, and the rest of the pass catchers should rest easy knowing their quarterback has their backs.
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