Josh Heupel is making sure Tennessee is avoiding one major mistake against Missouri
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is making sure that his team is avoiding a November mistake that wasn't necessarily avoided last season. A year ago, it felt like the Vols looked past South Carolina in anticipation of a likely spot in the College Football Playoff. The Gamecocks were coming off a bad loss to […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is making sure that his team is avoiding a November mistake that wasn't necessarily avoided last season.
A year ago, it felt like the Vols looked past South Carolina in anticipation of a likely spot in the College Football Playoff. The Gamecocks were coming off a bad loss to a not-very-good Florida team and almost everyone was picking Tennessee to win in a blowout.
Instead, South Carolina cruised to a shocking 25 point win. After the game, Vols linebacker Aaron Beasley admitted that Tennessee's focus wasn't necessarily where it should've been.
Tennessee is in a similar position this week as they head to Missouri to take on the Tigers a week before a massive showdown in Knoxville with the Georgia Bulldogs.
A playoff spot isn't on the line for the Vols, but an SEC East division title could be (if Ole Miss beats Georgia this weekend and UT takes care of business against Mizzou). Even if the SEC East isn't play, the Tennessee/Georgia game is still one that will generate a significant amount of hype as some folks believe the Vols are the team that's best positioned to end Georgia's winning streak that dates back to 2021.
But first the Vols have to get by Missouri. And Heupel is making sure that his team's focus is solely on the Tigers this week.
"I haven’t looked past the one that we’ve got this weekend," said Heupel during Vol Calls on Wednesday night when asked about UT's late-season schedule. "It’s a really good football team that we’re playing in Columbia."
"The only game we have this week is Missouri," added Heupel when asked about possibly looking ahead to Georgia. "The only one that matters is this one. And as a competitor, it’s pretty easy when you go watch the video, you see the quality of the opponent. Missouri’s good enough and you better be all dialed in.”
Heupel's mindset toward the game has definitely made its way to Tennessee's players as comments from various Vols this week have indicated how seriously they're taking Missouri as an opponent.
"You know, they're an SEC team. Everybody's good," said Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright this week. "It's just this year, they're playing with their hair on fire. They've had a pretty successful season so far. So, we are expecting them to go out and play hard, we have to come out and match their energy."
It certainly seems like the Vols learned some lessons from last season's debacle in Columbia, SC that will help them thrive this season in Columbia, MO.
There are a lot of special things that Tennessee can still accomplish this season — even if the SEC East isn't in play after this weekend — including a second straight 11-win season and a trip to another New Year's Six bowl.
But those things will only be possible if the Vols play a complete 60-minute game against a Missouri team that is much better this season than anyone expected.
