Tennessee Vols senior explains why game against Kent State is a 'real big week' for UT football

The Tennessee Vols are set to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in Knoxville on Saturday night before heading to Norman the following week for a huge showdown against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Kent State hasn't been very good so far this season, losing last Saturday to St Francis.

Games like this can be hard for teams to get up for. It's not unusual to see games against lesser opponents stay close for longer than expected before the depth of the better team eventually prevails.

Tennessee, however, is hoping to make a statement this weekend against Kent State. In fact, Vols senior defensive lineman Omari Thomas said on The Players Lounge YouTube channel this week that it's a "real big week" for the Vols.

"This week is actually a real big week," said Thomas. "Because it shows the team you really are. It shows are you going to play down to people that's supposed to be less than you or are you going to hold to what you do. You have to continue to have the same routine every week in prep for the game as if it was a true SEC game. So every week has to be like that. Our team is really to a point where they understand that we have to be that way in order to progress and get better every week throughout the year. I think that's something that our team does understand -- that's what we have to do to be successful in a week like this."

Tennessee is making it a point to approach each game with a true 1-0 mindset. They aren't looking past any games, they're taking it a week at a time.

Approaching "cupcake" games with an elite competitor mindset is something that Josh Heupel highlighted earlier this week while speaking with the media.

“You can go back and look at the scores from across America each week and there are examples of guys that didn’t prepare, didn’t practice right, didn’t have the right competitive spirit to go take advantage of the next opportunity," said Heupel on Monday. "There’s a lot of work that goes into it. We started in mid-January. You better have the right mindset. There’s very few opportunities. This is our next one. Got to be ready to go take advantage of it."

Tennessee could probably "play down" to Kent State and get away with it. But they won't have that luxury once they start SEC play. For example, if they look past Arkansas early next month because Florida is on the horizon, then they'll leave Fayetteville with a loss. That's why keeping a competitive mindset against Kent State this week is extremely important for the Volunteers. The last thing they want is to experience what Notre Dame experienced against Northern Illinois last Saturday.

Related: Tennessee DC Tim Banks reveals how Vols DL James Pearce has reacted to not getting any sacks in first 2 games of season