If you'd told a Tennessee fan prior to the Vols' showdown with No. 1 Texas on Saturday that their defense would hold Arch Manning and Co. to just 20 points, they would've taken that deal without a second thought. After all, what else is the point of employing Josh Heupel — veer-and-shoot wunderkind, whisperer of quarterbacks — if you can't manage at least three scores in the biggest game of your season?
As it turned out, even two scores was too much to ask. Tennessee's offense didn't reach the end zone until the final two minutes of a 20-17 loss that, frankly, didn't feel as competitive as that final score would suggest. Were it not for the Vols taking a punt back for a touchdown and a Herculean effort by Jim Knowles' defense, things could well have gotten ugly.
Is that enough to start calling for Heupel's job? Probably not. It is enough to start asking some uncomfortable questions on Rocky Top? You better believe it.
Josh Heupel has to answer for Tennessee's offensive misery vs. Texas
The numbers are downright ugly. Tennessee averaged just 3.2 yards per play on Saturday afternoon. True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon averaged less than five yards per attempt while being sacked a mind-boggling 10 times. Star tailback DeSean Bishop, meanwhile, touched the ball just 14 times — and only 11 carries — in a game the Vols were in throughout.
No one was expecting fireworks on Saturday, with a true-freshman quarterback going up against this defense. But what was really jarring is just how few adjustments Heupel seemed to make; rather than leaning more on Bishop, rather than moving Brandon or getting the ball out of his hand more quickly, rather than changing anything, Tennessee just kept dropping Brandon back for star edge rusher Colin Simmons to tee off on.
And if Heupel can't be a difference-maker in a matchup like this, if he can't find a way to generate just enough points when his defense is leaving its heart on the field, then what exactly are we doing here?
How hot should Josh Heupel's seat be at Tennessee?
Yes, Texas has among the most talented defenses in the country, if not the most talented. But for better or worse, this is the standard by which Heupel is judged. Tennessee ponied up big money to lure Knowles as his defensive coordinator so that he could afford to only focus on offense. Best estimates put him at one of the 10-15 highest-paid coaches in the country. That commands national expectations — not just to have the Vols winning games, but to have them competitive with the top of this conference.
Heupel has inarguably fell short of those expectations of late. It feels harsh, given just how lost this Tennessee program was before he showed up, but it's hard to feel great about the overall trend line right now.
Year | Record |
|---|---|
2026 | 3-1 |
2025 | 8-5 |
2024 | 10-3 |
2023 | 9-4 |
That sure looks like a team that's plateaued, especially when you consider that the lone 10-win season, in 2024, ended with an outright embarrassment of a College Football Playoff loss against Ohio State. Even more concerning is that the offense, the whole reason Heupel has this job in the first place, seems to have plateaued as well. The Vols haven't assembled a truly fearsome passing attack since Hendon Hooker left after the 2022 season, instead getting by with elite running backs and largely elite defenses.
Again, it's far too early to actually pull the plug here. Not only is Heupel's buyout considerable, but he deserves at least some good will for how much he's raised the floor in Knoxville; this program should know better than any that the grass isn't always greener. And moving on from Heupel could also mean moving on from Brandon, an awfully talented player despite getting roughed up on Saturday.
But Heupel needs to find a way to get over the hump in games like these, something he hasn't done since that iconic win over Alabama in 2022. At the very least, he needs to find a way for his own side of the ball to not be a liability, or else fans will start to justifiably ask what exactly he'd say he does here.
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