ATHENS, Ga. — On an evening that little went proper for Tennessee after its fast first-quarter begin, the clincher might need come afterward within the bowels of Sanford Stadium throughout coach Josh Heupel’s postgame information convention.
With the 31-17 loss to Georgia nonetheless gnawing at all people in orange — Tennessee’s eighth straight setback to the Bulldogs and a glancing blow to the Vols’ School Soccer Playoff hopes — Heupel was twice drowned out Saturday evening whereas making an attempt to reply questions when a cellphone ringtone started blaring the Georgia “Battle Hymn” simply exterior the interview space.
Heupel needed no a part of any playoff speak, however was as bullish as ever in regards to the caliber of his soccer group.
“Man, I do not know,” Heupel stated when requested the place the Vols stood within the playoff chase. “All I do know is that this league, in school soccer, is nearly as good because it will get. It’s. Groups get beat on the highway generally. It is arduous to win, man, on this league. That is a superb soccer group that we simply performed that misplaced a few shut ones on the highway in opposition to good soccer groups and had turnovers in these video games.
“It is a good soccer group. We’re a superb soccer group, too.”
The Vols (8-2, 6-2) joined Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss as SEC groups with two convention losses. Texas and Texas A&M every have only one loss, and the groups on the prime have all crushed one another. Alabama beat Georgia. Tennessee beat Alabama. Georgia beat Tennessee, Ole Miss beat Georgia, which beat Texas. In final week’s CFP rankings, Tennessee was No. 7 and Georgia No. 12, which means the Bulldogs would have been out of the playoff.
“Undoubtedly, we knew what was at stake,” Tennessee defensive deal with Jaxson Moi. “Clearly, we deal with it like one other recreation, however we had that [playoff ramifications] behind our minds. However we’re shifting on. That is the previous. There’s nothing you would change now, so we’re simply making an attempt to deal with what’s subsequent and management the controllables.”
The Vols jumped to a 10-0 lead within the first quarter, however Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and the Bulldogs’ offensive line took over after that in opposition to a Tennessee protection that had not given up greater than 19 factors in a recreation all season.
There have been additionally no less than two penalties that went in opposition to Tennessee within the second half that modified the complexion of the sport, one a 15-yard face masks penalty in opposition to cornerback Rickey Gibson III on a second-and-24 play, resulting in Georgia’s go-ahead landing. The second got here within the fourth quarter when the Vols have been hit with an unlawful participation penalty after officers dominated Moi did not get off the sphere in time. Two performs later, Georgia went forward 31-17.
Heupel was clearly steamed about each calls and minimize off a reporter who requested in regards to the Georgia drive the place the face masks penalty was known as.
“Yeah, on the second-and-24?” Heupel requested tersely.
Requested how pivotal these two calls have been in flipping the sport, Heupel responded, “Fairly massive.”
A couple of minutes later, a reporter talked about the replay on the face masks, and Heupel stated, “What did it seem like?”
Instructed that it appeared that the again of the helmet popped off and there wasn’t a hand on the face masks, Heupel turned the microphone towards the reporter and stated, “Are you able to repeat that?”
Heupel stated “subsequent query” when requested if officers gave him an evidence. A Tennessee media relations official requested if there have been some other questions for Heupel, and he checked out a reporter and stated, “Do you wish to ask in regards to the 12-men-on-the-field penalty?”
When the reporter stated he would, Heupel once more turned the microphone in his route and stated, “What did it seem like?”
At that time, Tennessee media relations officers ended the information convention.
Heupel stated this group has been too good and too invested this season to permit this loss to linger. The Vols have UTEP subsequent week at residence after which finish the common season on the highway in opposition to Vanderbilt.
“We did quite a lot of the fitting issues within the lead-up to the sport tonight,” Heupel stated. “But it surely’s what occurs out on that subject that defines tonight. It is the fact of it, and it is the character of being a competitor. The place will we go from right here? Man, let it soak in, let it harm, watch it, develop from it, get our subsequent alternative. what I imply? We have got two extra assured, however the one one which issues is subsequent week, and so this group will proceed to develop.
“We do not management what we do not management. We management our preparation. We will management how we get ourselves able to go play subsequent Saturday. We have got a superb soccer group in that locker room, man. It is a good soccer group. We have got to teach somewhat higher, acquired to play somewhat higher.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who performed within the recreation after being cleared from concussion protocol throughout the week, added: “There’s quite a lot of frustration, quite a lot of anger. We put quite a lot of work in to come back out with a win on this recreation, and yeah, we got here up quick, did not play sensible within the second half and it’ll sting. We have got to let it sting and simply be taught from this.”