It's no secret that Tennessee football went through an over a decade-long rough patch that only recently has begun to be corrected.
While cycling through coaches and scraping together poor seasons, the Vols fell behind in multiple rivalry series.
Some of these having already been corrected by Josh Heupel and his staff with wins over Alabama and Florida a year ago, but there are still more streaks that need to be snapped.
This includes Tennessee's nine-game losing streak against the Gators in Gainesville.
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The Vols aren't worried about that history, though.
While fans and media outside of the program focus on the past, Tennessee is locked in on the task in front of them.
"I think it's something that, in the nicest way possible, everyone outside of the building cares about and talks about and thinks is a big deal," said tight end Jacob Warren. "I don't think to most of the guys on the team, you mentioned the younger guys, whether they really know about it or not, I'm not sure. It's one of those things that doesn't really matter. When we're on the field, who cares how long it's been? Whether it's here or there or wherever. Just go out there and try to compete. Be the best on this day. Obviously, it'd be great to win, for sure, after this many years. Something that we're not necessarily worried about."
The last time the Vols claimed a win in The Swamp was during a 2003 clash under Phillip Fulmer. Since then, six coaches have taken a Tennessee team on the road to face Florida with none coming out successful.
Heupel looks to change this narrative in his second attempt at downing the Gators away from home, though. He has already tamed Florida once during the win in Neyland Stadium but going on the road is a different beast.
In order to do this, his team will need to stay focused and forget about the ruckus atmosphere that awaits them.
“You’re not going to completely tune out the noise, but once you get the play call, man, you’re focusing on your job," said Heupel. "It’s 11 guys inside of the white line. I don’t care if it’s at home, on the road, in the backyard. These guys have been doing it for a long time. You do have to control your emotions, right? You have to be able to execute and play within yourself. That’ll be a big part of the football game.”
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Heupel and his players aren't shying away from the moment, though. Instead, they're embracing the opportunity.
For the head coach, this is why he took the job. To coach in big games in front of a large audience.
“Looking forward to going and playing a really good football team here," said Heupel. "Great opportunity. You come to Tennessee because you want to play in these types of games, these types of environments. Sitting on primetime Saturday night. Great challenge in front of us. Really good football team. They’re big, strong, athletic on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Skill players on both sides are really good. Great speed. It’ll be a huge test for us.”
For Tennessee tight end McCallan Castles, it'll be the first time he plays in a hostile environment at this level.
Coming from UC Davis, no stadium he's played in has come close to the size and stature of Neyland or Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"For me, every game is crazy because these are my first SEC games," said Castles. "I'm super excited. It's going to be a great area to be in. Out in The Swamp at night. It's going to be crazy.
"I grew up watching Pac-12 games because I'm a west coast guy. You think about playing at Rice-Eccles and like Folsom Field. So coming to the SEC and seeing the stadiums here, first time seeing Neyland I was like oh my goodness this makes Memorial Stadium at Cal look tiny. So, I'm pretty excited to go down to Gainesville to play."
His partner at tight end, Warren, is familiar with the challenge of playing in an SEC environment. As he plays in his sixth season with the Vols, this will be his third trip to Gainesville.
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Due to this, he knows what it takes to come out on top in these moments. He understands the importance of getting out to a fast start and taking the crowd out of the game.
"It's challenging for a couple reasons," said Warren. "Just the weather, first of all. It's warm, it's humid in Florida. Obviously, preparing for that. It's been humid here, it's been warm here so I think we've done a good job exposing ourselves to that environment.
"Obviously, the crowd. The same way as when you come to a place like Tennessee. When you come to Neyland Stadium, it's a hostile environment. The crowds not necessarily for you. Not necessarily rooting for you. Just kind of getting used to the noise and the ruckus and hopefully able to kind of quiet it down before it gets too out of hand."
Currently, Tennessee is considered the favorite to win the clash on Saturday. This would not only be a historic win for the team and set them up for success the rest of the season, but it would continue to break down barriers as Heupel revives the program.
Everything goes out the window in rivalry games, though, making nothing certain.
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