The Tennessee football team arrived in South Florida Sunday night ahead of its Orange Bowl clash with No. 7 Clemson later this week.
The No. 6 Vols (10-2) are playing in their first New Year's Six bowl game in more than 15 years and have a shot at their first 11-win season since 2001 in head coach Josh Heupel's second season.
Beating the ACC Champion Tigers (10-2) would be an emphatic stamp on a memorable 2022 campaign.
"This is a huge step for our program," Heupel said. "The opportunity to play in this game-we haven't been here for almost 25 years. There's a lot of proud VFLs, former players that are looking forward to getting down to South Florida and being at this football game.
“This is an important step for our fanbase and I'm really proud of what our players and coaches have accomplished this season."
The game will feature two of the better offenses and defenses in college football.
Tennessee leads the nation with 538.3 yards per game while Clemson is top-25 nationally in limiting teams to 230 yards.
“There's great players all over the field when two great teams like this get together," Heupel said. "At the end of the day, you've got to do what you do. You've got to have some wrinkles to put your guys in a position to be successful and, you know, a bowl game with a long layoff, you've got to be able to go out and execute.
"Our preparation back home and certainly this week, whether we're in meetings or on the practice field, we'll have execute at a really high level."
Much of the Vols' offensive success can be attributed to quarterback Hendon Hooker, who passed for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns before suffering an ACL injury versus South Carolina ended his season.
In his place, former backup quarterback Joe Milton III will be making his second start this season. The Pahokee, Florida native was 11-for-21 passing for 147 yards and a touchdown in his last outing against Vanderbilt on Nov. 26.
"This is a homecoming for him," Heupel said. "He's from South Florida. He's going to have a lot of friends and family at the game. It means a lot to him. He's somebody inside of our program that has had a voice and has been a leader all year long. He's prepared really consistently...I'm proud of him for that but that's also led him to be consistent in his preparation up until we've landed here in South Florida."
Tennessee and Clemson will kickoff in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on December 30 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
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