STARKVILLE, Miss. — Tennessee football’s 41-34 win at Mississippi State was full an unprecedented amounts of twists and turns. Few were bigger than on the first drive of the fourth quarter.
Trailing 24-20, Tennessee forced Mississippi State to punt after Bryson Eason batted a pass down on third down. But Mississippi State provided what looked like a back breaking play, converting the fourth-and-seven with a fake punt.
It was the third of four times that Tennessee’s defense was forced back on the field after an offensive or special teams miscue. They quickly responded. Tyre West hammered Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen, forcing the ball free before Josh Josephs picked it up and rumbled 41 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
“Really proud of those guys,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “Obviously, a couple huge plays. Defensive lineman strip sack, scoop and score.”
Josephs is no stranger to strip sacks this season. He strip sacked Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli in Tennessee’s season-opening win. Two weeks later, Josephs strip sacked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton early in the fourth quarter.
But this time it was West that forced the fumble and Josephs who made it count, not only recovering the fumble but turning it into a defensive touchdown.
More From RTI: What Tennessee HC Josh Heupel Said About Pass Interference On Chris Brazzell Against Mississippi State
“It’s like an oh shit moment,” Josephs said. “Instincts just kick in when it happens like that. I was glad he was able to get that sack and forced fumble. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten it.”
TYRE WEST WITH THE HIT.
JOSHUA JOSEPHS WITH THE SCOOP AND SCORE.
VOLS RETAKE THE LEAD! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/owVjw0vlvJ
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) September 27, 2025
Tennessee’s defense wasn’t perfect against Mississippi State and hasn’t been great this season. But Tim Banks group made some key plays against the Bulldogs.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Tennessee’s defense has been its pass rush this season and they made life difficult on Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen all evening. The Vols sacked Shapen five times. They also pressured Shapen, helping lead to an inaccurate throw on Colton Hood’s first quarter pick six.
“The line of scrimmage, they controlled (it on defense),” Heupel said. “They made it uncomfortable for the quarterback on a couple of the passes. Matched guys out. … It was a great effort by our defense — I should have said that at the beginning — the entire night.”
The Vols’ defense got two critical stops late, first at the end of regulation to help push the game to overtime and then again in overtime to seal the victory. But no play was bigger than West and Josephs teaming up for a strip sack touchdown.
