Tennessee brings back all-black uniforms for Kentucky game at Neyland Stadium

Tennessee will wear its all-black Dark Mode uniform next week when Kentucky visits Neyland Stadium, looking for a third victory over the Wildcats in that look. Both teams are off this week ahead of a 6:15 p.m. Eastern kickoff on ESPN next Saturday. The matchup pairs No. 16 Tennessee, at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, against No. 9 Kentucky, at 7-1 and 5-1 in league play.

The full version of the uniform first appeared against Kentucky in October 2022, when Tennessee rolled to a 44-6 win. Hendon Hooker threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns that night, Jalin Hyatt caught five passes for 138 yards and two scores, and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was intercepted three times as the Wildcats were held to 205 total yards. Tennessee beat Kentucky again in the uniforms in 2024, rallying from a 10-7 halftime deficit to win 28-18 behind two rushing touchdowns from Dylan Sampson.

Black jerseys have a longer, if intermittent, place in the program's past. Lane Kiffin revived them on Halloween night in 2009, when Tennessee surprised South Carolina after warming up in orange and won 31-13 in the team's first black jerseys in 87 years. Jonathan Crompton threw two touchdown passes in that game and Montario Hardesty ran for 121 yards and two more scores. Josh Heupel restored the look in 2021, initially pairing black jerseys and pants with a white helmet before the all-black helmet arrived the following year. Tennessee beat South Carolina in the alternate in both 2021 and 2023.

The results have not all gone Tennessee's way. The Vols lost to top-ranked Georgia in 2021 while wearing an earlier version of the uniform, and last season Oklahoma won the Dark Mode game 33-27. Joey Aguilar passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns in that loss, but two interceptions and a lost fumble proved costly, including a 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown by the Sooners in the first quarter.

That mixed record gives next week's game a little extra context beyond the rivalry itself. Tennessee has handled Kentucky comfortably in this uniform before, including a blowout and a second-half comeback, and another win would strengthen the association between Dark Mode nights at Neyland and one of the Vols' more memorable modern traditions.