Ad Disclosure
Josh Heupel laments missed opportunity for Tennessee at Georgia: ‘We have to learn and grow’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Josh Heupel and Tennessee saw their dream season hit a speed bump on Saturday in the form of a 27-13 loss at Georgia. The Volunteers were held to by far their lowest point total of the season in their first defeat of the year, having scored no fewer than 34 points up until the game against the Bulldogs.
Kirby Smart called on Dawgs fans to be vocal throughout arguably the biggest game in Sanford Stadium history. They delivered as the Vols committed 8 false starts on the afternoon, finding themselves unable to adjust to the deafening atmosphere in Athens.
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel: I didn't think, all in all, we didn't handle the noise very well.
"At the end of the day that hurt us."
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 5, 2022
Tennessee will see their stay atop the College Football Playoff standings come to an end on Tuesday when the 2nd rankings of 2022 are released. At the very least, its window of opportunity to play in the SEC Championship Game has closed, but it can still run the table and look to keep itself in the Top 4 picture.
Still, the Vols missed their chance to make a statement in by far their toughest game of the year.
Heupel: There are a lot of things that we will look back on, and we have to be better.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 5, 2022
Here’s what else Heupel said after the game:
#Vols coach Josh Heupel: We weren't the best versions of ourselves today. All those false starts, that can't happen. You just can't do that against teams like this.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 5, 2022
Josh Heupel: “Everyone had a hand in this – starting with me. We have to learn and grow.”
— Eric Cain (@_Cainer) November 5, 2022
Josh Heupel: “Getting to Atlanta is a whole lot tougher now. That’s the No. 1 goal inside our program.”
— Eric Cain (@_Cainer) November 5, 2022
Heupel on the atmosphere on the Vols' sideline: "In the early part of the game, where we the best version of us? No. That's why those things happen."
— Josh Lane (@josh_lane20) November 5, 2022
Josh Heupel: It’s not that our guys didn’t prepare well. We just needed to stay within ourselves early in the ball game. We didn’t play our cleanest, best football. They had a lot to do with that.
— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) November 5, 2022
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
