Recharged Vols Rev Up for Ranked Battle

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After an open weekend that allowed the eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to rest and recover, the team was back to work Monday morning gearing up for a road showdown at No. 25 LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge.

In game five, the Vols will already face their third ranked opponent of the season. After downing No. 17 Pitt on the road Week 2, 34-27, UT defeated No. 20 Florida, 38-33, in its last game. LSU moved into the rankings for the first time this week after a 21-17 victory over Auburn on the road.

Head coach Josh Heupel understands the test and the environment that LSU brings. He and his Vols are excited to size up another battle against a quality opponent.

“Now we turn our attention obviously to a really good football team here,” Heupel said in his Monday press conference. “Great opportunity at the end of the week. They continue to find ways to win. They’re a good football team. They’re long, they’re athletic on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and obviously have really good skill players, too. Exciting week for us as we continue to go down this journey.”

Members of the team find enjoyment in the difficulty of playing in the Southeastern Conference. The league currently boasts seven teams in the Associated Press Top 25, most in the country. For Jabari Small, it is a “unique challenge” and a chance to prove that they can play at the highest level in the sport.

“I think last year, I noticed we had a pretty tough schedule,” Small said. “That’s just how Tennessee is, we play the best teams every year. Nothing is easy about our schedule, nothing is easy about how we win. We have to earn everything. I am very excited about it, and it’s a challenge.”

For others, this game features an opportunity to go somewhere new and play in front of family. This includes Jerome Carvin, a fifth-year offensive linemen who is going to soak in the moment and playing at Tiger Stadium, a destination the Vols haven’t been to since 2010.

“Me growing up as a kid, I loved watching SEC football,” Carvin said Monday afternoon. “That’s all I watched. You see the (big games) on TV, and you actually go get to do it now. As a player, it’s amazing. A little bit about me – my whole family is from Louisiana, so I am excited to go down there, see my family and just play in that stadium. It’s a great conference. You go against great players, and these programs that we play at and play against, they’re big programs. It’s just some lifelong things that you…