‘At my last school, that was a big issue’ – Former Vols player reveals one of Tennessee’s big problems in previous seasons
The Tennessee Vols’ matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs this week is considered by many analysts to be UT’s best chance to knock off UGA since 2022. Three years ago, the Vols went into Athens as the No. 1 team in the nation. Tennessee, however, was unable to get a win against the Bulldogs, falling 27-13 […]
The Tennessee Vols’ matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs this week is considered by many analysts to be UT’s best chance to knock off UGA since 2022.
Three years ago, the Vols went into Athens as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Tennessee, however, was unable to get a win against the Bulldogs, falling 27-13 in a game that was mostly dominated by Georgia’s defense.
There are several reasons why Tennessee lost that game. For starters, Georgia was really good that season. Plus, it was a road game, and the crowd in Sanford Stadium delivered plenty of noise.
Lots of fans and analysts have also speculated that being ranked No. 1 before that game was a bad thing for the Vols. It gave Georgia added motivation, and it may have removed the chip from Tennessee’s shoulder. It can be tough to have a chip on your shoulder, which is necessary when you play Georgia, when you’re ranked No. 1.
Comments this week from former Vols defensive back De’Shawn Rucker seem to confirm that getting caught up in the outside noise may have been a problem for Tennessee in previous seasons.
Former Vols DB De’Shawn Rucker says the spotlight caused some issues at Tennessee
Rucker, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Tennessee (2021-2023) before transferring to USF, spoke with reporters this week about dealing with the outside noise after USF’s upset win against Florida this past weekend.
“Honestly, we’re not looking at it,” said Rucker of the national attention that USF is now receiving. “We’re not really trying to get into all of that. We’re honestly just moving forward each [week].
“I think that’s where a lot of teams mess up — [with] a lot of distractions. I think being at my last school (Tennessee), I think that was a big issue as well. Just having all of that spotlight. Whether it’s College GameDay or just having a lot of people talk about your name. It feels good, and that’s where it messes you up — once you get that feel good, you just start to settle and kind of think you’ve arrived. But we’ve all harped on [that] we haven’t arrived yet. We still got a lot to prove. We still haven’t even done conference play, so we still got a lot to attack this year.”
I don’t think Rucker is saying anything negative about Tennessee at all, but I do think his comments highlight something that’s been a problem for the Vols at times in the last several years. Tennessee has been at its best under Josh Heupel when the team plays with a chip on its shoulder, which appears to be the case so far this season for the Vols. When that chip has been removed — via the outside noise (or rat poison/whatever you want to call it) — is when Tennessee has faltered.
Former Vols linebacker Aaron Beasley alluded to that after Tennessee’s shocking loss to South Carolina in 2022.
“We didn’t have enough urgency,” said Beasley after the loss to the Gamecocks in 2022. “We thought we was going to come in there and everything was going to fall where it was supposed to, but it don’t work like that in college ball.”
“I assume we just felt like it was going to be given to us,” added Beasley. “We felt like we didn’t have to go out there and work for it. We thought they was just going to lay down. Props to them, they came out, they played a great game. They played physical. They’re a great team and they showed that Saturday.”
It’s easy to forget that while Heupel had three seasons of head coaching experience at UCF before he landed the job at Tennessee, he had never been the head coach of an SEC program. He’s learning how to navigate certain things for the first time as the head coach of a program that receives a heavy amount of attention from the media every single day. Heupel’s learning what works and what doesn’t as far as keeping his team focused.
I think we’ll see Tennessee continue to find ways to better manage the outside noise moving forward. It’s a tricky thing to deal with — and it’s something that most programs struggle with at some point — but for the Vols to get to where they want to go this season (and for them to stay there), they’ll absolutely have to make sure the outside noise doesn’t impact the program this fall.
Tennessee Volunteers News
‘Everything he’s went through and he’s there every day’ – Vols DB Jalen McMurray shows love for teammate who likely won’t play in 2025
Tennessee Vols redshirt senior defensive back Jalen McMurray showed some love this week for a teammate that he called an “unsung hero.” McMurray appeared on the TPL Tennessee YouTube channel this week (along with Vols running back Star Thomas), and he made sure to point out the impact that redshirt junior defensive back Jourdan Thomas […]
