The under-the-radar aspect of Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State that should make Vols fans feel better about Josh Heupel on the road
The Tennessee Vols have had some troubles on the road under head coach Josh Heupel. It’s not that Tennessee has been significantly worse than other SEC teams on the road — the Vols have actually been better than most SEC teams on the road under Heupel — it’s just that UT’s road losses in recent […]
The Tennessee Vols have had some troubles on the road under head coach Josh Heupel.
It’s not that Tennessee has been significantly worse than other SEC teams on the road — the Vols have actually been better than most SEC teams on the road under Heupel — it’s just that UT’s road losses in recent seasons have been season-altering (Georgia and South Carolina in 2022 and Arkansas and Georgia in 2024, specifically). Those tend to stand out a bit more.
One reason why the Vols have struggled on the road is because of pre-snap penalties (that was especially true in the 2022 Georgia loss). Those pre-snap penalties typically happen because of the crowd noise. And when they happen, they can kill offensive drives (it’s tough for the Vols to get into their tempo when they’re behind the chains).
Tennessee didn’t play its best game on Saturday in a 41-34 overtime win against Mississippi State, but it wasn’t because the Vols struggled with the crowd noise in Starkville.
Tennessee didn’t have a bunch of pre-snap penalties against Mississippi State
Tennessee had six penalties for 60 yards on Saturday in the win against the Bulldogs.
Only two of those penalties were pre-snap penalties — a false start on offensive tackle Jesse Perry and a false start on offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.
The false start on Sanders came on the Vols’ game-tying drive in regulation. It was the true freshman’s first game action, and the false start came when Mississippi State’s defensive line shifted.
There are certainly some communication things that still need to be better for the Vols on the road — though playing on the road in the SEC is always going to be a challenge — but I thought Tennessee look poised in the win against Mississippi State. Even when things weren’t going well, you didn’t sense any panic from the Vols.
Heupel, the coaches, and the players will all look to improve after an ugly road win against the Bulldogs, but the discipline the team showed (for the most part) in a tough road environment is a big step in the right direction for the Volunteers.
Tennessee Volunteers News
The national media refuses to admit it, but Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State proved the Vols are a championship caliber team
For a little while on Saturday afternoon, I thought the Tennessee Vols were heading for their second loss of the season. Tennessee’s 41-34 overtime win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs was ugly. It was full of mistakes — from execution on the field to coaching decisions on the sidelines. The Vols made some big plays, […]
