Notebook: Vols enter 'Dark Mode' looking to ride momentum of Missouri win

KNOXVILLE, TENN -- Tennessee has entered 'dark mode' heading into Saturday's game against South Carolina.

For the first time since 2009, the Vols will wear black jerseys. In fact, it's against the same team that they wore them against 12 years ago under Lane Kiffin. This time, however, they've got black pants and a new helmet design to go with it.

“We have the greatest college uniforms in college football," Heupel said on Vol Calls this week. "Our traditional look is unbelievable and our combinations, that helmet when you’re under the lights is special, the way that thing sparkles. But I think it’s important you’re able to put a new-age approach on things, too, and it was important to our players.

“Guys went crazy (Wednesday) when they got an opportunity to see it. We celebrate our great traditions, but this is an opportunity to put a new-age approach on it at times as well. Important to our players. It’s part of recruiting in today’s landscape, too. We get to celebrate all the great traditions, but some new-age approaches on it, too.”

Every decision made within a college football recruiting circles back to recruiting. It's no coincidence that the Vols are breaking out the black uniforms as over 50 prospects make their way to Knoxville to take in Saturdays game.

The black uniforms won't be the last of alternate uniforms under the new leadership either.

"The orange and white, the classic look, there is nothing better," Heupel said. "We will have different combinations that show up during the course of the season.

"I do think we will have an alternate uniform that will appear periodically throughout the season."

Honoring Al Wilson

The black jerseys aren't the only headline leading into Saturday's contest. Tennessee will honor one of the best to ever do it on Rocky Top prior to kickoff and during halftime, when it celebrates Al Wilson for entering the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Great opportunity this weekend to celebrate one of the greats that ever played here," Heupel said. "Great opportunity for our fans to really just emphasize what he means to Vol Nation, what he’s done. A guy that, to me, embodies everything that it means to be a Volunteer. A guy that cares about his teammates still to this day. More than he cares about himself. A guy that plays the right way and has always done that. Honored to have him here and looking forward to having him spend some time with our football team over the course of the weekend, too.”

Wilson will lead the team through the Vol Walk and into the stadium in addition to speaking with the team. At halftime, Neyland Stadium will play a video on the jumbotron to honor the Jackson, Tenn. native.

It's Hendo Cino's World

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, Tennessee has no drama surrounding the quarterback position heading into a football game.

Coming off of a terrific performance against Missouri, Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker has secured the starting quarterback job and will lead the Vols into battle against the Gamecocks.

“(Hooker has) good command of what we’re doing," Heupel said. "I think he is getting more comfortable and operating during the course of the ballgame. The tempo, being able to call it. Getting his eyes down the football field. Getting them in the right place. Being a quick, sound decision maker, which is really important. The quicker your quarterback can eliminate things, the quicker the ball eventually gets out of his hands.

“That makes the five guys up front and tight ends and running backs look better in protection. But we played cleaner on the outside last week offensively. Just our skill guys getting lined up, playing assignment sound, reading the coverage the right way and being in the right spot, too. All those things lend themselves to playing more efficiently.”

Other Tidbits

- Josh Heupel on South Carolina: “Defensively, turnovers. Interceptions, fumbles, they rip at it every time they get an opportunity. You can’t just sit back in the pocket. They have the ability to change the game with the way that they rush the quarterback. Offensively, their ability to maintain some balance. Quarterback getting time to get outside of the pocket and make plays too. That’s something that has hurt us in the past, that we have to do a great job of. Pushing the pocket and then having rush integrity in our lanes, too. Making sure we bottle them up.”

- Heupel on why Tennessee’s defense has been good against the run: “We’re multiple in our fronts. Out of all of them, we’re trying to play on the other side of the line scrimmage. Not read-and-react, but we’re playing vertical. We’ve done that and created things where they have to bounce if we’re not making the play initially, and you’re getting people going east and west.

“We’ve had great gap integrity, and that’s the first, which is easy, your second level understanding their fits, but then also if a guy ends up getting reached, being able to play off of it and refit it, and then the third level, too. So you put those three things together right there, all three levels of the defense playing together, plus the penetration up front, it’s allowed us to really do a pretty good job on the run. I thought last week was our best week against the run game.”

