Tennessee handed a fresh slight to carry into the South Carolina game

Bulletin-board material usually has to be manufactured in October. Tennessee got some delivered for free. Fresh off the win over Alabama, the Volunteers were handed what one piece framed as a big slap in the face — and promptly had it filed away as motivation for the trip to South Carolina.

Whatever form the disrespect takes, the timing is useful. Josh Heupel's biggest job this week is convincing a team that just beat Alabama that the season is not finished, and an outside slight does half of that work for him.

Teams talk about playing with an edge; rarely does the edge arrive gift-wrapped. If the Vols needed a reason to treat Columbia like a grudge match rather than a victory lap, they have one now.