The Tennessee Volunteers lead the nation in total offense and scoring after a 10-2 regular season trip to the Orange Bowl.
Oh, and they rank in fashion statements too.
Tennessee set a single-season program record by wearing seven different uniform combinations this season. The Vols wore their traditional orange jerseys with white pants and white caps four times at Neyland Stadium, going 4-0 in a blowout at Ball State, beating Missouri and putting together memorable wins over Florida and Alabama. in between.
There was an orange-orange look in Akron and UT’s Martin drubbing, and the “Stormtrooper” white was undefeated in all-white as well as victories over Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt.
Even before his first season with the Vols, coach Josh Heupel hinted that more colors and combinations would be on the way.
“Going forward, what it’s going to look like when the uniform ends up on the field — be good, feel good, play good,” Heupel said during the summer of 2021. “We want to. Create a positive player experience from the moment they step on campus until they graduate, but also have a long-term relationship with them that lasts forever.”
Tennessee Athletics Photo / Fifth-year senior left guard Jerome Carvin speaks with fellow offensive linemen before wearing head-to-toe black in Tennessee’s 44-6 win over Kentucky.The Vols wore five different uniform combinations last season, in addition to the four orange and white combinations, they added black jerseys and black pants with alternate white caps. Tennessee wore orange and white jerseys and white pants for decades until 1977, when the late Johnny Majors played in the playoffs against Alabama and Vandy in his first season.
Last summer, Tennessee announced it would wear its Nike “Smokey Grey” uniforms at least once a year through the 2022-25 season. The Vols won that look in Music City Bowls in 2015 against Georgia and 2016 against Florida and Nebraska, but those uniforms were shelved after a 41-0 loss at Georgia in 2017, the worst loss ever to Tennessee in Neyland. .
Tennessee wore head-to-toe gray in a 40-13 demolition of LSU in Tiger Stadium on Oct. 8, snapping a 5-0 start.
The Vols wore black hats, black jerseys and black pants — calling the display “dark mode” — for the first time on Oct. 29 in a 44-6 rout of visiting Kentucky. That victory made it 8-0. record and the No. 1 College Football Playoff after three days of the season opener.
Tennessee’s only white jerseys and orange pants this season were a Nov. 5 loss to eventual national champion Georgia, 27-13. Surrey in South Carolina.
“I like it when the kids are excited about it,” he said when asked about the orange helmet before the trip to Colombia. “It’s good that our classic uniforms are there, and I love them, but our players like to twist things up. They like to be a part of pulling things off.
“Our leadership council was part of selecting these last spring and there was a lot of excitement.”
The Vols fell 63-38 to the Gamecocks, which abruptly ended their playoff chances, and immediately begged an honest question going forward.
When, if ever, will Tennessee wear orange hats again?
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.
Tennessee Athletics Photo / Freshman edge rusher Joshua Joseph prepares for a snap while wearing an orange cap during Tennessee’s 63-38 loss at South Carolina on Nov. 19.