- Heupel on Len'Neth Whitehead's performance against Missouri: “Yeah, I think maybe a week or two ago I talked about a guy that was banged up in the offseason, was rehabbing with our strength and conditioning staff. Had a really good summer and just has steadily grown throughout training camp and the early part of the season. I think it’s a great lesson for guys inside of our program that sometimes things don’t happen exactly when you want them to.

“You continue to work, you continue to strain, you continue to learn on the field and off the field, and eventually your opportunity’s going to come, and when you get that opportunity you’re going to be ready for it. I thought he did a really good job the other day of pressing the line of scrimmage. Has the ability to make some guys miss more on the back end early in the football game when he was in there, but did a really good job in pass protection, too, so I like a lot what we saw from Len’Neth the other day."

- Heupel on how important Tiyon Evans is to the offense: “Tiyon continues to grow. Did some really good things the first week. Got nicked up and wasn’t able to go for a week there. I think he continues to grow in his understanding. If you watch him at the running back position from the other day, man he’s doing a great job of being on his track and pressing the line of scrimmage, and that allows, if you’ve got a double-team between your left guard and your left tackle, to press vertically and get on the second level. That creates space for the running back when he gets outside.

“I thought he did a really good job as fronts changed of understanding how things would be blocked and pressing it. Hit in inside when it was supposed to, and when he had an opportunity to bounce it and get to grass, he did a great job there. He made some people miss, too, which is really important, and it’s going to be important in this game, too, as they load the box and make it difficult to run.”

- Heupel on why Velus Jones is playing more in the slot: “A lot of the rotation was just based on circumstances of the game and how the game ended up playing out. Believe that we have depth and have the ability to play multiple guys at multiple spots. Velus, getting him inside was the opportunity to get him more touches. Thought he did a really good job inside. He did a good job on our pass game, understanding where he needed to be. Thought he did a good job on a couple of option routes and did a really good job with the ball in his hands.”

- Heupel on Ollie Lane: “I think he’s getting more confident in being out there and playing more reps. I think he’s playing at a better level, too, just fundamentally and technique, and opportunity on the field typically will lend to some growth during gametime, too. Like what we saw this past Saturday.”

Matchups to Watch

Will Tennessee run the football — again?

The Vols should be able to replicate the success they had running the football against Missouri. Maybe not to the tune of 400 yards, but this is a South Carolina rush defense that allowed Troy last week to averaged 4.68 yards per carry after the Trojans only managed 2.91 yards per rush in their first three games against Liberty, Southern Miss and Louisiana-Monroe.

Tennessee's offense vs. Carolina's offense:

Carolina is not good offensively. Tennessee, who has been stout against the run this season, should have a big day day against a Gamecock's rushing offense that ranks 103rd in the country at 121.2 yards per game and hasn't rushed for a touchdown since the opener.

South Carolina also struggles on third down, commits a ton of penalties, hasn't finished drives this season, has an injured young quarterback and has offensive line issues. Tim Banks' defense should have its best performance of the season.

Stats to Know

- Tennessee and South Carolina are meeting for the 40th time. The Vols are 27-10-2 all-time against the Gamecocks and have won two in a row in the series. They're 17-3 vs. the Gamecocks in Knoxville.

- The Vols are averaging 2.89 offensive plays per minute, which is tied for third in the nation and first in the Power 5 (Ole Miss). UT is averaging 75.80 plays per game, good for second in the SEC. The Vols are putting up 1.56 offensive points per minute, which ranks sixth in the FBS and second in the SEC.

- Tennessee’s rushing offense (255.2, 7th FBS) and rushing defense (104.0, 24th FBS) both rank in the top 25 nationally. The Vols are second and fourth, respectively in the SEC. The Vols are one of only five FBS teams to rank in the top 25 in both, joining Air Force, Army, Auburn and San Diego State. Auburn and UT are the only Power 5 teams.

- The Vols are putting up 474.6 yards per game of total offense, good for fourth in the SEC and 19th in the FBS.

- Hendon Hooker's quarterback rating of 182.46 ranks fifth in the nation and second in the SEC behind Alabama's Bryce Young (185.75).

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