Tennessee coach Josh Heupel doesn’t need any tricks to boost his offense this season. He’s proven adept at that. However, advice is just a phone call away.
Former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, who is now an assistant to the SEC Commissioner in football-related matters, faced a similar challenge as Heupel did in 2021 when he was trying to rebuild Tennessee’s football program. Cutcliffe has had to do the same. Let’s rewind to 2005.
The 2005 season was a historic low for Tennessee under head coach Phillip Fulmer. The Vols finished 5-6 and the coaching staff was in the midst of a major shakeup. Offensive coordinator Randy Sanders stepped down and the Vols needed a new coach. Cutcliffe was ready and had time on his hands.
Cutcliffe was doing a radio show with some red-headed, smart aleck back then. The listening audience couldn’t get enough of Cutcliffe. However, Cutcliffe was needed somewhere else.
Cutcliffe, who was fired by Ole Miss following the 2005 season, agreed to take over for the Vols after Sanders resigned. Cutcliffe’s task was pretty simple: rebuild an dysfunctional offense that couldn’t settle on a quarterback. In order to accomplish that goal, Cutcliffe knew the Vols needed a mental adjustment.
“The identity coming off of a losing season just wasn’t good,” Cutcliffe said during SEC Media Days.
That was readily apparent. Cutcliffe had a plan in mind to right the mental ship. How about a hike?
Cutcliffe held his first team meeting at 5 a.m. on a Saturday and didn’t tell his team why or what they would be doing. Just be there.
Cutcliffe had breakfast sandwiches and a bus on hand. Yes, a bus. The bus was waiting to take Tennessee’s offensive players on a hike. Yes, a hike.
“We took off in the dark,” Cutcliffe said with a grin. “They didn’t know where we were going.”
The destination was a manageable hike that looked over the mountains of East Tennessee. The message was simple.
“This is Rocky Top,” Cutcliffe said, recalling what he told his team that day. “I want you to understand what Rocky Top is…It’s just not a song.”
It also wasn’t just a hike. Cutcliffe had another surprise in store after lunch. Neyland Stadium was the next bus stop.
“I made them walk up the stadium steps to the very top,” Cutcliffe said.
The message was about accountability and pride.
“‘Now, we’re looking at Rocky Top,’” Cutcliffe recalled telling his players. “‘Look down on that field. They come from everywhere to watch you perform at the highest level.’”
If any players didn’t understand the depth of what Cutcliffe was trying to say, they soon would. Cutcliffe had another trick up his sleeve.
Cutcliffe called an old fried, former Tennessee play-by-play broadcaster John Ward, for a favor. Cutcliffe asked Ward to create some mock play-by-play calls of the current Vols with Ward’s trademark, “Touchdown Tennessee”. Fortunately, there were enough offensive highlights from the 2005 season to pull everything off.
Did the tactics work? Apparently so. The Vols finished the 2006 season with a 9-4 season and were 5-3 in the SEC. Tennessee had one of the most explosive offenses in the SEC.
If Heupel or any SEC coach hits a bump in the road, Cutcliffe is just a phone call away and he’s always up for a motivational trip up a mountain.
