“I Hope Everyone Gets Banged Up:” A Bye Week Strategy With Proven Results

Credit: LSU Athletics

By Tucker Harlin

#4 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0) travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas (3-2, 1-1) Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Vols are playing their first game off a bye week, games in which Josh Heupel’s squads have performed well whether he’s coaching in Orlando or Knoxville.

Heupel is a combined 8-1 between UCF and Tennessee coming out of the bye. In his time at Tennessee, Heupel has outrun Kentucky 45-42 in Lexington, blown out LSU 40-13 in Baton Rouge, and held off Texas A&M in a defensive battle in the first game after a bye.

But instead of just throwing out Heupel’s record and results out of the bye, I’d like to go in a different direction with this piece.

There are generally two outcomes fans root for when their team is on bye: A. Chaos and B. Hope the next opponent on the schedule exits its game as battered and bruised as possible.

Tennessee fans regularly root for these outcomes, but Option B has actually played a large part in Heupel’s success out of the bye. Let’s take a look at the four games Tennessee’s opponents played in while the Vols were resting up in Heupel’s four seasons at Tennessee.

2021

#12 Kentucky paid a visit to Mississippi State the week before it took on the Vols in Kroger Field back in 2021. Kentucky had lost 30-13 against eventual national champion Georgia and was off a bye when it traveled to Starkvegas.

But unlike Josh Heupel, Mark Stoops is horrible in the first game after bye weeks in his tenure in Lexington.

Despite the interception Will Levis threw on the first possession of the game, the Wildcats found themselves ahead 10-0 thanks to a punt return touchdown and field goal early in the second quarter.

The Wildcats wouldn’t find the end zone again until the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns to take a 14-10 lead at half, and Levis threw another interception deep in Bulldog territory near the end of the half.

Mississippi State chewed off over half a quarter on a drive that ended in a field goal to start the second half. Wildcats running back Chris Rodriguez fumbled on the second play of the ensuing possession, and the Bulldogs capitalized with a touchdown. Levis came out and threw a pick on the first play of the next possession, and Mississippi State made the Wildcats pay again with a touchdown.

The Wildcats left Starkvegas with a demoralizing 31-17 loss ahead of their clash with Tennessee.

2022

LSU in 2022 is the lone team to defeat an opponent during Tennessee’s bye before playing the Vols, but it was engaged in a war of attrition when it visited the plains that season.

Auburn led 17-0 in the middle of the second quarter. The momentum shifted later in the quarter as LSU edge rusher B.J. Ojulari strip sacked Robby Ashford, and defensive back Jay Ward returned the fumble to the end zone.

Auburn missed a field goal on the next possession and LSU scored on a Jayden Daniels rush touchdown to make it a field goal deficit at half.

Neither team scored on its first two possessions of the second half, but LSU took the lead as John Emery Jr. sprinted up the middle of the field for a 20-yard rush touchdown.

LSU picked off Auburn on a trick play on its own end of the field but was unable to capitalize on the ensuing possession.

But the emotional rollercoaster didn’t stop there.

Later in the fourth quarter, LSU was forced to punt. Auburn muffed the punt, and LSU took over on the Auburn side of the field. Disaster struck two plays later as Emery fumbled away to Auburn.

Auburn now had an opportunity to score a game-winning touchdown. Five plays into the drive, Robby Ashford threw a pick to Greg Brooks Jr. to secure the win for LSU.

The win was anything but pretty for LSU, and a less than 100% Jayden Daniels going into a matchup with a ranked Tennessee team was less than ideal.

2023

Of all of the opponents Josh Heupel has faced at Tennessee out of the bye, Texas A&M had the toughest test during said bye.

The Aggies were 4-1 going into their bout with #11 Alabama, the only loss a 48-33 defeat at Miami. A&M had defeated Arkansas and Auburn to start SEC play, neither of which won more than six games in 2023.

Both sides traded field goals in the first quarter before Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond on a deep pass for the game’s first touchdown.

Three possessions later, a nice punt return led to a one-play, 22-yard scoring drive for the Aggies to tie the game up at 10.

The Aggies forced a punt and responded with a methodical 53-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard rush touchdown by Le’Veon Moss. This was the last time the Aggies reached the end zone all game.

Milroe was picked off seven plays into the opening drive of the second half, but Max Johnson threw it right back to the Tide two plays later. Alabama tied it up at 17 with a touchdown pass to Jermaine Burton on the ensuing drive.

The Aggies had to punt again, and Bama marched 80 yards to take a 24-17 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was a sluggish one. Burton lost a fumble two plays into Alabama’s next offensive possession, but the Tide defense held strong as Randy Bond missed a field goal.

The Tide sacked Johnson in the end zone for a safety later in the fourth quarter. The Aggies successfully forced a punt and quickly found their way into a goal to go situation.

Texas A&M had a 4th and goal at the Alabama 2 with an opportunity to take a lead with just over two minutes to play. But instead of going for it all, Jimbo Fisher opted to kick a field from 20 yards out and thus losing 26-20.

The loss was deflating, and the Aggies deflation carried over to Neyland Stadium the next week.

2024

Arkansas is 3-2 ahead of its meeting with Tennessee. The first loss was a 39-31 loss in two overtimes to an Oklahoma State in the second week of the season.

The Razorbacks started their day with fireworks in Jerry World as Taylen Green and Isaac TeSlaa hooked up for a 75-yard score.

Texas A&M answered three possessions later on a long touchdown pass from Marcel Reed to Noah Thomas. Arkansas needed to go to the bag of tricks in order to take a lead with a fake punt to extend its second touchdown drive of the game.

But the demoralizing part of this game for Arkansas was about to begin. Taylen Green had a botched exchange late in the second quarter deep in his own territory, setting up a score for the Aggies to tie the game.

Green threw a pick on the next possession, although A&M was unable to score at the end of the half. Trailing 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, Green’s was a fumble on a strip sack he had no feel for, a play that effectively ended all hopes for the Hogs.

Now there’s only one question left to ask: is the trend of brutal games for the Vols’ opponents during their bye weeks going to aid them again in Fayetteville?