Ask a Tennessee football fan what the most heartbreaking loss in the Josh Heupel Era has been, and they’ll almost certainly tell you the 2022 defeat at South Carolina. The Vols went into the game at 9-1 as the No. 5 team in the nation and were on track to position themselves for a spot in the four-team College Football Playoffs.

However, Tennessee’s defense had no answer for the Gamecocks, and the offense couldn’t keep up in the 63-38 defeat. To make matters worse, star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Hendon Hooker tore his ACL in the second half, resulting in the end of his brief but legendary UT career.

For the first time since the nightmare night for the Vols, Tennessee is set to play South Carolina in Columbia this upcoming Saturday. On Monday morning during a team meeting, Heupel made sure to share the experience of the 2022 loss with the team, including a visual aid of Gamecock fans rushing the field.

“Understand the type of environment you’re getting into,” Heupel said. “Understand the approach of your opponent. You’re stepping into a ring, you better understand your opponent. Be prepared to be your physical, mental and emotional at your peak.”

Currently on this Tennessee team, there were just four players who were also members of that 2022 team. Those players are reserve running back Hunter Barnes, starting long snapper Bennett Brady, starting kickoff specialist and backup kicker Josh Turbyville and starting punter Jackson Ross.

However, that quartet of players combined to appear in just two games that season. Barnes was on a special teams unit against Akron and Turbyville handled a kickoff against UT Martin. Brady and Ross did not play at all that year.

Still, the message seems to be resonating with the Tennessee team. Also looking around the rest of the conference and country, there’s an understanding that each week holds its own challenge, and anything but a team’s best effort could very well result in another disappointment.