When Tennessee football hosts Texas at Neyland Stadium in Week 4, it will be the first time Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been in Knoxville.
Manning, the nephew of legendary Vols quarterback Peyton Manning, said on Sept. 21 that has never stepped foot in Knoxville despite his family ties. But Manning doesn't expect UT fans to treat him like family when the Longhorns play the Vols.
"I'm definitely excited to play in a hostile environment, SEC road game," Manning said. "That's what it's all about."
The No. 13 Vols (3-0) host No. 1 Texas (3-0) on Sept. 26 (noon ET, ABC). Tickets have been sold out since July.
Manning was born too late to see his uncle Peyton, who ended his college career in 1997 as UT and the SEC's all-time leading passer with
11,201 yards, play for the Vols.
As the consensus No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023, Manning held a scholarship offer from UT coach Josh Heupel coming out of the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, but didn't take a visit to see the Vols before committing to Texas.
UT and Texas have played football against one another just three times, with all three meetings at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and the last one in 1969.
To help prepare Manning and the Longhorns for the the hostile crowd, Texas has been playing "Rocky Top" on repeat during practice this week.
"Yeah, we played it a lot this week. (It's) not bad," Manning said.
With ESPN's "College Gameday" providing a backdrop to the SEC opener for both teams, Manning is eager to see how the Longhorns respond to their first road game of the season.
"It's just kind of an us against the world mentality," Manning said. "We've got a tight knit group here, so excited to see how we do on the road."
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Texas QB Arch Manning has never been to Knoxville, hearing a lot of 'Rocky Top'
