The bye week is here. While Tennessee has shifted its focus to No. 9 Kentucky for Week 10 next weekend, looking back at the film from the loss to South Carolina should have plenty of people still ticked off over what happened in Columbia.
There's plenty of blame to go around, as Tennessee consistently shot itself in the foot to suffer its second loss of the season. The campaign isn't over by any means, but at 6-2, the CFP hopes are now on the respirator. With all of that said, four negatives stood out the most from the Week 8 defeat.
4. Tennessee's lack of discipline as a whole must get called out
To start us off, you can't expect to win close football games on the road when your team is not mentally prepared. Such was the case for the Vols at South Carolina, as the 12 penalties for 90 yards were nothing short of a joke.
Simple mistakes cost Tennessee multiple touchdowns. The George MacIntyre 45-yard touchdown pass to Mike Matthews was taken off the board all because a wideout wasn't lined up correctly. It can't happen. As good as a team as Tennessee is, blowing it in such fashion is inexcusable. Period.
3. DeSean Bishop's injury came at the worst time possible for the Vols
Let's make one thing clear: DeSean Bishop is not to blame at all for this loss. If anything, he'd be considered a winner due to his 120 yards and touchdown. However, he's got to be down in the dumps after a hard hit late in the fourth quarter forced him to the sidelines, and he couldn't get back on the field.
This happened right before the botched fourth-down play that gave South Carolina the ball back, which resulted in a LaNorris Sellers score not long after. Had Bishop stayed on the field, there's little doubt he would have gotten the rock on fourth down, and gotten the first for the Vols.
Instead, the gaffe arrived. We can play the 'what if' game had Bishop not gotten hurt - Tennessee probably comes out on top to be honest.
2. George MacIntyre's freshman mistakes hurt the Vols in fourth quarter
There are several plays that G-Mac is going to want back. To start, the fourth-down gaffe we mentioned above immediately comes to mind. Coming out of a timeout, MacIntyre forgot he was supposed to hand the ball off to DaSaahn Brame, who was lined up at fullback.
Earlier in the game, the same play was called, with Brame rushing for a one-yard score. Then with less than a minute to go, MacIntyre fumbled after Dylan Stewart got to him, which opened the door for the Gamecocks to win in walk-off fashion. For the most part, MacIntyre looked strong, but his late mistakes cost Tennessee big time.
1. Josh Heupel once again has people wondering if he's the right guy
This really had 'trap game' written all over it, right? Fresh off an upset win over Alabama, an emotional Tennessee team going up against South Carolina felt like a worry, but the hope was that Josh Heupel and Co. would show that this program had taken the next step.
That wasn't the case. The mental mistakes alone were egregious, with Heupel being responsible for making sure his guys were 100 percent ready to rock. That wasn't the case.
Plenty of online chatter is once again bringing up whether or not Heupel can help the Vols win championships, or if people should just get used to 8-9 wins a year. All of that buzz following the win against the Crimson Tide was wiped away. It's on Heupel to make people believe in him once again.
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