SEC Network host and analyst Paul Finebaum says that Josh Heupel is entering a “very pivotal time” in his Tennessee tenure after the Vols’ loss to Arkansas last weekend.
Tennessee was the darling of the college football world through the first four weeks of the season as the defense emerged into one of the nation’s top units and optimism was swirling about Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava in Heupel’s offense.
After the loss to Arkansas, though, the narrative has changed. While Tennessee still boasts an impressive defense that will carry their team this year, the Vols’ offensive efficiency and road play have troubled some of the national sports media landscape this week.
Tennessee has a chance to bounce back with a win in Neyland Stadium this weekend but the Vols do host the ever-elusive Florida Gators in Saturday’s critical SEC game.
While talking about Tennessee’s loss to Arkansas this past weekend, Finebaum noted how important these next few weeks will be for the Vols and their head coach.
“I think he’s entering a very pivotal time in his tenure at Tennessee,” Finebaum said on his show. “For all of the hype that we and I were giving him just days ago, these next few weeks are going to be important. I’m not as concerned about last year as I am this year.”
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Finebaum notes that Tennessee had the challenge of playing in a nighttime SEC environment but also went on record this week stating that Tennessee’s road games are a concern for him.
“This Tennessee team reminded me a little bit of last year’s team,” Finebaum said on The Matt Berrie Show earlier this week. “They just – and the year before, remember? The year that they were so good, they let that game get away at South Carolina. They don’t travel well.”
Fortunately for Tennessee, though, the Vols’ next four games will all be in Neyland Stadium with an open date mixed in as well. But Tennessee still has to go on to the road to Georgia in November, who will certainly present a stiff challenge, and also Vanderbilt, who is seemingly the X-Factor of the SEC with a win over No. 1 Alabama and a loss to Georgia State.
Tennessee can’t afford to look down the road, though, especially with an unforeseen loss already under their belts. The Vols will need to hit a 10-2 mark to have a shot at the playoffs and still have Alabama and Georgia on the horizon, as well as Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. No one around the Tennessee football program is hitting the panic button but there is an understanding that any wiggle room that Tennessee previously had is now gone. Josh Heupel has always presented his team with a “next week only” type of mindset and the Vols will need that this season as they continue through their SEC schedule.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of Tennessee’s game against Florida on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET from Neyland Stadium.
One Response
Paul Finebaum is a bag of foul air. He is irrelevant. He gives no credit to teams that play well against higher ranked teams. He is oblivious to the fact that there are good players on teams that are unranked and that coaches do a good job of preparing for these games.games.