Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers had a bye week after their emotional win at Oklahoma, but the extra rest didn’t translate into success, as they were upset by an unranked Arkansas Razorbacks team. The Razorbacks earned their first win over a top-5 opponent since 2007, shocking the Vols in Fayetteville. After a slow start, Tennessee found themselves down 3-0 at halftime but responded with touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half to take a 14-3 lead. It looked like they were headed for their fifth consecutive win. However, by the fourth quarter, Arkansas had closed the gap to just one point, and with a little over a minute remaining, backup quarterback Malachi Singleton led a 59-yard drive, finishing with an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Razorbacks a 19-14 victory over the fourth-ranked Vols.
Following the game, Heupel addressed his team, urging them to stay focused and not be swayed by external opinions as they continue their quest for their first National Championship since 1998.
“When things like this happen, people outside the team will create their own narrative. We talk about it when things are going well, and tonight they didn’t go well,” Heupel said. “You need to look your teammates in the eye. Those are the opinions that count.”
Critics may now say Tennessee’s hot start was misleading, that the impressive numbers posted by Nico Iamaleava and the Vols were the result of an easy early schedule, and that the start of SEC play has brought them back to reality. While that might seem true, with the expanded College Football Playoff field now including 12 teams, this loss could end up being just a minor setback for Tennessee. Heupel is encouraging his team to stay the course.
“You’ve got to keep pulling the rope harder. We’ve got to keep growing. Good teams get better as the season goes on, and we still have a chance to be a really good football team.”
Leave a Reply