There have been times in which Tennessee was clearly at a psychological disadvantage against Florida. If UT coach Josh Heupel’s press conference on Monday was any sort of indication, that advantage is long gone.
Heupel seemed fancy free before one of – if not – the biggest games of his career. Tennessee-Florida just has a different resonance than Central Florida-East Carolina. The Vols are held in significantly higher esteem than UCF, where Heupel used to coach before making the move to the SEC in 2021.
Heupel met with the media as if the Vols were about to face a gecko, not an alligator, on Monday. He smiled, joked, took roll call of a missing media member and seemed very at ease with facing the Gators, who have wrecked countless seasons for the Vols.
Asked about the psychological disadvantage that previous losses would have on the Vols, Heupel said, “”I don’t believe that. Each week is different, each day is different, each season is. For us, we’re however many months into our program, right here right now, and our kids are extremely confident, as they should be.
“They prepare the right way, they work hard, we have continued to grow. They know that the preparation is going to be the most important thing. It is going to be a great atmosphere. We have got to be able to control our emotions during the course of the football game but compete and not go up and down during the course of the game.”
Tennessee coaches didn’t used to be as loose during Florida week as Heupel was on Monday. In fact, Tennessee once suspended a player from being interviewed for an entire season after saying that UT’s coaches were tight before the Florida game.
It might help that Heupel might not really understand the depth of the rivalry that he’s now a part of. Heupel isn’t as familiar with some unforgettable plays that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for the Vols.
Heupel wasn’t raised as a Vol and he wasn’t raised in Tennessee. To him, the Florida game is a game to be excited about, not afraid of.
Simply being a part of college football, Heupel was certainly aware of the rivalry, but it might not be such a bad thing that he played football in the Big 12. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Unfortunately, Heupel didn’t have that luxury.
“Probably 30 seconds after I arrived here on campus,” Heupel said when asked how long it took for someone to demand he beat the Gators. “This is one of the ball games that this fanbase and our players point to, too. Obviously, being a fan of college football, I’ve seen the great games and the rivalry itself play out.
“That’s why you come here. You want to be a part of these types of games. You want to have an opportunity to have College GameDay on your campus and be the prime-time slot and have a sold-out stadium. We’re excited to see the fan base and Vol Walk, I know it will be electric, and when we run out of that T, there won’t be a better atmosphere in college football.”
Sounds like Heupel is a step ahead in the mental game.
One Response
It’s not that he doesn’t understand the rivalry, it’s who he is and where he has been. This pressure is cake compared to quarterbacking a national champion.