FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Derek Dooley made another special-teams gamble, but unlike the last one, there were consequences for Tennessee’s second-year football coach.
Dooley called for a fake field goal at the end of the Volunteers’ first possession Saturday night in a 49-7 loss at eighth-ranked Arkansas. Michael Palardy took a flip from holder Matt Darr and rolled to his left before overthrowing fullback Channing Fugate.
“We were against the wind. It was a 42-yarder on the right hash,” Dooley said of a wind that was gusting up to 33 mph at kickoff. “I thought we could execute it. I wasn’t 100 percent confident. That wind was pretty rough out there. I look back, I probably should have taken [the ball] in the third quarter. Tried to generate a little something, be aggressive.”
UT had three first downs on its opening drive, but it didn’t get its fourth first down until early in the second quarter when the Razorbacks had jumped out to a 21-0 lead.
Dooley called for a failed surprise onside kick two weeks ago against South Carolina, but an interception assured the Gamecocks did no damage. He’s also called successful fake punts in the past, but this was UT’s first fake on a field goal since the 2000 Arkansas game.