Josh Heupel Walks Through 4th Down Calls

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel spoke about several 4th down decisions he made against Alabama on Monday.

Tennessee had two crucial fourth-down calls against Alabama that were rebuffed. Both came near midfield, and head coach Josh Heupel chose to play aggressively and keep the ball in his offense's hands. Alabama made two nice plays in short-yardage situations, turning the game's momentum on its head and allowing them to complete a comeback.

Heupel spoke about the decision-making process that goes into those moments. He dismissed the idea of analytics being a driving force behind the choice - Heupel has been aggressive since he arrived at the University of Tennessee and doesn't plan to stop any time soon.

"Yeah, it's a portion of the process, but it's not the end all be all. It hasn't been any time we've had analytics as being a part of it. The answer? At the end of the day, coaches and players got to be better in those situations, and we've got to go pick up the first down. So, there were two critical fourth downs that we didn't pick up."

One reporter later asked if he would ever consider utilizing the "tush-push" in those settings, a play popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles this season. The quarterback lines up under-center and gets a push from teammates in the back to assist in a regular quarterback sneak. Heupel essentially said that the Vols are open to doing anything necessary to get the first down.

Tennessee Volunteers QB Joe Milton III during the loss to Alabama. (Photo by Brianna Paciorka of the News Sentinel)

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