The VFL took exception to a post critical of the team's performance in victory over the Razorbacks on Saturday.
The Tennessee Vols did something many other teams failed to do on Saturday - escape with a win as a ranked team over an unranked foe. With teams like Florida, Texas, and LSU losing to then-unranked foes, Tennessee went into Fayetteville and came away with a 24-17 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks to improve to 5-1 (2-1) on the season.
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It's about as good of a result for the Vols' first half of the season as you could reasonably hope for, particularly starting off with a freshman quarterback and a brand new defense with a host of new faces.
But the win over the Razorbacks wasn't enough to satisfy everyone. Joey Petersen of Tennessee Football Talk posted a video critical of the team's performance in the win. That caught the attention of former Tennessee center Cooper Mays, who responded on Twitter (X).
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"Pretty cool to see the shift of our fan base going from beggars to choosers the last decade," Mays wrote. "Such a luxury to be upset about having a 5-1 start and top 15 team in the country. Hope Vol fans enjoy it."
After Petersen responded, Mays responded with, "[t]hank God it's not a looks contest. Thank ya sir and GBO."
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Mays would go on to clarify that his statement was not intended to be negative, rather to point out just how good things are and that he wants people to enjoy it.
"My statement was not negative towards anyone. It is a luxury to be where we are at as a fan base, and I want people to truly enjoy it. If you told me as a kid we would be where we have been the last few years as far as a #1 ranking and a playoff berth I would've been ecstatic."
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It goes without saying that Tennessee could have played and executed better. The Vols had to rally after a number of mistakes, including a fumble by George MacIntyre after DeSean Bishop bumped his arm that resulted in a recovery by Arkansas before the first half to deny UT points. The Vols had to rally to win a game against a team that's been boat raced by other SEC teams this year.
But winning is hard in the SEC, particularly on the road. Tennessee won in Fayetteville, where they hadn't emerged victorious in a quarter century. And Tennessee fans from six years ago would be begging to be where the Vols are now.
It's ok to want more, to want better. But it's also prudent to enjoy wins and appreciate where you are at in the grand scheme of things. And at 5-1, with so much new around the program (Jim Knowles, Derek Owings, etc.) and a number of young and new players in key areas, Vol fans should be happy with where things are at in 2026 and beyond.
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This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Former Tennessee standout Cooper Mays has a strong response to social media post critical of Vols' win over Arkansas
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