This IS Rocky Top!

The third Saturday in September; Just Beat Florida Week! Tennessee fans have suffered long enough and Saturday’s 33-38 victory over Florida was as sweet as soda pop!

I was there when they won in 2016. My twin brother was there for both wins! (I was also there more times than I want to remember when the Vols lost to Florida.) There was so much pressure going into Saturday’s rivalry game. College Game Day was in Knoxville. Barstool Sports College Football Show was in Knoxville. It was a Checkerboard Neyland Game. Being in the national spotlight to Just Beat Florida, at home in front of a sold-out crowd; Tennessee-Florida is an SEC rivalry that just means more.

"You find out really quickly how much those two teams hate each other."

The Florida-Tennessee rivalry is one of the most anticipated in the SEC and means even more to the fans on Rocky Top 🟠🏈 pic.twitter.com/wHv3P0QiLh

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 24, 2022

And the atmosphere in Neyland was LOUD on TV. The quotes of Baker Mayfield and Brady Quinn talking about the pure chaos 102,000 fans bring to Neyland Stadium is a different kind of loud. Decades of fan frustration and pure passion creates a wall of noise that you feel from the inside. This IS Rocky Top!

Neyland is loud. #Vols pic.twitter.com/YCzoSJwLzm

— Joseph Bonanno (@jmbonanno13) September 24, 2022

Hendon Hooker

The offense totaled 576 total yards, QB Hendon Hooker was responsible for 461 of those yards. Hooker set a career-high of 112 yards and threw for 349 yards. Adding three touchdowns (two passing, one running) to his resume in the win. Hooker was so good that Tennessee never punted the entire game.

Head Coach, Josh Heupel said “Hendon was fierce. He played like a warrior tonight. We had a lot of guys that did that tonight, but Hendon was relentless in the way he competed. Obviously, it was good enough to play the way that he did. He played at an unbelievable and elite level.”

The redshirt senior QB is now in the Heisman talk. A lot still needs to happen (wins over Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky) but he is in the current conversation. Yes, it’s early, but still, it’s Heisman talk.

The starting wide receiver, Cedric Tillman was out with an injury. (Tillman is expected to be a first-round draft pick.) The Vols turned to redshirt junior, Bru McCoy who stepped in and started the day with a 70-yard catch and run. It was a career-long reception. McCoy is the third receiver to reach triple digits in receiving yards this season. The last time Tennessee accomplished that was in 2012. Wide Receiver U is coming back, baby!

The Josh Heupel Era

Athletic Director, Danny White gets it! When he hired Josh Heupel he saw what the fan base didn’t see right away; a winner! The Josh Heupel era of Tennessee football hasn’t been in this good of hands since Phil Fulmer was in his is prime. Heupel has three top 20 wins in his first 17 games. The last time that happened was under Phil Fulmer.

After the win, Heupel said “(the) Fan base had unbelievable energy. I knew it would be that way, but it even surpassed my expectations. Vol Walk was unlike anything I have ever seen as a college football player or college coach. The energy inside the stadium was electric. You guys are a huge part of this win tonight; I appreciate everything you guys have done here as we try to build this program.” In the post-game press conference, Heupel addressed a reporter who asked a silly question. Clearly, the reporter hasn’t spent much time in Knoxville on game day. This IS Rocky Top! This fanbase is the most loyal, energetic, football loving humans in college football. Sure, they can be wild as a mink, but they bleed orange and Rocky Top will always be home sweet home.

Josh Heupel asked about the wild game day experience for the Tennessee-Florida game:

"The game day atmosphere, this is Rocky Top. This is what it is." pic.twitter.com/EQt3U2SYA5

— that SEC podcast (@thatSECpodcast) September 25, 2022

Tennessee moved up three spots to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll. This is the best ranking since 2006 and first top-10 appearance since a being ranked ninth in the first half of 2016. That was also the last time the Vols started the season 4-0. With Saturday’s win, Tennessee knocked Florida out of the rankings and ended a miserable five-game losing streak to the Gators.

That makes Tennessee football, baseball and basketball 6-0 against Florida in 2022. The Vols have a BYE week this week and will play the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge October 8th at noon on ESPN.

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