Tennessee Vols' five worst plays of the Butch Jones Era

After giving you my five best plays of the Butch Jones Era on Monday, it’s time for the five worst plays of the coach’s first four seasons at Tennessee. My choices are based on how the plays impacted a game and season, rather than sheer ineptitude.

Wasted extra point

I could have found five bad plays from the 28-27 loss to Florida in 2015 without trying hard.

But the biggest of the bad bunch was UT’s meaningless extra-point kick following its final touchdown. Aaron Medley’s kick gave the Vols a 27-14 lead with 10:19 to play.

Tennessee needed to go for a two-point conversion, which, if successful, would have put it up by 14. Then, Florida could have only tied the game with two touchdowns and two extra-point kicks.

The gaffe was exacerbated by Jones’ post-game explanation, which didn’t come close to making sense.

Defensive lapse against Florida

Again, the 2015 Florida game. But this play was on defense.

On a fourth-and-14 from Florida’s 37-yard line, quarterback Will Grier hooked up with wide receiver Antonio Callaway for a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1:26 to play.

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That qualifies as the worst defensive lapse of the Jones Era. And it eventually cost the Vols an SEC East title.

Field goal instead of touchdown attempt

On Tennessee’s first possession against Oklahoma in 2015, it faced a fourth down from inside the 1-yard line. Jones elected to go for a field goal, which Aaron Medley made.

It was the safe call and the wrong call.

Even if the Vols hadn’t scored a touchdown on fourth down, Oklahoma would have been backed up to its goal line against a jacked-up defense and a fired-up Neyland Stadium crowd.

The decision was magnified later when Oklahoma rallied from a 17-0 deficit to tie the game in regulation and win it in a second overtime.

Third-down penalties

A tie between two third-down holding penalties on Tennessee in the fourth quarter against the Sooners.

Oklahoma was still trailing 17-3 and on its own 22-yard line when Baker Mayfield’s pass fell incomplete on third-and-8. However, a 10-yard holding penalty gave the Sooners a first down.

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Moments later, Oklahoma faced another third-and-8 situation from its own 34. Again, a UT holding penalty kept the drive alive.

The Sooners were unstoppable after that against a tiring Tennessee defense. They gained 190 of their 348 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime periods combined.

Fumble kills a comeback

On an off-night in Columbia, S.C., against underdog South Carolina, Tennessee was still in position to overcome its mishaps when a lost fumble killed its momentum and set up the Gamecocks for what proved to be a game-winning score in a 24-21 victory.

Trailing 17-14, UT had a first down on its own 41-yard line following a 34-yard run by John Kelly early in the fourth quarter. But on the next play, quarterback Joshua Dobbs fumbled when hit for a 4-yard loss, and Darius English recovered at the 50-yard-line for the Gamecocks.

Four plays later, South Carolina freshman quarterback Jake Bentley beat a UT blitz and capitalized on busted coverage for a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end K.C. Crosby.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.