If anyone could be prepared for the emotional environment his team will enter Saturday at Missouri, it’s Tennessee coach Butch Jones. Believe it or not, this will be the third straight weekend that Jones’ Volunteers (6-4, 3-3 SEC) will face an opponent with either an interim or retiring head coach.
Tennessee edged South Carolina and interim coach Shawn Elliott two weekends ago and shut out North Texas and interim coach Mike Canales, 24-0, last Saturday. Now the Vols are preparing to visit Missouri (5-5, 1-5), which will play its final home game in retiring coach Gary Pinkel’s 15-year tenure.