Tennessee fans think Purdue players are faking injuries in Music City Bowl

Are the Purdue Boilermakers faking injuries to rest their defense? Tennessee’s up-tempo scheme seems to be getting the best of their Big Ten foe.

Hendon Hooker and the Tennessee offense has been moving fast all day long in the Music City Bowl. Sometimes it’s worked to their benefit, other times it hasn’t.

By the end of the game, the goal of an up-tempo scheme like Josh Heupel’s is to tire out the rest of the defense. The only counter to that from Jeff Brohm’s perspective? Fake an injury.

Tennessee’s offense averages 74 plays per game. At the start of the fourth quarter, they were at 68 plays. That’s a lot of plays for the opposing defense to guard against.

Tennessee football: Vols fans convinced Purdue is faking injuries

There’s no evidence that Purdue is faking injuries. We should start there, as it’s a bold accusation to make.

However, the Boilermakers took a knee on several occasions late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, indicating that several players on the defensive line were tired at that point. Shortly thereafter, they made a critical fourth-down stop.

Is that just a coincidence?

Vols fans would rather the referees call a delay of game on the defense, but it’s not that simple. Because it’s an injury timeout, unless the officials have real evidence Purdue is faking an ailment, they cannot intervene.

Oh, bowl season. You never fail to disappoint.

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