What Josh Heupel said after No. 4 Tennessee's game at Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – All head coaches Josh Heupel said after No. 4 Tennessee's 19-14 loss to Arkansas on Saturday night at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium:

Opening speech

“It was a disappointing evening for us as a football team. I don't think we got along or started quickly. Didn't do the usual things at a high level. Offensively, we were constantly injured there in the first half. They were able to extend some drives and convert a few thirds. Ultimately it wasn't good enough for me tonight. And between all three phases we have to find a way to be on the right side of the table. And we have to do better. So at this point you had the opportunity to come together, fight even harder, fight harder, play for each other and continue to grow. Obviously there is still a lot out there, as everyone can see. But the main thing is that we continue to improve.”

What were the problems with Tennessee's offense?

“I mean, just early, we find a way to get behind the chains early. Look at the first three drives, there was something that really hurt us. Man in the field, false start, hold, whatever it may have been. When you do that, you add up the time of possession and suddenly you see the scoreboard as it looked at the end of the first half. We have to play smarter, we have to play better up front. We were able to play better on the perimeter with our experienced players and we were able to play better at quarterback. But here too it starts with me. We’ve all gotten better.”

Tennessee's problems on offense

“Conglomeration of several things. Some of it is me, some of it is our staff not executing. So it’s a combination of all of that.”

No attempt at a long field goal at the end of the first half

“It just felt like it was just out of (field goal range). I know the wind had changed just a little. It was a conversation we had and that was a decision I made to try to work towards the sideline and give us another chance.”

If Tennessee's Jordan Ross attacked the block when he faced the punter

“We were in a safe situation and played the fake. He'll hold the shield right there. When he was hit and I spoke to the officer, I suspect he may have hit him in the face with his hands as well. I haven’t seen the entire clip, but that’s what I’ve been told.”

If Tennessee lets Arkansas score on the final play of its touchdown, it will get more time

“Yeah, right at the end, just with the timeout situations we had to give ourselves a chance to respond.”

Tennessee's offensive line penalties highlight the problems

“Before, with us, whether they clapped for one or two of them or not, I don’t know. We’ll see when we watch the tape.”

Tennessee's last snap, which was the right play for Nico Iamaleava

“Yes, it is a complete concept reading. In the end he climbed away. At the end of the day, in this scenario you have to bring the ball up and give one of your guys a chance to make a play. Nico wishes, just like me and our football team, that we had played better. In this situation you cannot keep the ball in your hands. You want to give someone the opportunity to make a play. He's disappointed by it, but he has to come back and recover from it. He played far too well not to react properly. And I know he will.”

Why this has happened twice now, with Joe Milton doing the same thing against Ole Miss in 2021

“Different situations. Older quarterback versus experienced first guy.”

What it says about the state of college football is that three top-10 SEC teams went on the road today and lost

“Says what I’m pretty sure I said on Monday. Man, in this league you better come play really good football, play smart football every Saturday. The separation in this league is really tight and we have to get better. We're coming back, we need to recover and get ready to go next week. And we weren't home for a while. We look forward to seeing our fans. We have to play really good football to give ourselves a chance of winning.”

How Arkansas was able to sustain long drives in the first half

“Let the football run, convert on third down and vice versa. We didn't do that. We didn't convert on third down. We converted a couple of third downs early in the third quarter and moved the ball to score points.”

Squirrel White wears a sling and Bru McCoy wears a cast after the game

“I don’t have an update. We’ll figure it out as we go along.”

What Arkansas did so well made Tennessee difficult to run the football

“Yeah, you know, the structure was a little different than what they showed on tape. I thought we adjusted after the first ride. Most importantly, we shot ourselves in the foot early and played behind the sticks, and you know, then we weren't efficient in the third period. So when you put those two things together, you have, you know, half like us.”

His message to the team after the defeat

“Man, easy. When moments like this happen, the outside world will have a narrative for you. We talk about it when things are going well, and tonight it didn't go well. You have to look your teammates in the eye. These are the opinions that count. You have to keep pulling the rope tighter. We have to keep growing. Good teams get better as the year goes on. I still have a chance to be a really good football team.”