Josh Heupel can accomplish something at Tennessee that hasn't been done since the early 90s

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel can accomplish something against LSU that hasn't been done at UT since Phillip Fulmer was roaming the sidelines. On Sunday, the latest AP Top 25 Poll was released. The idle Vols stayed at No. 8 despite No. 7 Kentucky losing to Ole Miss. Instead of Tennessee moving up, Oklahoma […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel can accomplish something against LSU that hasn't been done at UT since Phillip Fulmer was roaming the sidelines.

On Sunday, the latest AP Top 25 Poll was released. The idle Vols stayed at No. 8 despite No. 7 Kentucky losing to Ole Miss.

Instead of Tennessee moving up, Oklahoma State leapfrogged the Vols into the No. 7 spot.

That didn't come as a huge surprise. Teams on bye weeks don't always move up in those situations.

What was more noticeable was that LSU, Tennessee's next opponent, moved up to No. 25 after their road win against Auburn.

That means Heupel will have a chance to win his third road game against a ranked opponent this upcoming Saturday. The game against LSU will be Heupel's 18th game as the Vols' head coach.

The last coach at Tennesese to beat three ranked opponents on the road in their first 18 games was Phillip Fulmer from 1992 to 1994.

Former Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer and wife Vicky walk on the sidelines before an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Tennesseegeorgia1113 0727
Former Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer and wife Vicky walk on the sidelines before an SEC football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Tennesseegeorgia1113 0727

Fulmer, who took over a better situation than Heupel, beat No. 14 Georgia in Athens in 1992. After taking over for Johnny Majors full-time in 1993, Fulmer led the Vols to a road win against No. 2 Alabama.

In week two of the 1994 season, Fulmer and Tennessee beat No. 23 Georgia on the road.

Heupel led Tennessee to a win against No. 18 Kentucky in Lexington last season. Earlier this season, the Vols beat No. 17 Pittsburgh on the road.

We've seen plenty of signs that Heupel is "the guy" for the Vols. If he can lead Tennessee to a win against LSU in Baton Rouge, it'll be yet another strong sign that Heupel is going to be sticking around in Knoxville for a long time to come.

Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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