Tennessee football fell short against Georgia for the ninth straight time in the series played between the two rivals. The 44-41 loss was another heartbreaker for the Vols as they had a chance to win at the end of regulation but failed to seal the deal.
Joey Aguilar, despite a great performance, took the blame after the game. He said Tennessee could have won if he had executed better, and they wouldn't have had to worry about going to overtime.
"Me personally, left a lot on the table," Aguilar said in his postgame interview. "Didn’t put my team in the position to succeed most times … That’s on me. You know, I got to execute better, find my receivers, give them a better ball."
While it's natural for a leader to take blame for a loss, there isn't much more he could have done against one of the best defenses in the country. ESPN Insights shared on social media that Aguilar is the first SEC quarterback in the last 20 years to go 14-for-14 or better in any quarter.
Joey Aguilar is the first SEC QB to go 14-14 or better in any quarter in the last 20 seasons 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RDzUibg1pv
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 13, 2025
In reality, Aguilar was an afterthought this offseason. UCLA didn't want him. Bruins head coach Deshaun Foster criticized Aguilar's connection with the receivers and his study habits before ditching him for Nico Iamaleava.
Everyone thought Tennessee would take a big step backward, swapping Aguilar for Iamaleava, but it has been the opposite.
While star quarterbacks and big names have struggled to start the year, Aguilar has looked about as impressive as any quarterback could look through three games. He has thrown 63-for-95, for 906 yards, 10 total touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Tennessee lost, and people will continue to write off the Vols and Aguilar. In reality, he's a top-ten quarterback in the country, and he has the potential to lead Tennessee back to the College Football Playoff this year.