Big Blunder in Tennessee-Georgia Ending as Josh Heupel Faces Wrath From Agitated Fans

Tennessee’s 4 TDs and one field goal on the opening drive were either a preview of a changing script or the same old story. Josh Huepel’s squads have put up the same stat in four games against Georgia and lost each of them. This time, though, UT kept the momentum going. With an early 21-7 edge, the team appeared closer to snapping the 8-game losing streak against the Bulldogs. But Heupel says it is a series of one plays that make a difference, and Saturday night was a good look at that, albeit resulting in pure agony among the Vols faithful. 

In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Tennessee was one step away from livening up its win column against Georgia. The game was tied at 38-38, 7 seconds on the clock, and Heupel faced a sure-shot third-and-5 at Georgia’s 20. But fans did not like what followed next. “MAX GILBERT MISSED THE FIELD GOAL TO WIN THE GAME FOR TENNESSEE 😱.”

Heuepel’s squad very much had things within reach in regulation. That’s when he decided to place kicker Max Gilbert for a 43-yard field goal. To the Vols’ dismay, it drifted wide right, breathing life back into Georgia and forcing overtime. 

Gilbert rebounded there with a field goal, giving the Vols a 41-38 lead, but Josh McCray plunged for a 1-yard TD, securing the Bulldogs’ ninth consecutive win over Tennessee at 41-44. The game slipped away in a matter of a minute. But few are blaming it all on Gilbert. 

Over 4 years at Tennessee, Heupel has a decent 37 – 15 record, including a near flawless 20-1 at home in the last three years. Fans are ready to grade him A+ for that. But when it comes to lapses in coaching decisions and player discipline, there is much to be desired. False starts and off-sides have piled up more often than they’d like.

The infamous 2022 UT vs UGA matchup lingers around, for the Vols’ season-worst seven false starts of eight pre-snap penalties. Last year, once again as the Bulldogs led 17-24 in 4th quarter, UT’s offensive lineman Lance Heard had ended their drive with a false start. We know how that ended. The head coach believes it to be a ‘communication problem’ whenever they are up against the Bulldogs. This time, however, the Vols were going to be playing at home. He came prepared for the one-on-ones and the pressure ‘athletic’ linebackers were about to bring.

“I’m excited to go compete. This is a conference opener, great opponent,” he had expressed after noting the need to maximize on possessions. With a 2-game win streak and a promising start, it did indeed look like an opportunity for the crowd at Neyland Stadium to erupt in joy. The head coach had done his homework. But Heupel ended up feeling the sting, not from his opponents but the very ghosts of the past that have cost them heavy.

One penalty and one coaching decision shunned any celebrations the closest Tennessee vs Georgia game was about to spark. Frustration first flared on the stands, then erupted behind screens as fans let their keyboards do the talking.

Fans place Josh Heupel in the ot seat, questioning his coaching decisions

Heupel’s team was flagged for a false start before Gilbert’s missed field goal in the fourth quarter. But a fan is pointing fingers at the head coach, “I blame that miss on Josh Heupel. Should’ve kicked the FG before that 5 yard penalty #Tennessee.” The Vols tried to position the ball for Gilbert, but a flag on Sham Umarov pushed them back 5 yards. Rather than risking another play, Heupel chose to kick.

A fan summed up Tennessee’s late-game sequence in disbelief and frustration. He wrote, “So…1. Tennessee tries to run a play with :07 to center the ball 2. They commit a false start. No clock is used 3. They send out the kicker and he pushes it What are we doing Josh Heupel?!” Choosing to run a play with only 7 seconds left risked wasting the final chance instead of just kicking immediately—clear clock management issues in Heuepel’s part.

Another fan raised the heat for Heupel as a poorly timed decision turned an easy win into a heartbreaking miss. While they are upset, a fan is laughing at how avoidable it was. He wrote, “If Tennessee loses this game it’s because Josh Heupel got scared and kicked the ball on 3rd down with 3 timeouts and 7 seconds Why tf did he do that?!? 😂😂😂 Especially after a false start. If he was gonna kick it early he should’ve kicked it from 21 yds.” If Heuepel refused to take a risk and kick early, he should’ve done it before the penalty. This would have made a much easier 21-yarder. 

Gilbert is 5-on-5 going from the 20-29 yard line. He also entered the game with a 100% field goal percentage, and successfully kicked 2 more at Neyland. But that 4th quarter positioning, when the Vols had an extra down, seemed to have placed a little to much pressure on the kicker. No surprise the criticism came crashing down for Heupel, who has a buyout worth $37.5 million, with one furious fan summing it up: “Fire Josh Heupel, we had an extra down…”

What makes another fan upset? Heupel did not stay aggressive after Tennessee’s defense gave them a golden opportunity. “Josh Heupel’s defense got a turnover in Georgia territory and he ran the ball three times coaching conservatively instead of going for the kill. He put way too much pressure on a young kicker to win it. If Tennessee loses this game it’s because of that decision alone,” he wrote. Now, coming from an experienced coach like Heupel, it was not expected of him to put the game on the shoulders of a young kicker instead of trusting his offense. The question now: can Tennessee’s next games repair the trust their fans just lost?