Surprise, surprise, investors in Tennessee football are blaming the boss for the Black Saturday debacle at Neyland Stadium. Well, somewhat. The product did not match the ad.

I thought I saw it all. I didn’t notice the coach missing any blocks or tackles or dropping touchdown passes.

I have been told that no matter the details, the buck does stop at the top. Josh Heupel is up there, $9,000,000 plus perks and bonuses to not let bad days happen to the Volunteers. His comfortable contract runs through 2030.

I recall what Vice Chancellor/ Director of Athletics Danny White said in announcing the current annual arrangement.

“The revival of our football program under Josh’s leadership has made everyone in Big Orange Country proud to be a Vol.

“Josh has brought Tennessee Football back to its rightful place among the nation’s elite programs. He and his staff have fostered a positive culture within the team. Our commitment to supporting Josh and his staff remains strong and unwavering.”

All that happened the day before the season opener, against Syracuse in Atlanta. That was a good day. Tennessee covered the betting line.

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The disappointment this season became started last December at Ohio State. The Buckeyes told us just how far the Volunteers are from the upper tier.

There was another setback in April. The Nico Iamaleava clan demanded a raise when the quarterback wasn’t worth what he was receiving. Hard-nosed negotiations were a terrible mistake. Heupel stood his ground.

I thought the coach won the exchange. Joey Aguilar was better than Nico.

Big donors liked Joey Football. He was neat and polite at the early meet-and-greet, no sunglasses or pajama pants. Joey didn’t try to pick anybody’s pocket.

Thought was he might just make the affluent faithful forget Nico. For sure, he was going to cost less.

This season, before Saturday, was not bad. If kicker Max Gilbert had performed properly, Tennessee would have defeated Georgia and all would be right with the world.

We concluded, after Mississippi State and Arkansas, that this was not a playoff team but all it had to do was beat somebody, anybody that could play, and finish 9-3. Polishing off awful Florida faked us out.

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Any loss to Vanderbilt is uncomfortable but the visitors were the better team. The Vols looked really bad in the second half. The Commodores went 31-3 after Jalen McMurray put his shoulder pads in Diego Pavia’s face.

Late in the fourth quarter, I thought I saw a first, a decline in Tennessee effort. Those last two Vandy touchdowns were too easy.

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Where to from here is now the question. The bowl game will be more important than it might seem. Who will care? Which Vols will opt out? Who that matters will transfer?

The 2026 schedule will be more difficult. It is already very important in projections. Will Heupel go with a young quarterback or seek experience in the portal? Will defensive Vols eventually learn assignments and master minor details like gap integrity?

Will offensive line recruits ever develop into starters or must the team continue to rely on transfers?

Will Heupel try for an upgrade in his coaching staff? Should he?

Is the head coach on the hot seat? Are you kidding me? Not yet and maybe never. Remember the mess he cleaned up. Look at his record. Perhaps Tennessee will improve and defeat Vanderbilt next year.

If I am asked, I will tell Dr. Danny he should pause and survey the scene before adding seats to Neyland Stadium. The ticket waiting list might fluctuate if some other school offers Heupel really big money to change jobs.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com