Look back closely. There was a thin silver lining. Rarely has a Southeastern Conference overtime loss before so many enthusiastic people been so potentially instructive.

If Georgia is really a top 10 team, so is Tennessee – well, almost. For sure the Vols can play.

All they have to do is get better at several positions, reduce mistakes, cut down on penalties and not get beat on two-point plays.

This was a massive missed opportunity. Tennessee had a really big win on its fingertips – oops, make that right foot. Max Gilbert’s off-target kick was the focal point. The Vol defense also lost the game. Could be lessons were learned on the spot.

“What didn’t we learn?” said Joey Aguilar. “We stuck together. It was a tough loss to a great team, but we’ve just got to finish a little more and dig a little deeper.”

The quarterback said he was a student, that he learned a lot, that he left points out there on the grass. He was also an instructor. He convinced me that he can win. Now we know that Josh Heupel picked UCLA’s pocket on the trade. UCLA knows, too. It just fired the coach.

After what Aguilar has been through, where he was compared to where he is, he has reasons to be humble. He is also a modest diplomat.

“The main goal is this team, and not me. I know it’s a great story but my main focus is to do my job and help my team win games.”

As part of his five-touchdown production, Joey made some shrewd moves to avoid pressure and kept looking downfield. He threw some daring jump balls, maybe by design, that Chris Brazzell turned into really big touchdowns.

If Braylon Staley doesn’t slip and fall on a pass route, Joey has one more completion and one less interception. He threw that ball precisely where Staley was going.

Georgia didn’t exactly stuff the Tennessee running game but it got in the way. The Bulldogs simply did not believe Aguilar is as good as he is.

Vol receivers, doubted by many including me, were warriors. Brazzell made himself some money. NFL scouts had no idea he could do what he did. He made pesky DBs look bad. Georgia made Tennessee’s run and pass defense look bad at times.

The Vols couldn’t stop a Georgia drive that consisted of 13 rushing plays and one pass. Overtime was no contest. Indeed, the Vols missed those missing cornerbacks. The Bulldogs broke 15 tackles.

Old friend and serious fan Virgil Mincy contributed interesting perspective.

The good: Tennessee will not have to pay a couple of hundred thousand for rushing the field.

It was a glorious spectacle for those with no skin in the game.

The south stadium infrastructure is now great … after just 50 years of waiting.

The bad: Gilbert got the spotlight, but his miss should be put into perspective with a dozen others – dropped passes, penalties, missed tackles, muffed assignments.

It coulda, shoulda, but, in fairness, it was a team loss. Who knows? Minus any of the many other blunders, the FG might have not been necessary.

Old friend and serious Vol fan Douglas Jones had a different thought.

“Newest member of the Gary Wright (Barely Wide Right) Club. Except unlike Gary, Max wasn’t barely wide. He was way wide.”

Wright missed a field-goal attempt at the south end of Shields-Watkins Field against Alabama in the rain in the 1966 game. You ask if fans ever forget? Are you kidding me?

A lot was lost on this kick. The Vols failed to cash in on an investment.

Tennessee coaches started working on Georgia in January. There were multiple motivators. The Bulldogs were the first SEC foe on the schedule. They had been dominating the rivalry. The playoff selection committee would remember a big victory over a big name.

Georgia is vital recruiting territory for the Vols.

Heupel did what he could to improve Tennessee’s chances. He tapped Dr. Danny’s treasury to coax special teams guru John Bonamego out of retirement. Josh brought in Seth Littrell to be senior offensive analyst and a new set of eyes.

Serious about Georgia? You can believe the Vols did some preliminary planning in spring practice. For sure it happened in August. No way the team spent the first week in September focused on East Tennessee State stuff.

Summation: Georgia didn’t actually win this game. Tennessee lost it. Kirby Smart said that post-game without saying it.

“I almost feel like I have to apologize, because I don’t think that we should have won. I thought they outplayed us in a lot of ways. Tennessee deserved to win this game. We didn’t play our best. I got a lot of respect for the way they play.”

The winning coach knew he was lucky to be 3-0. He knew Heupel had finally cracked the code on the Bulldogs’ defense. He knew that kick, five out of six times, would be three points.

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