Vols OT Win Brings Mixed Emotions
You knew going on the road in the SEC is hell. Noise, refs scared to make the hard call against the home team, mistakes are magnified. Saturday night in Starkville was exactly that. But Tennessee found a way to pull off a 41–34 win over Mississippi State in overtime for what really was a hell of a game.
After the OT loss to Georgia in Week 3, I thought I had a pretty decent grasp of what this team was, but after last night, I feel like I now have more questions than before.
The Frame of the Fight
Mississippi State jumped out early. A muffed punt by Braylon Staley gifted field position. Fluff Bothwell pounded the ball inside, and the Bulldogs quickly made a statement that this wouldn’t be easy.
But Tennessee didn’t wilt. They fought. And the real story is in the quick transitions where momentum flipped regularly.
Colton Hood’s early-game pick-6 and Joshua Joseph’s scoop & score in the 4th quarter kept Tennessee in striking distance as State tried their hardest to pull away.
Those two scores by the defense gave the Vols the opportunity to march down the field to tie the game up. And Joey Aguilar, under pressure, with a stadium screaming, did just that, with a gutsy 6-yard run.
In overtime, the Vols flexed their muscles. Bishop with the TD on the first play in OT, and the defense with their goal-line stand, Tennessee showed who has the better team.
That’s theater. But it was messy theater. There are parts of this you’ll show film and wince at.
Who Delivered, Who Didn’t, and Who’s In Between
Joey Aguilar: Is there a more perfect fit of a portal QB in college football? 335 yards through the air with a TD and a 6 yard run to send the game to OT. Yes, the stat sheet will show he had 2 interceptions. It won’t show you that the picks came from his receivers letting the ball hit them in the hands before popping it up for grabs.
DeSean Bishop: Quiet workhorse. 11 carries, 72 yards, but man, that 25-yard OT run is the sort of dagger you keep in your back pocket. That’s not luck. That’s trust in your read and your body.
Matthews & Brazzell: Absolute dogs. Chain-movers. In stressful moments, your go-to guys gotta step up. Both did. Both climbed over 100 yards. They’ll be hallmarks of what this offense can be under duress.
Defense: This team needed you to win tonight. And to their credit, they delivered. Five sacks. Eleven tackles for loss. Two defensive scores. The stop in OT on fourth down inside the 5? That’s fight. Now they will catch a lot of flak for the score and the rushing yards. Yes, the rushing defense in first 3 quarters was BAD. That needs to be fixed. But the 34 points allowed can be attributed to State being gifted prime field position due to Tennessee turnovers.
What didn’t work: The run game. Tennessee got outgained on the ground (198 to 131). In spots where you expect to sustain, they got bottled. Turnovers were ugly. Every pass catcher needs to hit the jugs machine daily. Special teams handed MSU short fields. Those are the quiet killers in close games.
Coaching & Clock: Heupel’s Moment of Fire
Let’s talk about that final minute in regulation. Tennessee had the ball at its own 26, 1:23 on the clock, and all three timeouts. Instead, they let time erode. They used a timeout late. Then threw a scramble that ran it down to 4 seconds. Then a Hail Mary. Then OT.
That’s bad. You never carry unused timeouts like that in a one-score game. Heupel later said he thought the second play was ready, so he held off burning a timeout. Maybe. But in hindsight, that’s risky, especially when your kicking game isn’t guaranteed (remember Gilbert’s earlier miss). You need precision in those final 90 seconds. Tonight, they got lucky. Don’t count on luck always.
The gamble worked. But betting your season on that kind of sloppy situational work is dangerous.
Bigger Picture & Why This Matters
Saturday evening wasn’t just a win. It’s evidence that this Tennessee squad can survive on the road, in pressure, in noise. But it’s also proof that they can’t keep leaning on late-game heroics. Mistakes like we saw against State will get you beat against the upper-echelon of the conference.
What has to improve:
Run game consistency — you can’t always live off big throws or defensive scores.
Turnover discipline — those mental errors are fatal.
Situational precision — clock, third downs, late game.
Special teams steadiness — no more freebies.
This win provides belief or doubt depending on who you ask. Use the bye week. Get healthy. Patch the holes.
Because you have your toughest 4-game stretch of the season coming up after the bye.