Tennessee's win over Oklahoma was more about Josh Heupel's future than his past

Norman, Oklahoma — Tennessee's football team celebrated in the locker room while head coach Josh Huepel spoke to reporters to analyze the game he must have waited 10 years to win.

You could hear the music.

There is no love in Oklahoma
Only the whistle of a long black train
You will know when it is coming
Riding in the wind and rain

Those are the lyrics to Luke Combs' country hit “Ain't No Love In Oklahoma,” and it couldn't have been a more fitting way for the victorious Volunteers to honor their coach. They danced as he spoke. Heupel, who developed as a coach in Norman before returning here to Orange and leaving victorious, couldn't have thought of a better ending.

Heupel won a national title at Oklahoma as the team's quarterback in 2000, but he was fired by Bob Stoops as an assistant coach at the end of the 2014 season. It turned out to be the right move for Oklahoma, as it led to Lincoln RileyBut that paved the way for Heupel to break new ground, find a different attacking philosophy and become the head coach he is today.

Who is that coach? One who now has a 4-0 Volunteers team that gave the Sooners a fitting welcome to the big, bad SEC.

Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15. And the score was much closer than the game itself.

quarterback Nico Iamaleavaone of the sport's rising stars and the man leading Tennessee into a season where it hopes to compete for a national title, handed Heupel the game ball after the final seconds ticked off the clock.

“This game was never about me coming back here, not for this football team,” Heupel said. “They also understood that this game was a little different for me personally, but that wasn't the point.”

Heupel could have been bragging or making veiled jabs at his former team, but the truth is he loves Oklahoma very much. He's become a winner here. But in reality, Heupel knows what the rest of the country is learning with each passing week: This Tennessee team is real. This game was another step toward proving that.

So while the game ball will likely find its way to Heupel's office in the near future, the reality is that this Volunteers team is just beginning the journey to something bigger than heartwarming victories, game balls, country songs or even revenge. This team wants it all.

Two undefeated teams with young, high-caliber quarterbacks met Saturday night at Oklahoma Stadium. Both were five-star prospects in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2023 recruiting class. This was Oklahoma's first game in the SEC. Heupel's return made headlines. This would be a revelation for both teams for many reasons. Most notably: Who has what it takes to be great this year?

Tennessee won in every way. Iamaleava threw a 194-yard touchdown. The touchdown was a perfectly placed arrow that flew through the air and landed at the receiver. Not Thornton Jr.'s hands further forward before bringing the ball 66 yards into the house.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson-Arnoldlost the ball three times and was substituted for Michael Hawkins His team was down 19-3 before halftime.

It wasn't just the quarterbacks. After Arnold's third turnover with Tennessee leading 12-3, the Volunteers took the lead at Oklahoma's 46-yard line with just over five minutes left in the first half. Tennessee ran the ball eight times in a row with running back Dylan Sampsonwho capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. And Tennessee managed this without a starting tackle Lance Heard.

This is a team that can play five wide or two tight end sets. It's versatile. It can win shootouts and it can win close, contested games by moving the ball on the ground. That brings us to its defense, led by one of the best pass rushers in the country in James Pearce. The defense is physical and disciplined. The Sooners had no answer to the Volunteers' defense.

“We have more diversity than ever before because of our personnel,” Heupel said. “Nico's excellent command and understanding of everything that's going on gives you that luxury.”

This is not the first time Tennessee has done well under Heupel. Two years ago behind quarterback Hendon Hooker and recipient Jalin HyattTennessee's offense took the country by storm. The Volunteers were one of the most entertaining teams in 2022. But that fell apart when they went to Athens and were destroyed by deeper, more talented and more athletic players. Georgia Team at the beginning of November.

Tennessee still has to play against Georgia and Alabama this year, but this team feels stronger, more athletic and, yes, more versatile. This team looks and feels like it can win against the SEC's big boys. The Volunteers are athletically equal and have all the tools to achieve something bigger than just being the entertaining college football story of September and October.

This is the 12 team College Football Playoff Era. They can lose one or even both games and still make the postseason and try to make a run. Internally, however, the expectation is that they can win those games. And it's not just naive optimism from players who are feeling good.

It's real.

Before the game, Oklahoma showed a montage on the video board introducing “the new era of Oklahoma football.” Interspersed throughout the hype video were clips from the past, most notably one in which Heupel took a knee in the national title game 24 years ago before celebrating the championship. People cheered as they relived that memory while Heupel stood on the opposing sideline.

Heupel means a lot to Oklahoma. The fans respect and adore him because when you win a national title in places like this, you never forget it. There's still a picture of Heupel in the press box from that national title game. That's forever.

Yes, Heupel was able to relive the past. Perhaps he even feels personal satisfaction at appearing in a place where he was not considered good enough 10 years ago. Heupel is also a human being.

When asked after the game what his favorite moment was when he returned to Norman, he smiled and said, “Leaving the field with a win.”

That must have felt good.

But he's right, that wasn't what this game was about.

This game was about taking another step towards becoming a man Tennessee fans will never forget.