Tennessee Football’s Record in ‘Dark Mode’ Uniforms Under Josh Heupel

This Saturday, when Oklahoma comes to town, the fan-favorite ‘Dark Mode’ uniforms return. On Monday, the Vols announced they’ll be back in black jerseys for the game under the lights at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

So, how has Tennessee performed when wearing black uniforms since this version’s inception in 2021? Despite only wearing them in SEC games, the Vols have done very well in ‘Dark Mode’. In five prior appearances, UT has a 4-1 record and has won three straight games in them.

The debut of the black uniforms came in 2021 against South Carolina. Behind Hendon Hooker, the Vols jumped out to a dominant start and finished strong to win 45-20. Later that year, Tennessee went back to the black uniforms against Georgia, but didn’t have the same success. Despite striking first, UGA powered past the Vols 41-17.

In 2022, there was an altercation to the uniform. While the black pants and jerseys remained the same, Tennessee was finally able to pair it up with a black helmet. In both games in 2021, the Vols wore their typical white helmet with black accents added to it. That year, Tennessee debuted the new look against Kentucky and won 44-6.

In 2023, the Vols went to the ‘Dark Mode’ look with South Carolina in town. In a revenge game against the Gamecocks after they beat Tennessee on the road the year prior, the Vols won 41-20. This past season, the Vols wore them against Kentucky and won 28-18.

Now, it’ll be against Oklahoma in the top-20 bout inside Neyland Stadium.

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Here’s a full breakdown of records under Heupel in different uniform combinations:

• Orange jersey/white pants – 20-2
• Orange jersey/orange pants – 8-1
• White jersey/white pants – 8-8
• White jersey/orange pants – 1-4
• Dark Mode – 4-1
  • White helmet – 1-1
  • Black helmet – 3-0
• Smokey Grey – 3-0