First of all I want to say congrats to the “long-time” Volunteer Fan. By “long-time” I mean those who are use to seeing their Volunteer Football team “in the mix at the top”. For all of the 20 or 30 somethings I say welcome to the world we once cherished.
Tennessee’s big move this year is related to the “right hire”. A lot of folks were questioning Athletic Director Danny White’s hire of Josh Heupel. A lot of complaints emerged, One was that Heupel can’t recruit. But for me I had followed Heupel’s success “in coaching”. He had coached and developed some of the best which included Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford QB at Oklahoma in 2008. He himself finished as a Heisman runner-up in 2000, was an All-American, AP Player of The Year and a Walter Camp Award winner. Plus Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated season and a National Championship with a win over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl! So if you look at all of his accomplishments coach Josh Heupel IS the ‘right hire”! So folks, I don’t believe you’ll find a current head coach in the Power 5 that has a resume that is as good as his.
Heupel’s coaching career is pretty good. At UCF he compiled a record of 28 wins and only 8 losses. His best year was 2018 when he went 12-1 going to the Fiesta Bowl losing to LSU 40-32.
Today coach Josh Heupel is the head coach of one of the best SEC programs ever. The Tennessee Volunteers is “the big stage” and for a man who played great in his day and has also coached some of the best as well, his day is coming and may be sooner than later.
The 3rd Saturday of October is probably the best noted rivalry game in the country. In days gone by it was a game that determined the winner of the SEC. And the 3rd Saturday was the traditional date played prior to 1992. The Southeastern Conference then split into the East and West Divisions. From 1995-2015 the teams played on that date only 6 times. The Tide leads the series 58-37-8. Tennessee has beaten Alabama more than any other team. Bama’s nine-game unbeaten streak from 1986 to 1994, including a tie in ’93 which was later forfeited due to NCAA sanctions ended in 1995. Tennessee beat Alabama 41-14 as the Vols began their own seven-game win streak that night. No other team has a seven-game streak over Alabama. There is not a better time than the present!
So as Tennessee fans remember those great years when the Volunteers owned Alabama we also think about the “right-hires”. First, UT Athletic Director Danny White and his hire of Josh Heupel. Thanks to everyone involved!
Neyland Stadium will be on fire Saturday Oct. 15, the Third Saturday of October, as the Vols turn this month into “Joshtober” as Tennessee jumps into the 2022-23 CFB Playoff picture.