.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Tennessee proved more in a loss to Texas A&M than any win this year
Through the last few weeks, as Tennessee has continued to mount one inconceivable comeback after another, a cute but unfair narrative has emerged: Tennessee is lucky. Butch Jones has sold his soul to the devil to pick up these wacky, improbable wins and eventually the luck would run out.
Well, that luck did run out on Saturday against Texas A&M in College Station, as the Vols lost a wild 45-38 game in double overtime.
Yet ironically, for those who paid close attention, Tennessee might have showed more in this loss than they have in any win this season. The Vols aren’t a team built on luck, but rather a talented one that is well-coached and plays hard.
Tennessee came into this game ranked No. 9 but really had no business hanging with the No. 8 Aggies. The Vols were playing their third ranked team in three weeks and second straight on the road. Texas A&M got to rest a handful of key players last week in a win against South Carolina while the Vols came in with more injuries than you could keep track of.
Tennessee was without leading rusher Jalen Hurd; Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the heart and soul of their defense, who is reportedly done for the season because of a shoulder injury; star corner Cam Sutton; and Darrin Kirkland Jr. This team hasn’t just been decimated by injuries this year, they’ve been engulfed by them.
Yet somehow the Vols stuck with an undefeated Top 10 team for 60-plus minutes on the road. They did it in the same way all great teams do: by having other guys step up. Alvin Kamara, specifically, had maybe the game of his life on Saturday, leading the Vols in rushing (127 yards) and receiving (161 yards) while tallying three total touchdowns, including the one that forced overtime in the final minute of the game.
Tennessee’s true resolve showed on the possession before that touchdown, when Texas A&M had a chance to seal the win. With less than two minutes to go, Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams appeared to be sprinting unharmed for a touchdown that would put the Aggies up by 14. Instead, Tennessee’s Malik Foreman sprinted down field and punched the ball out to force a touchback, which led to a score that forced overtime.
It was that exact moment that the “Tennessee is lucky” narrative officially died in my eyes. A play like that, one built on grit, hustle and effort, shows that this team isn’t “lucky.” Say what you want about Jones, but it’s hard to think of a team that plays harder than the Vols do.
It’s also why -- despite the loss -- it’s way too early to count out Tennessee for anything at this point. If they can win next week against Alabama (admittedly a tall task), they are right back in the mix for a playoff spot. Win that game, and the pain of this loss is gone.
Whether that happens or not, it doesn’t take away from one simple fact on Saturday: Tennessee was more impressive in a loss to Texas A&M than they have been in any win this season.
YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!!
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) October 8, 2016
TENNESSEE TAKES OVER ON THE TOUCHBACK. https://t.co/WvQX4T347x
