NORMAN, Okla. — Happy homecoming, Josh.
Tennessee spoiled Oklahoma’s first Southeastern Conference game against a fellow league member Saturday night by unleashing its suffocating defense that paced the No. 6 Volunteers to a 25-15 triumph over the No. 15 Sooners. The Vols held Oklahoma to 82 first-half yards in building a 19-3 advantage, with the three points tallied by the Sooners equaled by their three turnovers.
The first road victory by Tennessee over an Associated Press top-15 team since a 51-33 thumping of No. 10 Georgia in 2006 provided Vols fourth-year coach Josh Heupel a win over his alma mater. Heupel quarterbacked the Sooners to the 2000 season’s national championship and called the plays for Oklahoma from 2011-14 as co-offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops before being fired by Stoops.
Heupel was recognized before the game on the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium video board for several seconds.
“This game was never about me coming back here,” Heupel said afterward, “but our football team also understood that this one was a little bit different for me personally. It’s not what it was about, but I do appreciate their recognition of that and wanting that for me.”
Heupel was presented a game ball from the players and said “this will go in the office for sure.”
Tennessee’s win also extended the streak of SEC newcomers losing their first league games against existing conference members, which Arkansas (to Alabama) and South Carolina (to Georgia) did in 1992, followed by Missouri (to Georgia) and Texas A&M (to Florida) in 2012. Top-ranked Texas, which joined Oklahoma in moving over from the Big 12 this year, will be heavily favored to end that futility next weekend against visiting Mississippi State.
Offensive highlights were not in abundance for the Vols (4-0), who scored 191 points in their first three games and entered Saturday leading the nation with 63.7 points per game.
A 66-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to Dont’e Thornton with three seconds remaining in the first quarter put Tennessee up 10-3, and Dylan Sampson’s 1-yard scoring run with 1:40 left in the half extended the advantage to 19-3. Sampson’s score culminated an eight-play, 46-yard drive that was entirely on the ground.
Midway through the third quarter, Iamaleava and Bru McCoy connected for 42 yards to the Oklahoma 28 that set up Max Gilbert’s 41-yard field goal to make it 22-3.
“Our defense just played relentless, did a great job of getting off the field and really changed the way this game was played,” Heupel said. “You could tell in the second half, offensively, our game plan changed as far possessions and time. We created some big plays at times and put some points up, and in the second half we played pretty tight with the way the game was unfolding.
“It’s a great win for the football team, and I’m proud of the way we approached the week.”
AP photo by Alonzo Adams / Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, center, defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) and others celebrate after the Vols’ win Saturday night at Oklahoma. Heupel played quarterback at Oklahoma and was later an assistant coach for the Sooners.The Tennessee defense extended its streak of not allowing a touchdown to 19 quarters, but the Vols couldn’t get to 20 due to a 2-yard pass from backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to running back Javontae Barnes with 8:25 remaining in the game. Hawkins, who replaced struggling starter Jackson Arnold in the final two minutes of the first half, had a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left to cap the scoring.
“We studied both quarterbacks, because there is always the possibility that the other one can come in,” Vols linebacker Arion Carter said. “You’ve got to know their personnel and what they thrive at. We prepared for both quarterbacks so that we could play in any situation.”
When Tennessee defensive end Joshua Josephs was asked about the touchdown streak coming to an end, he said: “We were mad. We did not want that to happen, but that’s a good football team that is ranked in the top 15 for a reason. I’m not going to say it was bound to happen, but it made the whole defense mad in general. We really wanted to keep that streak up.”
Oklahoma’s first possession of the evening ended with an incompletion on fourth-and-2 from midfield, but Tennessee could not capitalize, opting to punt on fourth-and-2 from the 42 of the Sooners. On Oklahoma’s third drive, Arnold was intercepted by Jermod McCoy, whose 16-yard return set the Vols up at midfield.
The Vols then produced the game’s first big gain as a 38-yard strike from Iamaleava to McCoy got to the Oklahoma 10, but they soon settled on Gilbert’s 27-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. Oklahoma (3-1) answered with a 37-yard field goal by Tyler Keltner to forge a 3-3 tie with 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
In the first two minutes of the second quarter, Sooners safety Robert Spears-Jennings forced an Iamaleava fumble on a sack that Ethan Downs recovered at the Tennessee 5, but on the ensuing play, Vols edge rusher Joshua Josephs stripped the ball from Arnold and recovered at the 6.
A 57-yard punt by Jackson Ross later in the second quarter was downed at the 4-yard line of the Sooners, who were flagged for a false start. On second-and-12 from the 2, Barnes was stuffed for a safety by Vols defensive end Jayson Jenkins for a 12-3 Tennessee lead. It was the second straight Saturday the Vols collected a safety, getting one last weekend off Kent State’s high snap into the end zone at Neyland Stadium.
“We knew this was Coach Heup coming back to his home,” Iamaleava said. “He went to college here and he coached here, so we knew it meant a lot to him. He didn’t show it during the week, but we knew what it meant to him and what it meant to us.”
Tennessee will have its first open date of the season next Saturday before traveling to Arkansas on Oct. 5.
Odds and ends
Thornton’s 66-yard reception matched the 66-yarder he had against Oklahoma while playing for Oregon in the 2021 Alamo Bowl. … Iamaleava on hearing the “Bru” chants so clearly on the road: “I wasn’t expecting to hear that.” … Dayne Davis started for the Vols at left tackle for an injured Lance Heard but moved to right tackle early in the second quarter when John Campbell Jr. was got hurt and was replaced by Larry Johnson III. … Sampson’s rushing touchdown in the second quarter was his 10th this season. Sampson and former quarterback Joe Milton III shared the team high in rushing touchdowns last year with seven.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.