Following Tennessee’s 42-41 double-overtime win over Georgia Tech, Butch Jones and Team 121 find themselves in the middle of the three-game stretch within 13 days.

For Jones and defensive line coach Brady Hoke, the second game will bring a familiar face to Neyland Stadium.

Curt Mallory will lead his Indiana State team into Knoxville on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

The first-year Indiana State head coach was Central Michigan’s secondary coach in 2001, coaching alongside Jones. Jones was in his first season as Central Michigan’s offensive coordinator under head coach Mike DeBord.

“Butch and I were together for one year, and we became very close at that time and have stayed in touch since,” Mallory told Saturday Down South.

“(DeBord) was … a heck of a man and I really enjoyed working for him. Butch was our offensive coordinator at the time, so I had a chance to work with both of them.”

Another connection Mallory will have when he takes on Tennessee is with Vols defensive line coach Brady Hoke. Hoke was at the helm of Michigan football from 2011-2014 and hired Mallory to coach his secondary.

The move took Mallory back to his alma mater. He played linebacker for the Wolverines from 1988-1991 under legendary coach Bo Schembechler his first two seasons and then under Gary Moeller.

“It was an unbelievable chance that Coach Hoke gave me to come back and coach for my alma mater,” Mallory said. “I hold Coach Hoke in the highest regard. He’s a high character man, not just in this profession, but in general.

“It was a great experience to work for him, and I have four coaches that work for me right now that were on that staff with Brady.”

Mallory’s football background is one that has placed him around many influential people within the sport.

His dad Bill is Indiana’s winningest head coach. He coached the Hoosiers from 1984-96 and also had stops at Miami (Ohio), Colorado and Northern Illinois.

Curt’s family pedigree within the sport also spreads to his brothers who are currently in the NFL coaching ranks. His brother Doug is the defensive backs coach for the Atlanta Falcons, and Mike is a special teams coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“My dad was a head coach for 27 years,” he said. “I just grew up in a football family. We enjoyed being around the game, enjoyed being around my dad, and coaching was easy to choose as a career path.”

As game preparation for Tennessee is here, Mallory appreciates the time he has spent with Jones and Hoke.

“That’s what makes coaching fun, is to get to know a lot of different guys in this profession.”

But Mallory will tell you there’s a game to play Saturday and “at the end of the day it’s about two teams playing, like it always is.”

He will enjoy taking his team to play at historic Neyland Stadium in front of more than 100,000 fans. Indiana State — a member of the FCS Missouri Valley Conference based in Terre Haute, Ind. — plays its home games in a stadium that holds less than 13,000.

“It will be a lot of fun and a great experience,” said Mallory, who is 0-1 with the Sycamores after a 22-20 loss to Eastern Illinois on Aug. 31.

Jones echoed Mallory’s sentiments.

“I have a lot of respect for Curt Mallory,” he said. “He is a very close friend of mine.

“We coached together, and I know what he is all about. I know they will bring their A-game coming into Neyland Stadium.”