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Josh Heupel Shows Oklahoma Football What It’s Missing With Tennessee Win

Vaseline September 22, 2024

They say revenge works best as a cold dish, but Josh Heupel’s moment finally came on a sizzling day. With the heat cranked up sufficiently, Heupel’s Vols cooked Oklahoma.
Nico Iamaleava makes enough key plays and Tennessee’s defense takes care of the rest.
Oklahoma tries to use two quarterbacks, but the offense doesn’t get going until the fourth quarter.

NORMAN, Okla. – Josh Heupel has been waiting for this day for nearly a decade.

They say revenge tastes best when it’s cold, but Heupel’s moment finally came on a day when the mercury reached nearly 100 degrees at Heupel’s university.

As temperatures soared, Heupel’s No. 7 Tennessee Vols defeated No. 13 Oklahoma 25-15 at the Palace on the Prairie.

Heupel once thrilled fans here as the star quarterback of Oklahoma’s last national championship team. He quieted those fans Saturday as he made his return a triumphant one and ruined the Sooners’ SEC debut.

“It felt good to walk off the field with a win,” Heupel said afterwards, showing just the hint of a smile.

Heupel was the one who escaped Oklahoma, the one who was sent packing by Bob Stoops, and he became the one who rescued Tennessee from its slump.

Heupel rebuilt his career after Stoops fired him from his staff after the 2014 season, traveling across three time zones to do so.

He became a better coach. He even built a defense.

The Sooner Schooner that ran around the field during Heupel’s active career might as well have been resting on flat tires, as he lay motionless for most of the night as the Sooners stumbled, blundered and dropped the ball on offense.

The Schooner finally got going on a drive after Oklahoma’s two touchdowns in the fourth quarter — the only touchdowns Tennessee’s defense has allowed this season.

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel Shows They Can Win With Defense

Tennessee (4-0) put together a strong defensive front to take on the outclassed Sooners.

Oklahoma (3-1) entered the SEC with a defense that looked good and an offensive line and starting quarterback that were out of their element.

Sooners fans cheered as images of the Southern California loss appeared on the video screen, but when Lincoln Riley left town, he took OU’s offensive prowess with him.

These Sooners would benefit from a quarterback developed by Riley or Heupel.

Heupel has created another talented quarterback. That’s what Heupel does best, from Oklahoma (Sam Bradford) to Missouri (Drew Lock) to Tennessee, with Hendon Hooker and now redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava fires darts and puts the ball where his receivers want it. The Sooners’ pass rush gave Iamaleava some trouble in his first career start on the road, and the Vols struggled to protect him while playing without their top two offensive tackles. But Iamaleava made enough deep drives to give the Vols plenty of scoring opportunities.

Iamaleava also got plenty of help. Dylan Sampson took handoffs on eight straight plays on a 46-yard scoring drive, giving Iamaleava the chance to admire his tailback’s handiwork.

The Vols’ defense also bailed out their quarterback.

Oklahoma recovered two fumbles after sacking Iamaleava.

And twice, Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold gave the ball back to Tennessee on the next play.

Oklahoma’s offense looked so bad that fans cheered when backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. came onto the field before halftime. Hawkins fumbled on his first snap.

That was the kind of night it turned out to be for Oklahoma.

Oklahoma shows respect to Josh Heupel before game starts

Ten Tennessee players contributed to the 11 tackles for loss, as the Vols comfortably won a game in which they punted eight times.

This wasn’t a beauty contest. Tennessee’s defense didn’t need one.

Heupel doesn’t often use his press conferences to get a message across, but after a Week 2 win he stated emphatically that Tennessee holds itself to an elite standard when it comes to defense.

“This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry,” Heupel said then.

Currently home to current defensemen Keenan Pili, Arion Carter and James Pearce, they were enough to make life difficult for Oklahoma.

Heupel won the hearts of Vols fans with his 2022 roster, which was a mix of offensive elements and points.

This team plays more complementary football — not unlike the Sooners of 2000. That season, Heupel’s left arm powered Oklahoma during its famous midseason “Red October” run against Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska before the Sooners’ defense carried the load across the finish line in the national championship game against Florida State with Heupel playing despite an injury.

Heupel went from beloved quarterback to Stoops’ longtime lieutenant until Stoops fired his co-offensive coordinators, Heupel and Jay Norvell, after a disappointing 2014 season.

That decision ended Heupel’s chance to become Stoops’ heir.

Stoops’ staff moves worked. Oklahoma’s offense revived behind Riley, who later replaced Stoops.

Heupel, however, felt a deep cut after being fired by his alma mater and his former coach. The chip on his shoulder grew bigger. He remains an iconic figure at Oklahoma, and he was treated as such before kickoff.

Oklahoma featured Heupel on the video board before kickoff with a message welcoming him. A pregame video montage included scenes of Heupel celebrating Oklahoma’s national championship 24 years ago after taking the final shot from the winning formation.

Oklahoma treated Heupel with the respect of a legend and then he showed the Sooners that he can do just fine without them.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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