Josh Heupel has been around Tennessee long enough to know how important it is to keep it respectable against Alabama this seasons. The Vols haven’t beaten the Crimson Tide since 2006 with most of those matchups decided by at least three touchdowns.
The first-year Vols coach was asked about the third Saturday in October early on during his first appearance at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. He didn’t back down from talking about the annual cross-division rivalry game, however, his response quickly blended into his plans for getting Tennessee back to respectability.
“That ball game is huge to the fans and to the players, on both sides of it,” Heupel said. “You come to Tennessee to play in games like that. This fanbase loves football. They breathe it 365 days out of the year, man. If it’s recruiting, they care about recruiting. If it’s spring ball, they care about what’s going on on the field. It’s not about just one game going forward. Our players understand we’re only as good as our next performance.
