Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is an easy target. Even easier than ever before now that the Vols appear to be loaded.
Every football coach likes to score, but let’s be clear: Heupel really, really likes to score. For all the well-founded talk about his offense being steeped in the running game, which it is, and that the Vols’ fourth-year coach is determined to have an elite defense, which he might have, nothing turns Heupel into a meme faster than a long-touchdown pass. That could make things interesting this week against Kent State.
The Vols are 48 1/2-point favorites against Kent State when Heupel is very likely to light it up against the Flashes. The question is, just how far do you push the realm of sportsmanship at the risk of affecting the rest of your season?
Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier used to run up the score, although he’d say that he substituted his backups in games early and that they ran the same offense with the second-string to help them develop. That’s a fair argument for doling out 50 points against an SEC team, but the Vols could improve more in a scrimmage on Saturday instead of playing Kent State, which ranks 126th in the nation in total offense and total defense. Well, at least the Flashes are consistently abysmal on both sides of the ball.
Sportsmanship is vague in this regard. We each have our own notion of what is right and wrong, so let’s look at the pragmatic side of things. There are two primary reasons not to run up the score. One is applicable in the Kent State game in which the Vols will dim the Flashes in Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
The first reason not to embarrass an opponent can be summed up in just one word: revenge. The Vols, whether Heupel ever admits it or not, ran up the score on Missouri in 2022 when the Vols scored a late touchdown to whip the Tigers 66-24, perhaps because Heupel was miffed that Tigers’ coach Eli Drinkwitz took a shot at the Vols and their previous NCAA woes on a national radio show during SEC Media Days earlier that year. That might not have been a great move.
According to sources within the program, Off The Hook Sports was told Missouri unveiled a completely new defense in 2023, which led to a one-sided contest in which the Tigers won 36-7. Heupel won’t get a chance for his revenge since the Vols and Tigers don’t play each other this season. Following Saturday’s game, Tennessee won’t play Kent State anytime soon – or perhaps ever. That doesn’t mean the Vols should shoot for a school record and embarrass Kent State. That could be disastrous.
The Vols were far better than Akron in 2022 when things were going Tennessee’s way as they led the Zips’ 28-0. Then, things got chippy. That led to a questionable hit on receiver Cedric Tillman that resulted in a season-ending injury leg injury. No one is suggesting that the play was warranted because Heupel was running up the score. After all, the injury occurred in the first half. However, if Tennessee challenges the Flashes’ manhood on Saturday, instead of just winning the game, there is certainly a chance a player could take an unnecessary shot at the Vols. Risking an injury in such a meaningless game could shatter Tennessee’s championship hopes in an instant. So what should Heupel do? The Vols need to be players of great character, not just great players, which they’ve done previously this season.
Heupel, who continues to evolve, can still run his offense and still play his backups when the game is in hand. However, he can also run some clock, as he did in the 51-10 win over North Carolina State on Saturday. Heupel did so against the Wolfpack because he wanted to rest his defense and the Vols had N.C. State in a bind since its coaches couldn’t substitute as Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava stood at the line of scrimmage watching the seconds tick down.
Sure, it’s the other team’s job to stop you. However, the other team can hurt you. Pragmatically, it makes no sense to run up the score. When the College Football Playoff committee meets in October to seed teams, no one is going to look back at the Kent State game and ding the Vols for a 40-point win instead of a 60-point massacre.
Heupel is smart. He knows all of this. However, sometimes it’s been hard for him to take his foot off the pedal. Tennessee needs to be coasting early against against Kent State.
