As Tennessee Vols fans, we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Hope builds, whispers of “This might just be our year. Feels like 98” float throughout the fan base and then, just like clockwork, reality hits us with a gut punch. This past Saturday in Fayetteville, it felt like I was living out yet another painful chapter of the same tired story. Up 14-3 in the third quarter against Arkansas, the Vols seemed in control, ready to cruise to victory and keep those playoff dreams alive. And then, well, you know what happened next—a fourth-quarter collapse that left us all remembering why Battered Vol Syndrome (BVS) is a sickness that still permeates throughout the fanbase.
Nico Iamaleava, our Polynesian Savior with Heisman dreams, looked lost against the Razorbacks’ defense in those crucial moments. The offensive line did him no favors, and the RBs seemed unable to pick up a blitz. And for some of us battered fans, it’s a bit too familiar—a team that looks primed for a blowout victory somehow clenches defeat from the jaws of victory. Josh Heupel, who seemed like he’d finally gotten the road-game monkey off his back with that big win in Norman, found himself once again coaching from the sidelines as an SEC victory slipped away.
Dont get me wrong. I still think Josh is a hell of a coach and has potential to keep this Tennessee program constantly in the top 25. But the past three seasons, it seems like we tend to drop a game on the road that we shouldn’t. In 2022, it was South Carolina in Columbia with a chance to make it to the CFB Playoff. In 2023, it was a road loss to a bad Florida team that seemed to completely control the game from the first snap. This year, it was a bad loss in Fayetteville against a middling Arkansas team that was a two TD underdog at home.
Now, we’re staring down the barrel of a matchup with Florida—our perennial nemesis. Sure, we were able to hold onto a victory against the Gators in 2022, but let’s be honest: we’ve seen this song and dance too many times. This is a must win game. If you win, your playoffs hope remain alive and the season can be salvaged. Lose, and, well, we’re back to wondering how it all unraveled so fast. It’s like we’re living in some twisted Groundhog Day of SEC football—every time hope builds, someone hits the rewind button just when things start to look promising.
I am not going to sit here and say we are going to lose to Florida. We have the better football team, we are at home under the lights, and we are a massive favorite. I expect Neyland to be an insane asylum. But there is a long list of Tennessee teams over the past 15 years that were better than Florida and somehow managed to lose. The good news, is Josh Hepuel’s teams play completely different at home than on the road. Since CJH took over this program, the Vols are 20-4 at home versus a record of 6-7 on the road. There is no reason this team should not beat the Gators on Saturday. But I would be lying if I said I wasnt worried.
But, hey, we’ll be there all the same, clinging to hope that maybe, just maybe, this time it’ll be different. And if it’s not? Well, at least misery loves company, and there’s no better place to commiserate than on Rocky Top.