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Josh Heupel has salty reaction in response to facemask, 12-men on the field penalties

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 9 hours•

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Josh Heupel, Tennessee Football | Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
(Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images) Oct 12, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel during a game against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Angelina Alcantar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Josh Heupel was hoping to get a massive win for the Tennessee program Saturday night, heading into Athens for a showdown against Georgia. Unfortunately, the Vols fell short and now have a second loss on their resume. A slow offensive second half was too much to overcome as the home fans in Sanford Stadium went home happy.

An area Heupel was not happy about, regardless of the result, was the officiating. He was asked specifically about two calls during his postgame press conference. One was a facemask, giving Georgia 15 yards. And another one on a substitution penalty against Tennessee, one initiated by the replay booth.

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Ask the questions were being asked, Heupel asked for an explanation from the reporter. Instead of giving a response and likely receiving a hefty fine, he turned the microphone around.

Without saying anything specifically about the referees, you can tell Heupel was not thrilled with those two moments. You can check the whole sequence out below.

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Both of the penalties Heupel is upset about occurred on the same drive. Tennessee got the ball coming out of the half but had to punt. Georgia had an opportunity to take the lead and eventually did thanks to a touchdown run via Carson Beck.

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The illegal substitution, in particular, was a big one. Had the play stood, Georgia would have been facing a 3rd and 7 in the red zone after Beck threw an incomplete pass. Instead, five yards and a repeat of second down put the Bulldogs in a lot better position. Four plays later, the touchdown occurred.

Heupel will likely be the first to tell you Tennessee did not play well enough to win, especially in the second half. No points were scored in the second half and the Georgia offense looked far too comfortable.

Even so, those two specific calls were not to his liking. Heupel was able to avoid a fine from the SEC offices but made his thoughts well known.