Jabari Small raves about Josh Heupel, his competitive nature

Tennessee‘s 52-49 upset win over Alabama was one of the most thrilling shootouts in recent college football history. The Crimson Tide had an opportunity to break a 49-49 tie and take the lead late, but a missed 50-yard field goal attempt left the Volunteers with the ball on their own 32-yard line with two timeouts and 15 seconds left in the game. Many coaches may have have taken a knee and the game into overtime, but not Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel, which was not a surprise to running back Jabari Small.

“No sir, he’s very very competitive,” Small said. “Very competitive, aggressive, he wants to win, that’s our coach. He’s a winner, very competitive, he doesn’t blink in the heat of the moment, keeps the same poker face. He wants to win so I wasn’t surprised at all.”

Quarterback Hendon Hooker completed two quick passes to set up Tennessee for a 40-yard field goal attempt by kicker Chase McGrath with two seconds left in the ballgame, which he nailed, sending Nayland Stadium into pandemonium as they snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide.

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The gutsy call by Heupel paid off in a major way for the Vols, and was a true reflection of his competitive coaching style that’s led them to one of the biggest turnarounds in college football the past two seasons.

“Coach Heupel he does a good job of keeping his composure and he has like a natural poker face, so it’s kinda hard to read. But he’s just one of those competitive people, he’s always thinking about the next play or till the clock hits zero, so that’s just the competitive nature he has,” Small said.

Heupel’s competitive nature has already taken the Volunteers to new heights and brought back their winning ways, as they now rank No. 3 in the nation, their highest ranking since 2005. Tennessee’s hot start has been historic, but hopefully for them it’s more than just a start, and they can keep the ball rolling for the remainder of their schedule.

Josh Heupel discusses big moment for Chase McGrath after game-winner

Tennessee secured an upset victory over Alabama in dramatic fashion this weekend beating the Crimson Tide 52-29 thanks to a go-ahead, game-winning field goal made by kicker Chase McGrath. As soon as McGrath’s 40-yarder went through the uprights, Neyland Stadium turned into all out celebration, and head coach Josh Heupel talked about sharing that moment with his kicker.

“Great hug, super excited, got a chance to see his family too,” Heupel said. “What a great moment for him, as a specialist sometimes you don’t get a ton of opportunities and he got a chance to take advantage of it tonight, really special.”

McGrath started his career off at USC, walking onto the Trojans team in 2017 before earning his scholarship the following year after assuming the kickoff and placekicking duties as a freshman. He spent four seasons with USC before transferring to Tennessee in 2021, where he broke the PAT makes and attempts record with 66 each, along with making 12 of his 16 field goal attempts.

McGrath is fresh off of winning SEC Special Teams player of the Week honors for his performance the previous week against LSU, where he made four or his five field goal attempts and all four of his extra point attempts, accounting for 16 total points in their 40-13 victory over the Tigers.

But this weekend’s game-winner may top that performance, and will certainly be a moment that McGrath and the Tennessee fanbase won’t be forgetting any time soon.

“His journey how he got here, one of the first guys our staff recruited and overcoming obstacles, injuries, and has done a phenomenal job for us,” Heupel said.