Heupel Points to Penalties and Missed Chances After 27-24 Loss at South Carolina

Josh Heupel credited South Carolina for making the decisive plays late, but his postgame message in Columbia was mostly about what Tennessee did to itself in a 27-24 loss decided by a 48-yard field goal as time expired at Williams-Brice Stadium. He said his players competed hard, yet the offense in particular did not play with enough discipline, and the penalties, in his view, wrecked drive after drive. Letting a capable opponent stay close on the road, he noted, eventually catches up with you.

The numbers backed him up. Tennessee was flagged 12 times for 90 yards, and Heupel said fixing that starts with everyone owning alignment, assignments and technique. He pointed to a holding call on the perimeter late, on a crew his staff knew called those plays tightly, and to an early illegal formation on Braylon Staley that wiped out a first-quarter touchdown, compounded by a missed assignment on the same play. A failed fourth-and-1 late, which he described as a misstep by quarterback George MacIntyre, and his decision to go for it at the South Carolina 38 rather than punt and pin the Gamecocks deep, also drew questions. He explained that he believed the Vols could convert, keep the ball and run down the clock.

Heupel also discussed South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, saying Tennessee contained him well at times but allowed him to escape the pocket on critical snaps that extended drives. As for MacIntyre, Heupel acknowledged the quarterback would feel responsible for parts of the loss, while stressing that the lesson applies to the whole team and that everyone has to learn from it.

Looking ahead, Heupel pushed the playoff conversation aside even as he acknowledged that teams reaching the postseason tend to finish strongly, with 10-2 having served as a rough benchmark in recent seasons. He said the postseason is still far off, the priority is getting healthy and improving during the bye week, and a strong Kentucky team is next to visit. In this league, he added, every week effectively starts a new season, and Tennessee has to be the better team on that particular Saturday.