Tee Martin was once Tennessee football.Quarterback of the 1998 Tennessee national championship team, Martin is a bit of a legend in Knoxville, Tenn. On your drive into Neyland Stadium from the north, swing a left off Phillip Fulmer Way and you’ll pull onto Tee Martin Drive, a one-block stretch just outside Neyland Stadium. If there is anyone that bled Tennessee orange, it was Martin, a UT letterman from 1996-99. On Saturday, for the first time since quarterbacking the Volunteers to late 1990s dominance, Martin will return to Neyland Stadium as an enemy.Instead of Tennessee orange, Martin will don Kentucky blue, a unique role that Martin has no doubt thought about since taking the wide receivers coaching job at UK nearly 10 months ago.”It’s emotional, but at the same time, I have a job to do,” Martin said. “Nobody is going to be caring about my emotions (during the game). Once the ball gets kicked off, I’m not going to worry about that either. I look forward to going out there and doing what we can do.”Martin isn’t sure how he’ll be received when he enters Neyland Stadium as a Kentucky coach. No matter how revered a person is, trading in your jersey for a rival’s color can cross the line, even if it’s for a valuable opportunity. Just ask current Louisville basketball coach and former UK legend Rick Pitino how that goes.”I can’t explain what it’s going to feel like when I pull up to the stadium,” Martin said. “I just don’t know.”Whatever happens, Rocky Top will always have a soft spot in Martin’s heart.”I spent a lot of my young life there,” Martin said. “From when I was 17, to when I was a grown man and I went on to the NFL and won championships, you can’t forget that. It’s a special place to be, but I am working for Kentucky and we have a job to do when we get there.”UK head coach Joker Phillips said he hasn’t spent much time talking to Martin about his return to UT, but offensive coordinator Randy Sanders and Martin had a brief conversation. As a 22-year player/coach at Tennessee, Sanders knows a thing or two about facing former school ties.”We’ve haven’t talked about it a whole lot,” Sanders said. “Tee has been removed from it for about 10 or 11 years. It’s not like he’s just nine months removed from it. Obviously there will be a lot of familiar faces. Obviously the stadium and the field and everything are familiar, but you’re also going to a different locker room wearing a different color. Once you get the initial reaction of going to a different locker room, it’s game day. You’re focused on what you need to do to win the game.”The trip to Knoxville will be Sanders’ third as an opposing coach. Sanders was Martin’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Martin was directing the UT offense.”We made history at Tennessee,” Martin said. “I know it’s going to be emotional for him, but he has already done (returned to Tennessee). It’s probably old habit for him, but this is my first time.”Of course, if both spent time at Tennessee, that means they were a big part of the 25-game winning streak over Kentucky.Martin said they never specifically talked about The Streak when he was playing – The Streak was considerably shorter in the late 1990s – but Martin said Kentucky was a game they felt like they had to win.”The thing that was ingrained in you when you were brought up was that you had to beat Florida and Alabama and Kentucky,” Martin said. “That was pretty much how I was raised in that program. I wasn’t aware of a streak. The coaching staff may have talked about it, but you don’t even think about it. They had Tim Couch and all those guys. We knew we had to bring our A game to beat Kentucky.”Though the Vols have dominated Kentucky for a quarter of a century, as someone who has now been on both sides, Martin doesn’t think it’s been as lopsided in recent years and expects a close game Saturday.”Since coach (Rich) Brooks got here, that game hasn’t been as high scoring,” Martin said. “This rivalry is a lot closer than a lot of people think. This year, (Tennessee) has a lot more talent than their record indicates. They have gotten better as the season has gone on and they need this game to go to a bowl game. They have their motivations and we have our motivation, so it’s going to be a good game.”The game will carry special importance for one of Martin’s position players, wide receiver Randall Cobb. As a native of nearby Alcoa, Tenn., Cobb did his best “it’s just a game” impression Monday at Kentucky’s weekly news conference. No matter how Cobb chooses to approach the game, Martin has little doubt that Cobb will have a significant impact on the outcome.”You can see it in his eyes,” Martin said. “He is one of those types of veterans that you know he is going to bring his A game, but for this game, it is special. You can just look at him and tell by the way he is going about his business. We do what we do. Randall Cobb is part of our offense. There is no secret about that. I’m pretty sure that they know. He is excited about that. It will be his last chance to win in that stadium. You can look at his face and look in his eyes and tell that he is ready to go.”

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