Josh Heupel as an innovative college football coach who likes to operate at a frenetic tempo?
Sure, plenty of folks have witnessed that through Tennessee's first five games this season.
Heupel as a fashion expert?
Maybe not so much.
A day after Tennessee unveiled its "Dark Mode" uniform combination for Saturday's showdown against South Carolina inside Neyland Stadium at high noon, Heupel was asked during a Thursday news conference whether the Volunteers would ever wear black pants on the road. Saturday will mark the first time Tennessee has worn black jerseys and black pants in its 125-year history.
"You've seen me at these press conferences," Heupel said. "Me picking out every design of a uniform is probably not the right way for this program to go."
Tennessee will have worn five uniform combinations through six games, with the only repeat look the traditional orange jerseys with white pants for the home whippings of Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech. The Vols wore all orange against visiting Pittsburgh, all white last week at Missouri, and white jerseys and orange pants at Florida on Sept. 25.
Heupel revealed Thursday that the "Dark Mode" concept was hatched in late January.
"The first meeting I had with the football team the day that I got introduced, we spent an hour and 15 minutes or an hour and 30 minutes talking about a lot of things that matter and some things they felt like were important," Heupel said. "The jerseys were at the end of that conversation. To me, the player experience is at the forefront of everything that we do.
"There are non-negotiables from myself and our staff on how you have to attack every day, whether that's in the weight room or in class or on the football field, but there are some things you want to give them ownership in and make the player experience as good as it can be. Uniforms are important to them, and it's important to the recruiting world as well."
Since Wednesday's uniform revealing through a Twitter video, some Tennessee fans expressed the desire for a black helmet to match the black jerseys and pants similar to the "Smokey Grey" look the Vols displayed during the Butch Jones era. Heupel said Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic limited some supply chain options given the lateness of the overhauled alternate look.
Heupel added that Tennessee's uniform each Saturday is often the result of the team's leadership council the previous Sunday.
"I do think that we will have an alternate uniform that will appear periodically throughout the season," Heupel said. "We have the best college football uniform. The orange-and-white classic look - there is nothing better. Our players love that uniform, but you're also able to put a new twist on things and change things up."
AP photo by Butch Dill / South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer speaks during SEC Media Days on July 19 in Hoover, Ala.A different week
South Carolina first-year coach Shane Beamer didn't pause this week when asked if preparing for Tennessee's tempo has resulted in a week of preparation unlike any other.
"Absolutely, because not only is Tennessee operating at a fast speed, they're operating at a fast speed with really good players," Beamer said. "I think there is a misnomer about all these teams wanting to go fast to throw the football. Tennessee wants to run the football, and if I'm not mistaken, there isn't a team in the SEC that has run the ball more than Tennessee has this year.
"You've got to be able to handle the tempo, but you've also got to get lined up and play physical, because they want to line up and run the ball down your throat. They've also got a big quarterback they run the ball with. Pretty much everybody you play uses modes of tempo, but we haven't seen anything like the amount of plays that Tennessee is going to run."
Keeping it clean
The Vols played their cleanest game of the season in last Saturday's 62-24 demolishing of Missouri, committing just two penalties for 20 yards and not turning the ball over. Heupel didn't bite, however, when asked if the Vols had turned the corner in those areas.
"We're going to find out Saturday at 12 o'clock," he said. "You're only as good as your next one. Those are things we've been emphasizing as a coaching staff since we got here, because you don't ever take those things for granted."
Lane change works
Repeated injuries to Tennessee starting center Cooper Mays have not only resulted in Jerome Carvin shifting in from left guard but also Ollie Lane replacing Carvin.
Lane, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound redshirt junior from the Knoxville suburb of Corryton, has started twice and played a season-high 82 snaps last week. He has played 213 snaps overall.
"I think he's gotten better every single week that he's been in the rotation," Heupel said. "He continues to grow in his understanding, and he's gaining more confidence. He has started to play faster and anticipate and react to the things he sees out there.
"He's a great teammate inside the building. You don't have to worry about him ever about doing the right thing. It means something for him to run out of that 'T' having grown up here, and we love having him as a part of our program."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.