Oklahoma
Tennessee's win over Oklahoma was more about Josh Heupel's future than his past
Norman, Okla. — Tennessee’s football team celebrated in the locker room while head coach Josh Huepel spoke with reporters to break down the game he had to have been waiting 10 years to win.
You could hear the music.
Ain’t no love in Oklahoma
Just the whistle of a long black train
You’ll know when it’s comin’ for ya
Riding’ in on the wind and the rain
Those are the lyric’s to Luke Combs’ country hit “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” which couldn’t have been a more appropriate way for the victorious Volunteers to honor their coach. They were dancing while he was talking. Heupel, who developed as a coach in Norman before coming back here in Orange and leaving victorious, couldn’t have drawn up 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 because it led it to Lincoln Riley. But that set forth a path for Heupel to go to new places and find a different offensive philosophy, to become the head coach he is today.
Who is that coach? One who now has a 4-0 Volunteers team that properly welcomed the Sooners to the big, bad SEC.
Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15. Final. And the score was much closer than the game.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, one of the emerging stars in this sport and the man leading Tennessee into a season in which it hopes to compete for a national title, gave 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 one was a little different for me personally, but that’s not what it was about.”
Heupel could have gloated or taken veiled jabs at his former program, but the truth is, he has a lot of love in his heart for Oklahoma. He became a winner here. But in reality, Heupel knows what the rest of the country is learning with every passing week: this Tennessee team is legit. This game was another step toward proving that.
So while the game ball will probably find its way into Heupel’s office in the near future, the reality is this Volunteers team is just getting started on a pathway toward bigger things than heart-warming wins, game balls, country songs or even vengeance. This team is coming for it all.
In Oklahoma Stadium on Saturday night, you had two unbeaten teams with young hot-shot quarterbacks. They both were five-star prospects in the On3 Industry Rankings in the 2023 recruiting class. This was Oklahoma’s first game in the SEC. Heupel’s return grabbed headlines. This was going to be revelatory for both teams for a lot of reasons. Mainly, who has what it takes to be great this year?
Tennessee won in every possible way. Iamaleava threw for 194 yards in a touchdown. The touchdown was a perfectly-placed dart that pierced the air, landing in receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr.‘s hands downfield before he took it 66 yards to the house.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, turned it over three times and was benched for Michael Hawkins with his team trailing 19-3 before halftime.
It wasn’t only the quarterbacks. After Arnold’s third turnover with Tennessee leading 12-3, the Volunteers took over at the Oklahoma 46 with a little more than 5 minutes remaining in the first half. Tennessee ran the ball eight times in a row with running back Dylan Sampson, who capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. And Tennessee did it without starting tackle Lance Heard.
This is a team that can run five wide or two-tight end sets. It’s versatile. It can win shootouts and it can win closely, 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 for the Volunteers’ defensive front.
“This is the most versatile that we’ve been because of our personnel,” Heupel said. “Nico having a great command and understanding of everything that’s going on gives you that luxury.”
This isn’t the first time Tennessee has been good under Heupel. Two years ago, behind quarterback Hendon Hooker and receiver Jalin Hyatt, the Tennessee offense took the country by storm. The Volunteers were one of the most fun teams to watch in 2022. But that came crashing down when it went to Athens and got destroyed by deeper, more talented, more athletic Georgia team in early November.
Tennessee still has to play Georgia and Alabama this year, but this team feels deeper, more athletic and, yes, more versatile. This team has the look and feel of one that can win against the big dogs of the SEC. The Volunteers match up athletically and have the pieces in place to do something bigger than just be the entertaining college football story of September and October.
This is the 12-team College Football Playoff era, too. It can drop one — or even both of those games — still make the postseason and try to go on a run. The expectation internally, though, is that it can win those games. And it’s just not naive optimism from players who feel good about themselves.
It’s real.
On the video board before the game, Oklahoma played a montage introducing “the new era of Oklahoma football.” Sprinkled in the hype video were clips from the past, notably one of Heupel taking a knee in the national title game 24 years ago before celebrating the championship. People cheered reliving that memory with Heupel standing on the opposing sidelines.
Heupel means a lot to Oklahoma. Fans respect and adore him because when you win national titles at places like this, it’s never forgotten. There’s still a picture of Heupel from that national title game hanging in the press box. That’s forever.
