STARKVILLE, MS — Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel chose not to call a timeout in the final minutes of regulation during the Volunteers’ overtime win against Mississippi State.
Heupel explained that he decided against using any of UT’s timeouts because multiple plays had already been called when the team took the field with 1:23 remaining in a tied game.
“We had the second play ready to go,” Heupel said. “That is why I didn’t use it there with the time that it ended up.”
On their first play, the Vols gained three yards but did not snap the ball again until more than 30 seconds had passed. Tennessee then attempted a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation, which was unsuccessful and sent the game into overtime.
No. 15 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) went on to beat Mississippi State (4-1, 0-1) 41-34 in overtime.
In OT, running back DeSean Bishop scored a rushing touchdown on Tennessee’s first play. He also made a crucial stop on fourth down to seal the win for the Volunteers.
This story will be updated.
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2025/09/27/josh-heupel-timeouts-tennessee-football-mississippi-state/86218630007/