Is the Tennessee Vols football culture okay? Vol Nation, left reeling after Tennessee’s devastating loss at South Carolina last week, immediately went berserk. Obviously no one thought the Vols could lose to the Gamecocks–and they shouldn’t have–and the immediate fan reaction of, “What was that?!” was understandable. Firings were demanded and rumors swirled, with one gaining significant traction online: Josh Heupel has lost the locker room. The Tennessee Vols football culture we’ve seen all season was deemed too good to be true.
Tennessee vs. South Carolina: Is the Tennessee Vols Football Culture In Trouble?
In his post-game press conference and in comments the following Monday, Heupel was steadfast in his determination not to confirm or deny anything being rumored about why Jeremy Banks was not present to play South Carolina. He did, however, confirm that the absence of the rest of the team was ultimately disappointing to everyone involved.
The coaching staff started last Sunday grieving a lost spot in the playoffs. The players watched game film on Monday and the lost opportunity weighed heavy on them, too. To add salt to the wound, the entire program and fanbase were rocked by the news that Hendon Hooker had torn his ACL and would not return for the Vols this season. But, there was–and is–more football to be played for the Vols. And yesterday, Tennessee brought it to Vanderbilt in a major way.
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: No, Josh Heupel Has Not “Lost the Locker Room”
In response to the mayhem that surrounded the Vols performance against the Gamecocks, Tennessee shutout Vanderbilt in a 56-0 finish without a slew of key talent on both sides of the ball. At Vanderbilt, the Vols shutout the Commodores without Hendon Hooker, Cedric Tillman, Bru McCoy, Trevon Flowers, and Gerald Mincey. During the game, the Vols lost at least four other offensive linemen. This could all have meant big trouble, but it didn’t.
The Commodores are not the team the Vols are but they have had a couple of big victories in recent weeks, defeating Florida and Kentucky. They’ve got a young coach and a fire to build just like the Vols do. They also needed a win to become bowl eligible, so as much as they aren’t the team the Vols are, they weren’t playing for nothing. Both teams stepped on the field and played hard; one team came away with the victory it needed to prove its season hasn’t been one big fluke or some incredible stroke of good luck.
In comments after game, Heupel directly addressed the rumors circulating this week–here’s looking at you, Kirk Herbstreit–saying, “A lot’s been made about the culture in the locker room, whatever it might be. This is a culture win.”
The Tennessee Vols football culture is fine. Josh Heupel has not lost the locker room.
Tennessee Vols Football Culture: Vols Are Building Back Steadily
In the preseason rankings, the Vols were underestimated. Josh Heupel had a 7-6 debut season last year, showing that he was on the right path with this program. But still, the Vols were not included in AP Top 25 Poll in the preseason and almost nobody anticipated this team would do any better than maybe 8-4 for this season.
It’s Heupel’s second year and a lot of talent was lost to the transfer portal after the firing of Jeremy Pruitt and other staff members, so it would be no wonder if it took another season or two to see a 10+ win team out of Knoxville. But, Heupel has done it. The players that stayed have done it. The team bought the Heup, and the transformation has been impressive whether you are a Vol fan or not.
Are there areas that need improvement? Yes. But as Rome wasn’t built in a day, to be 10-2 when your defense, specifically, is need of the work Tennessee definitely needs…yeah, I’m okay with that record. I would even call it impressive. However, I would be remiss not to acknowledge that the only way to continue on this winning path and to earn a spot in the playoffs is to recruit and develop the defense in a major way.
This is a team that has had a rockstar offense but has also been over-reliant on that offense to win games. It’s worked, but it’s not a long-term strategy. The Georgia and South Carolina games both highlighted how it is possible to stop the Tennessee offense and how the Vols defense lacks the ability to respond in kind.
Even with the performance of the defense at Vanderbilt, which limited the Commodores to 254 yards of total offense and saw the return of senior linebacker Jeremy Banks, this is a critical area of improvement for Heupel and the Vols to make 10 or more wins and a shot at the playoffs (and a national title) a regular occurrence for the Vols.
Tennessee Vols Football Culture Is Fine
I know there’s a lot of opposition to the acceptance of moral victories like “10-2 is still a good season” but I don’t care, because it is true. This entire season has been far better than anticipated, resulting in rivalry wins against Florida and Alabama plus major wins against LSU at Death Valley and against Kentucky. To be clear: the South Carolina loss was a disaster. It was embarrassing. But, it doesn’t make the Vols a bad team, a mediocre team, or an overhyped team.
The Vols are on their way up. The locker room is intact. To echo Wes Rucker over at GoVols247, these Vols care. The Tennessee Vols football culture is fine.
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