Tennessee football: Turning points and key moments in Vols’ 31-26 loss to Ole Miss

Who could have seen this coming? Tennessee football lost 31-26 to the Ole Miss Rebels because of an inability to make key offensive plays despite multiple opportunities that came late in the game. Nobody predicted that ahead of this matchup.

To be fair, we said before this game that defensive stops would be at a premium and that the few defensive plays each team made would define the game. Well, this game became defined by multiple defensive plays, and a couple of unruly decisions by fans, at the end.

Let’s go ahead and break down those plays that directed the outcome of this game. These were the turning points and key moments in Tennessee football’s heartbreaking loss to Mississippi as Lane Kiffin returned to Rocky Top.

Velus Jones Jr. muffs punt

This is what started it all. The Vols shockingly stopped Ole Miss on their first drive and forced a punt. Remember, stops were supposed to be at a premium, so this was a huge advantage for them. Unfortunately for Josh Heupel’s team, they didn’t cash in.

Velus Jones Jr. muffed the punt after that first drive despite calling fair-catch and not being touched. Ole Miss recovered at the UT 11-yard line, and five plays later, they were in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Chase McGrath misses 49-yard field goal

After cutting a 24-9 lead to 24-19, the Vols forced a missed field goal on Ole Miss’ first drive of the second half. They then got the ball back and drove into Rebel territory, and despite being stalled, they could have cut it to a two-score game.

However, Chase McGrath missed a 49-yard field goal. McGrath can’t be blamed as a college kid for missing such a tough kick, but it proved costly, as it kept Tennessee football from having the chance to win the game late with a field goal.

Holding penalty kills Vols first drive with ball down 31-26

There was no quit in this team. The Vols fell behind 24-9 and made it 24-19 with the ball. Then they fell behind 31-19 but made it 31-26 and forced the first Ole Miss interception of the year. With the ball, they drove to the Ole Miss 42-yard line and had a chance to take the lead.

That’s when the mistakes were made. Princeton Fant committed a holding penalty on the outside that brought up a 1st and 19. The Vols weren’t able to cash in on the turnover as a result, and they eventually had to punt it.

Vols stopped on 4th and 24 thanks to questionable spot

Despite the punt, UT got the ball back. However, Hendon Hooker took multiple sacks trying to make plays with his legs, and eventually, the Vols were faced with a 4th and 24 at their own 36-yard line with 54 seconds left. Hooker found Jacob Warren for 23 yards, but he was spotted short, and instant replay was not conclusive enough to give him the first down.

With this being on the heels of a bad spot that cost the Vols in the first half, a spot overturned that gave Ole Miss a first down and a strip-sack that should have been a touchdown for the Vols but was ruled dead due to forward progress, Tennessee football fans revolted. Bottles, golf balls and mustard containers were thrown onto the field, and play had to be stopped.

Joe Milton III forced to finish game on final few plays

Despite play being stopped, everything resumed after a delay that lasted more than 15 minutes. UT had all three timeouts, used them, and then got a 40-yard return from Velus Jones Jr. to set them up in Ole Miss territory. Hooker then got to the Ole Miss 33-yard line with 27 seconds left but had to leave the game due to injury.

That brought Joe Milton III back in, and he found Walker Merrill for a 12-yard completion before spiking the ball. With two plays left, he overthrew Cedric Tillman in the end zone on the first one. Then, with three seconds left, rather than take a shot, he tried to run for the score with his legs but stepped out of bounds as time expired.

Milton’s crucial mistakes were inexplicable and cost Tennessee football. However, all of these incidents cost the Vols in the end. They still put up a fight, albeit the unfortunate debris throwing, and Josh Heupel has this program going in the right direction, but this loss has to hurt them.