Let Him Go, But You’ll Find Someone Better: The return of Joey Kent and Navy Shuler’s replacement are announced by Vols head coach Josh Heupel.Read on to learn more.

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

Volunteers’ 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 Oklahoma 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 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. While the Volunteers 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 Volunteers’ 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 Volunteers 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 on 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, Oklahoma went six straight offensive possessions with three or fewer plays. 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 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 Oklahoma’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.”