Volunteer Country

Nichols: Vols' "Attack" Shows Promise, Though Ultimate Failure Against Pitt Will Sting

In the first installment of the Johnny Majors Classic, Tennessee fulfilled Majors' motive of "Attack" -- but didn't do nearly enough to finish.

Jake Nichols

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In a video released during the week leading into Tennessee's showdown with Pittsburgh in the inaugural Johnny Majors Classic, Majors could be seen encouraging his Vols with an often-used stanza: "Attack, attack, attack -- always attack!"

On Saturday, wearing orange pants in the late Majors’ honor, Josh Heupel's Vols did exactly that. 

But what UT fulfilled early in energy and excitement, it lacked late in execution and poise. 

Ultimately, the latter overshadowed the former, as Pittsburgh walked out of Neyland Stadium with a 41-34 win that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Tennessee coaches and players who are hungry for improvement. 

“You want to finish,” said Heupel. “You know?”

"The expectation will always be higher," added tight end Jacob Warren, a Knoxville native who hauled in a touchdown. "When you know you can do better, it's just not good enough."

That 'not good enough' can be spread to a variety of areas, too. Undoubtedly, though, the most frustrating parts of Saturday's loss can be funneled into two areas: penalties and wasted opportunities, which could be viewed as one and the same. 

On several drives, Tennessee seemed to take one step forward before moving two steps back. The Vols finished with 13 penalties for 134 yards lost (almost doubling Pitt's penalty yardage total of 76), as referees tossed enough flags that the grass of Shields-Watkins Field would have resembled Pitt's cheering section had each of the hankies been thrown at once.

The most grueling penalty came on a 56-yard field goal attempt for Pitt. The kick was short, and Theo Jackson -- who stood deep in the checkerboards just in case -- pulled off his own version of the "Kick Six" that Auburn used to beat Alabama in 2013. 

Except the 100-yard return was called back because of several blocks-in-the-back, setting UT up at its own one-yard-line before the drive fizzled. 

"It was heartbreaking," said Jackson with a grimace. 

Another set of penalties induced what may be the most hilarious — and awful — sight of this season, as Tennessee faced a 3rd-and-goal from the 37-yard-line during Saturday’s first half. But the image only occurred after the Vols marched backward, erasing a 54-yard sprint from Milton that had put UT five yards from pay dirt earlier in that possession.

“A ton of things that had the opportunity to change the football game,” Heupel said. “From the communication side, to turnovers, to opportunities in the red zone that we didn’t take advantage of. All those things are true.”

Tennessee also suffered a crucial holding penalty late in the third frame, and a seven-yard sack doomed what could have been a game-tying drive. 

“When we wanted to move the ball, we moved it,” said Jimmy Callaway, who returned to the field this week after dealing with an injury. “We made explosive plays. We were just behind the chains all day.”

The missed chances didn't stop there, though. Altogether, Tennessee whiffed the biggest when it meant the most. 

For starters, Milton continued his strong-armed tactics on Saturday by overthrowing several receivers in the first quarter. The most cringeworthy throw came on a wide-open route from Cedric Tillman, who could only watch -- like he did twice last week -- as the pass sailed well over its intended target. 

Ironically, Milton’s best throw of the day fell right into Jalin Hyatt’s arms after traveling roughly 70 yards toward the end zone. But Hyatt dropped the ball, and he remained on the field long after the play before exiting with an injury that Heupel did not specifically address.

Another Vol miscue came on Pitt's second touchdown, or at least in the drive that led up to it. With Tennessee's defense looking for an essential fourth-down stop, veteran Panther quarterback Kenny Pickett ran free in the open field to clinch the conversion before Pitt scored on a 4th-and-1 quarterback sneak across the goal line. 

Finally, the Vols kept flailing on their last two drives. Jaylen Wright was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 at the goal line with 6:59 left, and Hooker tossed a game-deciding interception -- his second turnover of the day after a third-quarter fumble -- to allow Pitt to drain the clock. 

It’s worth noting that Wright’s fourth-down run wouldn’t have been needed had a different spot been made on Hooker’s third-down attempt around right end.

Replay seemed to show clear evidence that Hooker got the first down, but the referee who made the call — who was standing at least 15 yards from Tennessee’s quarterback when the play occurred — ruled otherwise.

Heupel didn’t challenge the call, though, and the decision to run Wright rather than go with Hooker again on fourth down is worth questioning.

Saturday wasn't all bad, though. And that's where we come to the positive part: what Heupel can build on going forward. 

The obvious starting point there is Christian Charles' blocked punt. After Tennessee forced a Pitt three-and-out to start the game, the freshman raced into the Panthers' backfield before laying out to send the ball skittering across the grass. 

A recovery on the two-yard-line set up an easy touchdown run for Jabari Small amidst a rocking Neyland Stadium, then Chase McGrath tacked on a field goal to put the Vols up 10-0 after the first quarter.

Another positive could be found between that lead and Pitt’s late advantage, as Heupel preceded the crucial Wright call with some nifty deception that looked a lot more fun than what Jeremy Pruitt put on the field last season.

One example of that came in Warren’s touchdown grab, as Hooker faked a draw before lofting an easy pass into the waiting arms of his tight end. 

Another prime exhibit of Heupel’s flashiness? Just ask Callaway, who used a Cedric Tillman block to tightrope 44 yards down the sideline to tie the score at 20 with two minutes left in the first half.

“It was just a simple jab step, catch, and I froze the defender where I wanted to, Callaway said with a grin. “And the rest was just legs.”

And even after the Panthers bulldozed their way to a two-score lead in the third quarter (aided by a touchdown with seconds left in the second quarter), Tennessee wouldn't quit scrapping against an older, more experienced Pittsburgh team.

That should certainly count as the final positive from Saturday, especially considering UT’s injuries entering the game.

Admirably, the Vols kept clawing, and continued fighting, even to the very bitter -- and still very avoidable, very frustrating -- end. 

A win on Saturday could have been a nice feather in Heupel's cap for the first Power Five victory of his UT career, and it would have also gone a long way in helping the Vols become bowl eligible. 

Instead, Tennessee (1-1) will be asking "What if?" this weekend before preparing for next week’s challenge.

The good news is that there's time to improve — just not a lot of it. 

"We've got to grow up fast," Heupel said. "We've got good teams on this schedule. We're capable of being a whole lot better than we were today."

On that note, Tennessee should continue following in Majors' lead — just as it did all this week, just as Heupel did with a Majors-esque jacket in the Vol Walk, and just as the Pride of the Southland did with a touching formation at halftime.

Credit: Jake Nichols

So, instead of looking back at what was missed on Saturday, Heupel's Vols need only stare in a direction that echoes the Johnny Majors documentary title: Straight Ahead. 

If they can do that, they'll see a Tennessee Tech team that offers a chance to create some good to erase this week’s bad. 

After that, though, comes Florida week. 

And if the Vols don’t shore up Saturday’s ineptitudes, that result may be rather repulsive.

But it will still be more fun to watch than anything last year.

Saturday certainly was, even in a loss that could have been avoided.

Cover photo courtesy of Jake Nichols

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Jake Nichols
JAKE NICHOLS

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