When was last time Tennessee football fans were so optimistic? And they're not afraid. | Adams
I was sitting at one end of the bar in a local restaurant when I heard a voice at the far end. The voice also was probably heard in Gatlinburg. And maybe, Crossville.
It carried like a roar of thunder from one of our summer storms. The couple nearest him didn’t seem to mind. He was preaching to the Big Orange choir of which they apparently were members.
His booming optimism was the kind usually reserved for fans of football dynasties. He ran through the upcoming schedule and all the glory that lay ahead. Then, he flashed back to Tennessee’s breakthrough season of 2022.
It was all good. As he spoke with the conviction of a born-again Vol, I took note. Maybe, his words signified a shift for Tennessee fandom.
Optimism usually surges through the masses at this time of year. But in the past, even as UT fans voiced their great expectations for the season to come, you sensed there was a deeper voice warning them “Prepare yourself to be disappointed. ” Tennessee football fans probably haven't been this fired up since the 1990s.
There was optimism before the 2016 season after the Vols won nine games the previous season and returned many key players. But Butch Jones was the coach. His presence was enough to activate the voice of restraint.
That voice has become muted in many fans – for good reason. Third-year coach Josh Heupel is changing their way of thinking. He’s not doing that with words.
He’s doing it with actions. You don’t talk your way to a 11-2 season and top-10 finish like the Vols enjoyed in 2022. If you could, Jones would have never won fewer than 11 games.
Heupel isn’t just raising the hopes of Tennessee fans. He’s trying to raise the standard back to where it was before the program plunged southward in the 2000s. I’m not suggesting fans – even the one at the far end of the bar – believe the Vols will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their last national championship with another unbeaten season.
But I also don’t believe they fear a drubbing from the best teams on their schedule as they once did. Not even two-time defending national champion Georgia looks invincible through a Big Orange lens. My guess is Tennessee fans will approach that game at Neyland Stadium as they did the one last season against Alabama.
There won’t be a timid voice in the crowd. How good can the Vols be this season? As fall practice begins, you can only guess. You probably didn’t predict last season’s upset of Alabama.
It’s also unlikely you expected South Carolina to upend the Vols 63-38 in Columbia. Weird things happen during an SEC season. Injuries happen.
Roles change. Quarterback Josh Milton served Tennessee well as a backup to Hendon Hooker last season. And when Hooker was lost for the season with a knee injury, Milton starred in UT’s Orange Bowl victory over Clemson.
His role will change and the pressure will increase this season. He will be the No. 1 quarterback from the get-go.
I expect him to do well, but you can’t be sure until he does it. You could say the same for Georgia’s likely starter at quarterback, Carson Beck. He demonstrated his talent as a backup to Stetson Bennett last season.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with his throwing arm. But how will he handle the pressure of being the starting quarterback for a team in quest of a third consecutive national championship? ADAMS:Lane Kiffin wanted to rank SEC boosters. I can't either.
Instead, here's fan bases from 1-14 Never mind the uncertainty surrounding the sport. Tennessee fans believe in their coach, who has taken the program from the lower half of the SEC East to the top 10 while ending losing streaks to Alabama and Florida along the way. Those fans aren't just thinking "what could go right?" They're saying it loud enough for everyone to hear.
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