Why Butch Jones went viral after being consoled in Arkansas State's 73-0 loss to Oklahoma

Butch Jones went viral Saturday after getting a pick-me-up from one of his Arkansas State players during a 73-0 loss at Oklahoma to open the 2023 college football season.

Jones, the former Tennessee coach, was crouched on one knee and visibly disappointed during the second half when safety Justin Parks gave him a few pats on the back in Norman, Oklahoma.

The encouragement came after the Red Wolves were tagged with one of their 14 penalties against the Sooners.

Jones pointed to the mistakes when asked postgame about the interaction with Parks, who did not play in the game.

"There's a lot of players on our team that care, and that's the first part," Jones said. "When I first got here, we didn't have very many. ... It still gets back to pride and performance. Pride in your preparation in everything you do. Like I said, if you get beat because he's better than you, I can live with that. It's the untimely penalties. It's the lack of effort. It's the casualness at times. It's all those things that bother me."

Jones, in his third season at Arkansas State, has a 5-20 record with the Red Wolves, part of a rapid decline for a program that once was among the most consistent in the Group of Five.

Jones has been a major college coach for 14 years, but his latest run ranks as his worst.

He finished 27-13 in three seasons at Central Michigan (2007-09); 23-14 in three seasons at Cincinnati (2010-12); and 34-27 in five seasons at Tennessee (2013-17).

Jones' Tennessee tenure included highs and lows. He coached the Vols to back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2015 and 2016, beat Georgia twice and Florida once, but his final season led to Tennessee finishing 4-8 with an 0-8 record in conference play.

Jones was hired at Arkansas State in December 2019, but progress has been slow.

"It's what do we take from this experience and gain from it," Jones said. "... We can become closer and become more accountable to each other. ... This team will bounce back."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Butch Jones consoled by Arkansas State player in 73-0 loss to Oklahoma