Heupel points Tennessee back to 2022 South Carolina loss ahead of rematch

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel reminded his team of its 2022 loss before the Volunteers' game against South Carolina. By raising that earlier defeat in the buildup, Heupel used a painful memory from his tenure as a warning for his current squad ahead of facing the Gamecocks again.

The message fits a familiar approach for a coach preparing a team for a road conference game: past success or a strong recent run does not guarantee a result, and a previous meeting with the same opponent can serve as a concrete reminder of what can go wrong if preparation and focus slip.

For Tennessee, the reference to 2022 frames the South Carolina game as one that cannot be taken lightly. The Vols head into the matchup with that loss explicitly brought back into the conversation by their head coach, rather than left in the past.