Josh Heupel should forever be a legend for what he did during a team meeting before Vols' win against Alabama
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel should forever be a legend for what he did during a team meeting before UT's win against the Alabama Crimson Tide last season. On Saturday, ESPN aired an episode of "Portraits" that focused on the life and career of Josh Heupel. The host of the show, former Florida Gators […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel should forever be a legend for what he did during a team meeting before UT's win against the Alabama Crimson Tide last season.
On Saturday, ESPN aired an episode of "Portraits" that focused on the life and career of Josh Heupel.
The host of the show, former Florida Gators linebacker James Bates, asked Heupel about the Vols' historic win from last season against Alabama.
Heupel detailed several of the game's biggest moments while also telling a story about what he told his team (and showed his team) the week leading up to the showdown with the Crimson Tide.
"As we got ready for that week, I felt like it was important for our football team to understand that I believed and I expected to win," said Heupel. "And we talked about three different types of teams — those that hope, those that believe, and then those that expect."
"So I walked into the team meeting on Monday and I had a cigar in my pocket," continued Heupel. "I pulled it out when we started talking about Alabama and said listen, we've ordered these cigars, we got a couple for everybody inside of this room, we expect to have a long night smoking a cigar. Just creating an expectation for that week."
Heupel pretty much called his shot on that one, right?
It's pretty incredible that Heupel was able to create that expectation despite the fact that Tennessee hadn't smoked a cigar after beating Alabama since 2006.
But not only did Heupel create that expectation, his team delivered on that expectation.
It's pretty easy to see why players believe in Heupel. The confidence and competitiveness is contagious. And it's clear at this point that everyone inside of Tennessee's locker room is on the same page — which is why the Vols are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
