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    • Vols weren’t even the best team in the state on Saturday
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    Vols weren’t even the best team in the state on Saturday

    Vaseline Posted on

    When you lose a game like Tennessee lost on Saturday night, there’s nothing mysterious about what your response should be: “All our goals are still ahead of us.”

    That’s true – unless one of your goals was to win every match. But there are still more reasonable goals in the game.

    The Vols can make the College Football Playoff. They can win the national championship — as unlikely as it seemed to see them lose 19-14 to Arkansas on Saturday night at Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium in Fayetteville.

    On a day full of setbacks — some of them even more stunning than Tennessee’s loss — we were reminded of how drastically college football can change from one Saturday to the next. Five top-10 teams lost.

    Alabama, which was ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll, lost to Vanderbilt. How is that even possible? But it happened.

    Tide fans took over Vanderbilt Stadium, as so many opposing fans do. But in a bizarre plot twist, Vanderbilt took over the game. There was nothing bland about the Commodores’ 40-35 victory. They were better guided and better prepared. They outwitted Alabama.

    I was as surprised as anyone by how the game unfolded. I was just as surprised at what happened to Tennessee.

    Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Never mind that three of Tennessee’s dominant wins came against decidedly inferior teams: Chattanooga, overrated NC State and Kent State. Or that Oklahoma’s offense was decimated by injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps. I was convinced the Vols were the real deal.

    Maybe that’s true — and the Arkansas game was an aberration. But I’m now as convinced of Tennessee’s shortcomings as I am of its strengths in the first month of the season.

    Arkansas had played back-to-back tough games against Auburn and Texas A&M. Tennessee had two weeks to prepare for the Razorbacks. So how did things go so wrong against a 13.5-point underdog who seemingly didn’t perform well against Tennessee?

    Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has rightfully earned a reputation as a great play-caller. That includes Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, a former college and NFL head coach. But this evening Petrino did more with much less.

    Heupel seemed unsure and this was reflected in the lack of offensive creativity. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava also seemed unsure. That was never more apparent than when he went out of bounds on the final play of the game, when UT’s only hope for a win was to launch a pass into the end zone and hope for the best. Crossing the borders was tantamount to waving a white flag.

    Arkansas repeatedly got the best of Tennessee’s offensive line, so Iamaleava was under duress most of the night, which helped explain why he passed for just 158 ​​yards on 17 completions in 28 attempts. I expected him to overcome such pressure sometimes with his running ability. However, his elusiveness was never evident, and he made fewer plays on the run than he did as a passer.

    In tight games, star quarterbacks should shine the brightest. Iamaleava couldn’t do that. Ironically, Arkansas backup quarterback Malachi Singleton, who replaced injured starter Taylen Green, led the winning drive.

    Tennessee, like so many other SEC teams, remains a playoff contender. Texas is the conference’s only undefeated team. Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee all have one loss.

    UT’s games against Alabama and Georgia now seem bigger than ever because there is less room for error. You can’t expect to make the play-offs with more than two losses.

    ADAMS: Poor decision making by Josh Heupel and Nico Iamaleava dooms Tennessee football against Arkansas

    Tennessee didn’t look like a playoff team on Saturday. A defense that looked so dominant against previous opponents gave up over 400 yards. And the pass defense that was considered questionable in the preseason looked just as questionable against the Razorbacks, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 297 yards.

    After UT’s 4-0 start, I thought it could beat both Alabama and Georgia. But no matter how poorly it played against Arkansas, you can’t even assume that Vanderbilt will win for sure.

    The Commodores, not the Vols, were the best team in the state on Saturday.

    John Adams is a senior columnist. He can be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him on: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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