Josh Heupel said something on the SEC teleconference this week that sounds good, but it’s really not true.
When asked about the hype around the Tennessee game and if anything was different as of midweek, Heupel said during the SEC teleconference on Wednesday, “It really hasn’t been that different up until this point. There’s a little bit more media that our players probably had to do on Monday or Tuesday, a couple of things for me, but really the beginning of the week is kind of status quo.”
The actual media obligations may have been the same. However, the hype around the game is as big as any in Tennessee history. Yes, ever.
Sure, there may have been more anticipation for other games, such as the national championship game following the 1998 season, but college football has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Find a bigger lead in to a game than this one and consider your day a success.
The key for Heupel – or any coach – is trying to keep things as normal as possible. That’s hard.
“I think that routine is important,” Heupel said. “I think it’s important that your team feels our coaching staff are prepared in going through that same type of routine, and that’s been a big part of the improvement inside of our program from when we first kicked off at the beginning of last season.”
Heupel, his assistant coaches and players have exuded confidence every time they’ve made a public appearance. The Vols don’t seem cocky, but they sure don’t seem scared. That wasn’t always the case in previous matchups against Florida.
“Our kids are pretty methodical and prepare in a good way,” Heupel said. “It will be really important for us here in the next couple of days to finish that preparation. You get closer to game day, certainly the energy on campus and the amount of people that will be here will be a bunch and you’ll hear that.
“I think it’s important that our players enjoy the competitive environment that’s going to be there on game day. They’re helping create that. In saying that, it’s all about our preparation.”
As for Heupel’s thoughts on preparation, that is very true.
