Tennessee dropped its second game of the season on Saturday night. It was a tough game in Athens, and the Vols lost 31-17 to Georgia.
It looked like the Vols were in full control throughout most of the first half until Georgia started storming back, partially due to some biased officiating. Several calls throughout the game could have flipped the script and given momentum to the Vols, but Georgia won every 50/50 call.
Whether it be the multiple fumbles called back, missed pass interference on Squirrel White, or a phantom facemask penalty, the Bulldogs benefitted from virtually every call determined by the field officials or the league office.
The officials seemed to bail out Georgia every chance they had, and it's not just Tennessee fans upset about the poor officiating. In his post-game press conference, Tennessee's head coach, Josh Heupel, was clearly disappointed in how the game was called.
#Vols Josh Heupel on the penalties tonight in Athens pic.twitter.com/NNOYlz8Z9i
— WBIR Sports (@WBIRSports) November 17, 2024
He didn't say many words, but it's clear how he feels about the facemask and 12 men on the field penalties. After replay, the facemask was clearly not a facemask, and the officials seemed to make a new "three-second rule" for defensive substitutions to benefit Georgia.
The facemask wasn't a facemask, and there is either no three-second rule for defensive substitutions, or it has never been enforced, which seems unlikely. Heupel seems to feel the same way as Tennessee fans after being shafted by officiating all night in an attempt for the SEC to keep Georgia's College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Heupel and Vols fans weren't the only ones to notice the biased officiating. National media personalities like Colin Cowherd and Bussin With The Boys were only a couple non-Tennessee fans who called out the poor officiating throughout the night.
Despite all of that, Tennessee has to do everything it can over the next two games to prove it deserves a spot in the College Football Playoff. The national media has started to write off the Vols despite their top-ten resume in college football.