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Watch: Tennessee's hype video for College Football Playoff game vs. Ohio State

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•12/21/24•

GrantRamey

Tennessee Football | Jamar Coach/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Jamar Coach/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK) Smokey at the Vol Walk during the NCAA football match between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Tennesseevskentucky1029 0543

Josh Heupel said it before the College Football Playoff bracket was set. His Tennessee Football team would be willing to go anywhere at anytime and play anyone. 

“This is a highly competitive group,” Heupel said on December 4. “We’ll play where we play, we’ll play who we play. And it’s going to be put the ball down (and play).”

That was the message delivered again, this time by Hendon Hooker, when the Vols released their hype video Friday night, ahead of No. 9 Tennessee’s game at No. 8 Ohio State Saturday night (8 p.m. Eastern Time, ABC/ESPN) in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

“Enough of all this talk, man,” Hooker said early in the video, after audio played featuring college football analysts picking the Buckeyes. “They’re counting us out again. It’s straight, though. 

“They don’t see what we got going on. We know what we got to do. Shut out the noise, turn up the heat and play for each other. It’s simple. Hand in the dirt, man on man, hat on a hat. Look in the eyes of the opposition and let them pads talk.”

‘If you’re not wearing orange, you’re against us’

Tennessee did just that on the way to a 10-2 regular-season record, clinching its playoff spot with a 36-23 win at Vanderbilt on November. The Vols rallied from a 19-14 loss at Arkansas on October 5 and a 31-17 loss at Georgia on November 16 to earn their spot in the new 12-team playoff.  

The video showed clips of the loss at Arkansas, followed by the four-game win streak that went through Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi State.

“If you’re not wearing orange, you’re against us,” Hooker said in the video. “You’re either a Vol or you’re not. When you’re chasing greatness, there are some things you can’t control. You’ll fall short, but everyone loves a comeback. Right here. Right now. We’ve been ready. Just put the ball down.”

One of Tennessee’s goals was to ‘earn the right to get into this tournament’

Heupel said during his National Signing Day press conference on December 4 that his team had a mentality of not just making the playoff, but making a run in the playoff and taking care of business wherever the path through the bracket might lead.

“If you’re not of the mindset going into this thing, anyone, anywhere, anytime,” he said, “then you’re just there to have a cup of coffee anyway.”

“One of the goals for our program,” Heupel added this week, “is to earn the right to get into this tournament … this is all the work and energy that you put into it, this is where you want to be.”

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