Tennessee coach Josh Heupel hasn’t played in the Red River Rivalry since 2000, but the former Oklahoma quarterback hasn’t forgotten how to take a shot at Texas.
“There’s only one real UT and only one real shade of orange,” Heupel said at SEC Media Days on Thursday.
Who did that verbal Horns Down mean more too? Tennessee, which Heupel has flipped into a College Football Playoff contender with an everyone’s-open offense? Or Oklahoma – where Heupel led the Sooners to a 63-14 victory against Texas on Oct. 7, 2000 as part of a national championship season? Sounds a little complicated, right?
“The relationship with Oklahoma really isn’t complicated,” Heupel said. “I’ve got great memories of the people and my time there.”
“The opportunity to go back to Oklahoma – I wish they were coming to Knoxville first – I say that, jokingly. Looking forward to that opportunity. That’s a long ways down the road. Focused on ’23. That will be a unique day in my career.”
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Heupel, of course, was referring to the 2024 matchup between Tennessee and Oklahoma – which will be the Sooners’ inaugural season in the SEC.
Which sideline will Heupel on? That’s the hidden meaning from questions like that. Oklahoma will always be a hypothetical landing spot for Heupel no matter how much success he piles on at Tennessee. Heupel will be be with the Vols, but this will be an every-year taste test when the Sooners come to the SEC.
That rings especially true when you consider the current trajectory of both programs. Oklahoma finished 5-7 last season under first-year coach Brent Venables – the program’s first losing season since 1998. That was the same year Heupel passed for 2,308 yards and 28 TDs at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. Heupel transferred to play for Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops the following season, and the rest is a journey that has led to the third-year coach building the nation’s hottest offense with the Vols.
Seriously, they have the offense the Sooners wish they had right now. And maybe the coach, too.
Tennessee is one of two schools that have ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense and total offense each of the last two seasons. Ohio State – a much-more established national championship contender – is the other one.
Offense last two seasons (average)
SCHOOL
YPG.
PPG.
Ohio State
526.0
45.0
Tennessee
500.2
42.7
The Vols had four players – Darnell Wright, Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman – drafted off that offense last season. Tennessee also made news on the recruiting trail by landing five-star receiver Mike Matthews (Parkview, Lilburn, Ga.) on Wednesday – a presumed future target for five-star freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. All of this is remarkable considering the program was fined $8 million and vacated 11 wins because of 18 Level 1 NCAA violations committed from 2019-20.
Heupel hasn’t only cleaned up a mess. He’s helped elevate Tennessee into a legitimate SEC championship contender for the first time since the Phillip Fulmer era. The Vols haven’t played for a SEC championship since 2007 and haven’t won the conference since 1998.
Heupel is keeping the goal simple for 2023. Joe Milton – the latest quarterback who will get to pilot that wide-open offense – said Heupel has preached the same goal all offseason.
“Whatever it takes to win the East,” Milton said. “We don’t put emphasis on nobody. We treat everybody the same. We want to win the East, no matter what it takes.”
That means dethroning two-time national champion Georgia – which visits Knoxville on Nov. 18. Might Heupel be able to lead another magical upset like last year’s 52-49 upset against Alabama in 2022? To that effect, could the Vols win at Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2003? These things are at least possible now.
Fans will be paying attention in Norman. Oklahoma lost 49-0 to Texas last season. The Sooners have a farewell tour in the Big 12 before arrival in the SEC – where they will be greeted with a welcoming committee in 2024 that includes Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Tennessee.
That might be a “long ways down the road” for Heupel, but is that “real shade of orange” Heupel’s true color for the next decade?
Both programs know that will be a question every year.
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