Matthew Butler, Tennessee practicing at Vanderbilt Stadium, rubbing it in

As Tennessee prepares to face Purdue in the Music City Bowl, defensive lineman Matthew Butler is enjoying his time in Nashville — particularly, on the field of the rival Vanderbilt Commodores, where the Volunteers are holding practice this week.

Tennessee finished the regular season with a 7-5 record in Josh Heupel’s first year at the helm of the program, and their performance was good enough for an invite to the nearby Music City Bowl. Though the game itself is played in Nissan Stadium, roughly 200 miles west of Knoxville, Tennessee’s team — Butler included — seems to be enjoying the opportunity to play in rival territory.

Butler, a fifth-year senior, is playing his last game for the Volunteers in Nashville. When asked to compare the experience of his last home game to his last collegiate game, his mind quickly wandered to Vanderbilt.

“Neyland is wonderful and I love our fans, how passionate they are and everything. But when you’re locked into that game, even going into the Vanderbilt game,” Butler said of his last home game, before smiling and pausing his speech. “It’s so funny because we’re practicing in Vanderbilt Stadium. That’s just hilarious to me. There’s nothing they can do about it. Kinda just rub it in a little bit. I thoroughly enjoy just walking on this field and stomping on the V a little bit.”

Butler’s last home game against Vanderbilt went as Tennessee only hoped it would, with the Volunteers cruising to a 45-21 victory. Butler went 3-2 against Vanderbilt in his five years at Tennessee, losing only the first two rival matchups.

“But we go into the Vanderbilt game and of course that’s my last game in Neyland, there’s all kinds of good emotion, but there’s no really differentiated thing (between that and the bowl game),” Butler said, refocusing his train of thought. “They’re both very important to me, but they’re both still football games, so we’ve got to go out there and ball.”

Despite many bowl cancellations across the country, Tennessee and Purdue’s Music City Bowl still looks on pace to kick off Dec. 30 at 3:00 p.m. Neither team has reported issues with COVID-19; however, Purdue will still play shorthanded, as the All-American duo of David Bell and George Karlaftis have opted out to focus on NFL Draft preparation. As it stands, Tennessee is a 5.5-point favorite against Purdue in Nashville.

“I like Nashville,” Butler said. “I’ve been here a few times over the past five years that I’ve been here. I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve just been able to relax and kind of do some of my regular things that I do here, but for the most part, I’ve just been at the hotel and enjoying the experience at Gaylord Opry.”