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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
NORMAN, Okla. — The emotion in his voice and on his face said it all for Tennessee coach Josh Heupel late Saturday night in his much anticipated return to his alma mater.
Heupel, who 10 years earlier was stung by his firing as Oklahoma‘s offensive coordinator, said repeatedly that the No. 6 Vols’ 25-15 win over the No. 15 Sooners was “never about me” in a game that saw Tennessee build a 22-3 lead going into the fourth quarter and dominate defensively the whole way.
When it was over — with family members, players, former OU teammates and coaches embracing him before he exited the field — the normally stoic Heupel was clearly moved as Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava presented him with the game ball on the field.
“This game was never about me coming back here, not for this football team,” Heupel said in his postgame news conference. “I say all that, but they also understood that this one was a little bit different for me personally, too. That’s not what it was about, but I do appreciate their recognition.”
He was even more emotional in the locker room and had to pause a couple of different times while talking to his players.
“I appreciate you all having a little extra for me,” Heupel said, struggling to find the right words as the players clapped and cheered. “I love you guys. I really mean that. I’m proud of you. I’m proud of how you’ve grown. Our best is still out in front of us.”
Asked where the game ball would go, Heupel said, “It will go in the office for sure.”
Tennessee (4-0) entered the game as the country’s highest-scoring offense, and while the Vols managed just two field goals after halftime against a stout Oklahoma defense, it’s Tennessee’s defense that makes this Heupel’s most complete team since he arrived in Knoxville in 2021. The Vols’ defense finished with 10 tackles for loss, forced two turnovers on the very next play after Iamaleava lost fumbles in his own territory and held the Sooners to minus-4 yards in the second and third quarters.
Tennessee’s defense had gone 19 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown until Oklahoma scored its two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the last one with 1:01 to play. The Sooners benched starting quarterback Jackson Arnold in the second quarter and went with Michael Hawkins Jr. the rest of the game.
Heupel acknowledged that the Vols called the game on offense a little differently and more conservatively in the second half after seeing the way his defense controlled the line of scrimmage. In addition, Tennessee played with backup offensive tackles for much of the game, and he wanted to be careful not to put Iamaleava into too many precarious situations. Iamaleava finished with 194 passing yards and a 66-yard touchdown pass to Dont’e Thornton Jr. in the first quarter. Iamaleava was also sacked three times.
“At the end of the day, if you want to play really high-level football, you’re going to have to have a high-level defense, and our guys are playing really well,” Heupel said. “They’re excited about the way they’re playing, but they also know that there’s more out there, and it’s been fun seeing this group continue to grow.”
The depth and talent in Tennessee’s defensive line is the best it has been in two decades, and that depth wore on an Oklahoma offense that managed just 36 rushing yards and was 3-of-15 on third down.
“Seeing our offense score, honestly, is just another chance for the defense to come out there and play,” said junior defensive lineman Joshua Josephs, who had a tackle for loss and forced two fumbles. “It’s just energizing. We love it. We love to be on the field. We love to play, and as a D-line, we’ve got so much depth that we can just rotate and rotate, and it’s just fun seeing our guys make plays. It’s fun seeing Jaxson Moi make plays. It’s fun seeing Jayson Jenkins make plays. It’s just fun seeing this.”
At one point, OU went six straight offensive possessions with three or fewer plays. And in the first half, the Sooners went 10 straight plays without gaining a yard.
“In this league, you’ve got to be able to win different ways as the season unfolds,” Heupel said. “Each game is different, each opponent, matchups, all of that. We need to be the most physical football team on the field every Saturday. That’s one of the cornerstone blocks of being able to go win.”
For Oklahoma (3-1), it was a disappointing SEC debut in front of a sellout crowd of 84,701 people at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where Heupel starred as a player and quarterbacked the Sooners to a national championship in 2000.
“Josh is a great coach,” said coach Brent Venables, who was OU’s co-defensive coordinator in 2000 when Heupel was playing. “He’s been successful wherever he’s been, and I don’t think that’s ever been in question. I’m proud of all the success that he’s had. It’s not one of those moments where you’re happy for him because you’re not, but that just kind of comes with the territory. … They’re going to win a lot of games.”
It was Tennessee’s first win over an AP top-15 team on the road since beating Georgia in 2006.
Heupel’s father, Ken, still lives in nearby Edmond, Oklahoma, and was at the game along with many other family members. Heupel’s mother, Cindy, died earlier this year.
“She was here, watching down from heaven,” Heupel said after the game.
Before Heupel finished his news conference, he thanked all of his former teammates who reached out to him during the week.
“A lot of you, I didn’t get back to. I will on the plane ride back, but you guys have changed my life and my family’s life forever, and I’m eternally grateful for all of you,” said Heupel, again turning emotional and his eyes moistening. “There are a lot of former players as well that I should mention.”
He then added: “The second thing is, I’ve gotten a chance to meet a lot of the people that had an impact on my mom while she was here, and I just want to say thank you for the relationships and what you meant to her.”