Looking back …
The rude return to reality was not a total wipeout. Tennessee still has some of the Third Saturday euphoria, most of the massive alcohol profits and a big IOU from exuberant South Carolina fans.
We now can see the Vols aren’t really as good as they played against Alabama or as bad as they looked in the closing collapse at Columbia. George MacIntyre threw the ball deep with encouraging accuracy. He even had a dramatic 12-yard run. He was not why the Vols lost.
We can now see that most of the hot air is out of the playoff balloon. It seems unlikely that the Volunteers can win out. We can hope.
The big leftover concerns are the suicidal errors and the cold, hard truth that the Vol defense lost to the dual-threat LaNorris Sellers. Most of those facts land at the feet of coaches. By their eighth game, receivers really should know how to line up.
Twelve penalties should not be a shock. Josh Heupel teams have been among the national leaders, year after year, in infractions. It’s almost as if discipline and other fine points of football IQ don’t matter.
For all the wonderful things Jim Knowles has done, he has a bit of questionable history with quarterbacks who can run.
One example:
Last October, when Jim was defensive coordinator at Penn State, a nimble quarterback named Nico hit him with a thunderclap. He led winless UCLA to a stunning upset of the No. 6 Nittany Lions, 24-point favorites.
Big deal you say? First 0-4 team to beat a top-10 team in 40 years.
Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more. He was 17 of 24 for 166 yards passing and was the Bruins’ top rusher with 16 carries for 128. Nico’s dad nominated Nico for the Heisman and Knowles couldn’t do a thing to shut him up.
On Saturday past, Sellers produced only three touchdowns, two running and one passing. The Vols didn’t do enough to stop him.
Looking ahead …
This open date will be mostly about rest and recovery with some fundamental development for younger Vols. Assistant coaches will go heavy on recruiting. Heupel may find time for a speaking engagement or national interviews about the difference in then and now.
Linebacker Jeremiah Telander #22 celebrates with Vol fans who traveled to Kentucky for the 2025 game versus the Wildcats.
The outlook for November 7 and Kentucky at Neyland Stadium is far different from what it was in August. The Wildcats have exceeded expectations in coach Will Stein’s first season. They upset LSU. They somehow won at Texas A&M, South Carolina and Oklahoma.
That victory at College Station set a record. It made Stein the first UK coach to ever beat a top 10 team on the road during his first season. Stein, who said he was good, accomplished that in his first opportunity.
South Carolina had a 17-0 lead in Columbia but the Wildcats rallied. In overtime, Stein had a choice of kicking to tie and playing some more or going for two and the win. Kentucky won, 35-34.
One week later, against then No. 10 LSU, Stein did it again in overtime with a different 2-point play. Kentucky won by the same score.
Stein’s bravado may or may not have shelf life.
“We are a really good football team,” he said after the LSU game. “People count us out. I took a picture of ‘College Game Day’ this morning and everybody picked LSU. Keep doing that. I appreciate that. Gives us a lot of fuel and a lot of fire because everybody doubts us.”
Neutralizing recollection: Tennessee usually brings out the worst in the Wildcats. The Vols have won 38 of their past 41 games.
Marvin West welcomes comments and questions from readers at marvinwest75@gmail.com Read more westwords. Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter.
