Tennessee's Loss Wasn't On Josh Heupel...

Tennessee should have beaten South Carolina. That's the biggest takeaway from the latest Big Orange Podcast. Charlie Burris and Zach Ragan break down Tennessee's brutal loss at South Carolina and explain why the defeat shouldn't automatically be placed on Josh Heupel. The Vols fell behind 14-0 early, but responded by taking control of the game. Tennessee dominated much of the final 50 minutes, took a halftime lead, made strong adjustments and put itself in position to win the game late. In fact, Charlie and Zach believe it was one of Josh Heupel's better-coached road games at Tennessee. The problem was that the Vols couldn't finish. After controlling South Carolina for most of the afternoon, Tennessee had a chance to essentially end the game on a fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter. George MacIntyre failed to execute the handoff, resulting in a turnover on downs and giving South Carolina another opportunity. The Gamecocks eventually tied the game, and Tennessee's defense couldn't prevent LaNorris Sellers from making an incredible play at the goal line. Dylan Stewart then made the biggest defensive play of the game for South Carolina, forcing a fumble from MacIntyre and setting up the winning field goal. That leaves Tennessee with an incredibly frustrating reality: The Vols were good enough to win. They just didn't execute when it mattered most. Charlie and Zach also discuss the controversial officiating from the game. They don't believe the officials "lost" the game for Tennessee, but they do believe the officiating crew was poor and that several questionable calls came at extremely important moments. Multiple Tennessee touchdowns were wiped off the board by penalties, and the Vols also appeared to miss out on a late unnecessary roughness penalty that could have significantly changed South Carolina's game-winning field-goal attempt. Still, Tennessee had opportunities to overcome all of that. The guys explain why the fourth-down play was the biggest turning point and why Tennessee's defense deserves some criticism for allowing South Carolina to finish the comeback. They also discuss what the loss means for Tennessee's playoff hopes. Despite the loss, the Vols still have a path to the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff if they win out. That means the season is far from over. Tennessee now turns its attention to Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt. Can the Vols bounce back? Can George MacIntyre respond? And can Tennessee finally start finishing these close games? Charlie Burris and Zach Ragan break it all down on the latest Big Orange Podcast. Subscribe to A to Z Sports Tennessee for Tennessee Volunteers football news, analysis, recruiting updates, game reactions and Big Orange Podcast episodes throughout the 2026 season. 00:00 Tennessee's Brutal Loss To South Carolina 01:56 Tennessee Controlled Most Of The Game 05:30 Was This Actually One Of Heupel's Best Games? 08:23 The Two Decisions That Changed Everything 13:33 Did The Refs Cost Tennessee? 17:19 Tennessee Still Has A Playoff Path 22:02 Two Plays Cost Tennessee The Game Make A to Z Sports your preferred source on Google: https://google.com/preferences/source... Play A to Z Sports Daily Games: https://atozsports.com/games For more VOLS coverage: https://atozsports.com/nashville/volu... Facebook:   / volforlifetn   Twitter: https://x.com/BigOrangePod Instagram:   / atozsportsvols   TikTok:   / atozsportsvols   #TennesseeVols #TennesseeFootball #Vols #JoshHeupel #GeorgeMacIntyre