Josh Heupel kept everything a secret last week because he returned to the place where he won the national championship as a player and was fired as an assistant coach: OklahomaAll week he avoided posting bulletin board material or overly sentimental soundbites.
He even managed to joke about it, but mostly maintained his usual stoic demeanor. But after Tennessee After a strong defensive effort earned him a 25-15 victory, Heupel was finally able to admit what could have easily been extrapolated: Winning this game did indeed mean something very special to him.
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“Well, this game, coming back for our football team, it wasn’t about me. It wasn’t. It was about this journey to 2024 and our football team. But they recognized that it was important for me to come back and I wanted to get a win,” Heupel told ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the win.
It was also a significant return for Heupel, as it was his first time in Norman since his mother died earlier this year. With his father and other family members in attendance, Heupel said he felt like his mother was able to experience the game, too.
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“At the end of the day, I know mom is up there watching,” Heupel said. “But this is the next step for this football team on this journey. It’s hard to win on the road, at night, against a good team. We found a way to do that. Good teams are getting better and better, we have to keep finding ways to get better.”
And Heupel was quite pleased with the move Tennessee made on Saturday.
In particular, a defense that forced several turnovers and a quarterback change.
“Great road win, in a great environment against a really good football team,” Heupel said. “The defense played outstandingly. I can’t say enough about their performance. They dominated the line of scrimmage, made it difficult for the quarterback, played tight in coverage and got off the field on third downs. The special teams were solid. On offense, the game was a little different as the game went on, they adjusted to their starter in the second half and backed off a little. A complete football game and our defense obviously played phenomenally.”
Tennessee’s defense had to defend a different quarterback in the second half
With Oklahoma bench press Jackson-Arnold and becomes a real freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Shortly before halftime, Tennessee and head coach Heupel had to make adjustments. And Heupel did not rule out that Arnold would be used again in the second half.
While Hawkins played a series at the end of the half and most of the second half, Arnold was able to get a snap at the end. Either way, Heupel was ready for both.
“Be prepared for either of them,” Heupel said at halftime. “They’re both strong runners, so we’ll have to play hard and physical in the second half.”
At halftime, Arnold had completed 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards and one interception.
