On Monday morning, Tennessee football announced on X that they are breaking out the Dark Mode uniforms with their upcoming matchup with Kentucky this Saturday.
It will be the second time in as many trips Kentucky will play the Vols in Neyland at night against the Dark Mode uniforms. Kentucky last visited Knoxville for a football game in 2022; Tennessee also wore the Dark Mode uniforms.
The Vols dominated that game, winning 44-6 and putting a stamp on a second-straight win against Kentucky. Not only did the team play great in the 2022 game, but the fans showed up as well and made noise while Kentucky was on offense.
It has become a small tradition to break out the dark mode uniforms this time of year. Lane Kiffin debuted black uniforms in 2009 when Tennessee played South Carolina on Halloween. We didn't see black uniforms until Josh Heupel was hired in 2021.
Heupel brought back the black uniforms in 2021 when Tennessee hosted South Carolina. Tennessee won that game 45-20. The Vols debuted the current dark mode look in 2022, paired with the black helmets against Kentucky.
Tennessee has brought back the dark mode uniforms the past two seasons, once again, against South Carolina and Kentucky. Tennessee wore the black uniforms against South Carolina in 2023 and is bringing them back against Kentucky this year.
The Vols have never lost a game while wearing dark mode uniforms, and they plan to continue that trend this year when a struggling Kentucky team comes to town.
Tennessee and Kentucky are scheduled to kick off at 7:45 PM ET on Saturday night on SEC Network. The Vols are coming off a BYE and will look to get back in the win column as they prepare for their final stretch of conference play.