Josh Heupel: Tennessee didn't handle the noise well in loss at Georgia

Georgia made the first mistake Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs lost a fumble on their first possession, helping Tennessee jump out to an early 3-0 lead at Sanford Stadium.

From there, all the problems belonged to the Vols. 

Tennessee was penalized nine times for 55 yards, including eight pre-snap penalties on offense, as Georgia rolled to a 27-13 win in front of a capacity crowd of 92,746 in Athens. 

The Vols committed three false starts in the first quarter. There were back-to-back false starts in the second, then a sequence of two false starts and two sacks over two consecutive plays in the fourth.

“I didn’t think all in all we handled the noise very well,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference. “False starts, it’s being in sync, communication up front. At the end of the day, that hurt us. Certainly early in the football game then through the course of it.”

Georgia answered Tennessee’s opening field goal with 21 points. The Vols couldn’t answer their own penalties.

Gerald Mincey jumped offsides on first-and-10 at the Georgia 35 in the first quarter. Princeton Fant jumped on third-and-5 at the Georgia 30. Then it was Mincey against on first-and-10 at the Tennessee 37 later in the first.

Jeremiah Crawford and Jaylen Wright were called for two straight false starts to turn a third-and-2 into a third-and-12, moving the ball back from the Georgia 9-yard line to the 19. 

Crawford jumped on third-and-12 at the Georgia 22 early in the fourth quarter, when the Vols were desperately trying to cut into a three-touchdown deficit. Darnell Wright had the next one on third-and-23 at the Georgia 33. 

Tennessee’s penalty problems continue in loss at Georgia

Tennessee entered the game ranked 124th nationally in penalties with 67 flags in eight games. It was the second worst in the SEC, trailing only Alabama.

“They played clean early in the football game,” Heupel said. “Offensively, early in the football game, the false starts, the communications issues, hurt us. Defensively, didn’t play well in the early part of the game, after the first series.”

Tennessee (8-1, 4-1 SEC) won six of its first eight games this season at Neyland Stadium and return home to face Missouri (4-5, 2-4) for a Noon Eastern Time kickoff Saturday in Knoxville.

The Vols won at Pittsburgh, 34-27, in overtime on September 10. They blitzed LSU 40-13 in Baton Rouge on October 8. They couldn’t find the same success on the road Saturday at Georgia.

Josh Heupel: ‘It’s an opportunity for us to learn’

“There are things that we have done to handle it,” Heupel said of the road atmosphere. “Have to be way more efficient than we were tonight. There are things that we’ll learn from tonight. As a program you have to understand what you’re getting yourself into and the atmosphere and the energy and the focus that you’re going to get from everybody. Not just their program, but from their fans, too. 

Tennessee finished with just 289 total yards — Hendon Hooker completed 23 of 33 passes for 195 yards and was sacked six times while the Vols were held to 94 yards rushing on 42 attempts — failing to establish any rhythm amidst the mistakes.

“You heard me say it early, the emotional part of the football game,” Heupel said. “(We) had to be able to settle into it early in the game. We did not do that in a positive way. It’s an opportunity for us to learn. 

“We’ll be better, can be a whole lot better. We’ve handled it at times well. Our guys will be right when they get back in the building. We’ll get back.”