3 Tennessee Volunteers to blame for ugly loss to Florida

Volunteers to blame for loss to Florida: No. 1 Josh Heupel

The buck stops at the top and, in this case, it stops hard.

Josh Heupel is the blame for the loss to Florida because he hired his defensive coordinator. Because he continues to put his faith in Joe Milton. Because he calls the plays and manages the clock.

The Volunteers got by with a questionable defense last season because their offense was so effective. Now the offense is stuttering and the defensive deficiencies are increasingly problematic.

The playcalling on Saturday was head-scratching but the personnel decision at quarterback remains the biggest "what if?"

Does someone want to tell Heupel that he has a five-star stud in Nico Iamaleava sitting on his bench? He's not in the conundrum Nick Saban finds himself in with no good quarterback options. The freshman could have come in at any point in the second half and sparked the offense. Instead, Heupel persisted with a quarterback who clearly isn't capable of leading the Volunteers where they want to go.

Heupel's decision-making was summed up by taking a timeout in the final seconds, sparking tension on the field and resulting in a humiliating ending for his team.