Tennessee football committed three turnovers against Mississippi State that led to three touchdown drives of less than 30 yards. The Bulldogs rushed for more than 225 yards (not counting sacks) against UT’s front.
Joey Aguilar threw two picks (not all his fault) and had several high throws. Braylen Staley fumbled the opening punt. Mike Matthews dropped a touchdown pass. Chris Brazzell had a touchdown catch nullified by an I-disagree offensive pass interference call.
And Josh Huepel mismanaged the clock at the end of regulation.
So why in the world would anyone feel better about this Tennessee football team?
Because it won.
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It won in a hostile environment with cowbells ringing louder than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
It won despite making a multitude of mistakes.
It won with a clutch 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that included a fourth-and-4 conversion.
It won despite two mysterious injuries to offensive linemen on extra-point attempts – an issue that has plagued the team in the Heupel era. (Wink, wink).
And it won on the SEC against a good SEC team – State was 4-0 — despite not playing its best.
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Tennessee football would have lost this kind of game last year. It did at Arkansas.
The Vols would have lost this kind of game in 2023. It did at Florida.
But this team showed a resiliency and toughness and grit needed to overcome self-inflicted wounds. UT won in overtime 41-34 thanks to a 25-yard run by Knoxville native and former walk-on DeSean Bishop in the biggest play of his career. Incidentally, UT is now 6-2 in overtime in SEC road games.
If you feel worse about the 15th-ranked Vols (4-1) entering this open date, that is understandable. The Vols have to fix a lot of concerns.
But you can’t overlook the fact Tennessee managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
You can’t overlook the vital plays made that led to a nail-biting thank goodness ending.
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Aguilar again displayed his poise under pressure. He finished 24 of 40 for 335 yards and one touchdown, and he would have had over 450 yards if not for the Matthews drop and Brazzel PI call. The veteran signal-caller also scored the game-tying touchdown on a 6-yard quarterback sweep.
Staley made up for his miscue by converting a third-and-6 when he plowed through defenders in the final two minutes to give UT first-and-goal from the State 6. Brazzell made a tough catch on fourth-and-4 to sustain the late drive to tie the game. He caught six passes for 105 yards and a score. Matthews atoned for his drop with six catches for 118 yards with a long of 39.
And Tennessee was forced to thrust five-star right tackle David Sanders into the game with seven minutes left when Jesse Perry was injured. Sanders was guilty of illegal procedure on a third-and-1 at the State 9-yard line but otherwise did a commendable job. He had not played this season due to an upper body injury suffered in practice before the season opener.
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There were many reasons why Tennessee football coulda, shoulda lost its SEC road opener at State.
But it didn’t. It found a way to win under dire circumstances. It made key plays at key moments.
And heading into an open before facing Arkansas, that should give the Vol Nation reason to feel good about the direction of this team.
