MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Winning 11 games in a college football season – especially in this era of the sport – isn’t a simple task. Not one bit.
After going 7-6 in Josh Heupel’s debut campaign in 2021, Tennessee’s 2022 slate is one that won’t ever be forgotten. No one pictured the Vols accomplishing what they did. Recording 11 wins certainly wasn’t on the radar.
But Heupel’s team did it.
"It continues to put our brand, the style of football – it's a legacy moment for the guys that are graduating, but it's a springboard for us moving forward," Heupel said. "Again, our brand is out in front of everybody. I think we've beaten out of the last four national champions during the course of this season. 11-win season, which hasn't been done since 2001.
"There's so many positive things, so much momentum inside of our program. ... Tonight's a big night."
An 8-0 start to the season. Wins over five ranked opponents in Pitt, Florida, LSU, Alabama – on an unforgettable night at Neyland Stadium – and Kentucky. A No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25. The list goes on and on.
Although a devastating loss to South Carolina in November ended the Vols’ hopes of making the four-team playoff field, Tennessee still earned an invite to a prestigious postseason bowl game to take on a top-tier opponent.
Taking on Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, everything that Tennessee worked for throughout the season was culminated with a 31-14 win over the Tigers – their hard-earned 11th victory of the year.
"You think back to this season with this group of guys and finishing it the way we did here, it will certainly be a great memory," Heupel said. "So many huge wins over the course of the season. As much as anything, though, you really do just remember the daily interaction and the journey you're on with these guys every single day."
Tennessee could’ve folded and called it a season after the South Carolina loss. It was a heartbreaking night – especially considering that quarterback Hendon Hooker went down with his season-ending ACL tear in that same game.
Instead, the Vols rallied together, closed the regular season with a dominant victory at Vanderbilt and then capped it all Friday with their Orange Bowl win.
It honestly couldn’t have been scripted any better. Take a bow, Tennessee. You deserve it.
"I know where we started and where we've gotten to, but there's so much left out there for us," Heupel said. "It's in individual habits, it's in us continuing to improve in communication, we're finding what we're doing inside of our building as we continue to develop depth inside of our program.
"One of the great lessons – I said this through the football team after the game tonight. ... Two years ago, there was so much outside noise that wasn't necessarily positive. None of those guys paid attention to it. They worked for it. If you set your mind to something and work, you really can accomplish anything."
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