Josh Heupel recaps Vols’ performance at Alabama

Tennessee (4-4, 2-3 SEC) lost at No. 4 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC), 52-24, Saturday.

Following the game, first-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel recapped the Vols’ performance.

“Disappointed with the outcome of the football game,” Heupel said. “Obviously, I felt like going into the fourth quarter we had an opportunity to compete and find a way to win the football game. I’m proud of the effort and strain that our guys played with all night long. We just didn’t play smart enough, in particular on the offensive side of the ball.

“I thought after the first quarter, give credit to Alabama’s defense too, we did things that hurt us and put us in a tough position. Obviously, we didn’t find a way to run the football effectively and efficiently throughout the course of the football game. At times, we operated well in the passing game, just not consistently enough in that part of the game.

“Special teams did a really nice job. Those guys competed and played extremely well. Defensively, it just felt like in the fourth quarter, being on the field that long, they just ran out of gas. Defensively there were a lot of things I was proud of throughout the course of the game.”