Yes, Heupel got to relive the past. He may even take personal satisfaction of showing up the place that felt he wasn’t good enough 10 years ago. Heupel is a person, too.
Asked after the game what his favorite moment was from his return to Norman, he smiled and said: “Walking off the field with a win.”
That must have felt nice.
But he’s right, that’s not what this game was about.
This game was about taking one more step toward becoming someone Tennessee fans never forget, too.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were shocked by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Paycom Center, losing 124-97. This is OKC’s second loss in as many days, losing last night in Phoenix to the Suns 108-105.
The Thunder’s record is now 30-7 and they are 6-6 in their last 12 games. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is playing its worst stretch of basketball in over two years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting to keep his 20-point streak alive. OKC shot a rough 28.2% from three-point range and 66.7% from the charity stripe.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s 27-point home loss.
1. Inability to Make Shots
The glaring struggle for the Thunder tonight was on offense, with the team shooting 36.6% from the floor and 28.2% from three-point range. It’s difficult for any team to win shooting that poorly in a game.
The Thunder found open look after open look across the perimeter, but were unable to convert at a high rate. The Hornets were able to consistently help off of perimeter shooters to bring more defensive attention around Gilgeous-Alexander and inside the paint.
Poor shooting creates poor spacing and poor spacing creates ugly offensive execution. Poor spacing and shooting defined OKC’s woes against Charlotte.
2. Young and Hungry Hornets
Charlotte was by far the more energetic team in its win, amped up on both ends from start to finish, flying in for every loose ball. The young team came in looking to send Loud City home unhappy and they succeeded.
The Thunder were on the back end of an away/home back-to-back, having to quickly fly in from Phoenix to prepare for the game. The Hornets smelt blood in the water early, taking the game from their very first run.
After the game was tied at 33 at the end of the first quarter, Charlotte blazed into a 23-7 run throughout a large part of the second quarter to grasp a firm control of the flow of the game. The Thunder’s struggling offense could not find any momentum to claw back into the hole they fell into.
Charlotte’s shooting performance was remarkable from distance. With a plethora of shots taken with great difficulty, the Hornets managed to shoot 51.4% from three-point range.
The Hornets came in hungry and caught the reigning champions by surprise.
3. Gilgeous-Alexander Keeps Streak Alive Amid Struggles
Gilgeous-Alexander scoring above 20 points, with 21, to keep his historic 20-point streak alive, is the lone positive from a rough loss. Despite struggling through constant full-court pressure and double teams from the Hornets, the reigning MVP was able to muster just enough to keep his hunt for the record alive.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-6 from three in the loss, adding six assists to his totals. He was OKC’s only 20-point scorer on the night.
The Canadian’s streak of scoring 20-or-more points now sits at 108 games, 18 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126.
The Sooners have added reinforcement to their backfield for the 2026 season in the form of Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.
The rising junior has committed to Oklahoma, and will join the program with two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll add explosiveness and versatility to an OU running back corps headlined by returning workhorses Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.
It’s a return to the Sooner State for Avant, who spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024. He signed with the Golden Hurricane out of high school as a three-star recruit. At the time, TU’s head coach was Kevin Wilson, who’s now on staff with Oklahoma as an offensive analyst.
Avant made an immediate impact at Tulsa as a true freshman, rushing for 259 yards and a TD and adding a kick return touchdown. But after Wilson’s dismissal, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually landed at CSU. There, he became a weapon in several facets for the program during his lone season with the Rams. He totaled over 900 all-purpose yards, 417 of which came on the ground and 261 of which came via pass reception. He scored six total TD’s and averaged nearly six yards per touch.
Upon Avant’s second portal entry, the Sooners quickly emerged as the team to watch in his recruitment. He visited campus Sunday and didn’t take long to lock in his decision.
A native of Humble, Texas, Avant gives Oklahoma six scholarship running backs heading into the new season. He joins Robinson, Blaylock, Andy Bass, and a pair of incoming freshmen in Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker. It’ll also be of some intrigue to see whether OU offers him the chance to return kicks. As a team, the Sooners attempted just two kickoff returns in 2025, opting almost exclusively for fair catches. That philosophy could change with a proven special teams weapon like Avant in the stable.
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Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.
The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.
The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.
The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.
Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.
Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).
Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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