As preparation for Tennessee football's game at South Carolina began, coach Josh Heupel made sure his team understood what happened last time the Vols visited Williams-Brice Stadium.
In a morning meeting on Oct. 19, Heupel showed players a picture of Gamecocks fans storming the field after South Carolina upset Tennessee 63-38 in 2022. The Vols entered that week as the No. 5 team in the nation. They ended it by wading through a wave of South Carolina fans back to the locker room after allowing their most points ever in an SEC game.
It was arguably the most devastating defeat of Heupel's tenure given it knocked the Vols out of playoff contention. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Heisman-contending quarterback Hendon Hooker suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
When 11th-ranked Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) plays at South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) on Oct. 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), it will be the program's first trip to Columbia since that loss in 2022.
"Understand the type of environment you’re getting into," Heupel said on Oct. 19. "Understand the approach of your opponent. You’re stepping into a ring, you better understand your opponent. Be prepared to be your physical, mental and emotional at your peak.”
Tennessee must avoid letdown at South Carolina after Alabama win
Tennessee is coming off the biggest win of its season, a 26-10 victory over Alabama on Oct. 17 that could prove to be a season-altering result if the Vols can avoid a letdown.
In an SEC ripe with parity, Tennessee's win kept it squarely in the mix near the top past the midway point of the season. It is now legitimately in College Football Playoff contention with a schedule that, at least on paper, looks relatively manageable the rest of the way. But that was also the case in 2022 before those hopes were dashed by a flat performance at Williams-Brice Stadium in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
"Really just keeping in mind that, really just the SEC is a one-week type of deal," wide receiver Mike Matthews said. "Everybody's winning and losing. It's up and down. Being able to flip the switch from winning a big game (against) our rival and going into a real heated environment."
Things are trending slightly upward for the Gamecocks after an 0-3 start in SEC play. Coach Shane Beamer cooled his hot seat with a 38-19 win at Florida, and the Gamecocks have the added benefit of coming off an open week. Tennessee started the week as a two-point favorite, but that has since flipped to South Carolina being favored by a similar margin.
"Physically, they’ll be as fresh as you can be at this point in the season," Heupel said. "Extra week of preparation, road environment. So we pointed to all those things with our team this morning.”
Heupel's task this week isn't just preparing his players and coaches for a capable opponent and unfriendly atmosphere. It's also avoiding a major letdown in the same building where one took place four years ago.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Josh Heupel reminded Tennessee football of 2022 loss before South Carolina game