Josh Heupel and Nico Iamaleava share a very cool moment in the final seconds of Tennessee's win over Oklahoma
The Tennessee Vols left no doubt on Saturday night in front of a national audience at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Tennessee jumped out to a 19-3 halftime lead and went on to win 25-15 in the teams' 2024 SEC opener. During the week leading up to the game, questions about Josh Heupel's return […]
The Tennessee Vols left no doubt on Saturday night in front of a national audience at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Tennessee jumped out to a 19-3 halftime lead and went on to win 25-15 in the teams' 2024 SEC opener.
During the week leading up to the game, questions about Josh Heupel's return to Oklahoma, where he won a national championship as a player in 2000 and served as offensive coordinator for four years, surfaced as one would expect.
To his credit, Heupel toed the company line and asserted that it was another game during the week. However, as the final seconds bled out in Tennessee's win, the truth came to the surface a little bit. QB Nico Iamaleava handed Heupel the game ball, as the two shared a quick embrace.
During the postgame interview, Heupel was asked about what it meant for Nico to give him the game ball after the game's final kneel down.
"This game coming back for our football team wasn't about me. It was about this 24 journey and our football team. But they realized it was important for me to come back, and that I wanted to get a win."
That all being said, Heupel's voice was slightly shaky at points of the interview, and it was clear that he was emotional in the moment. Even Chris Fowler made a comment on it.
And how could he not be? From being relieved of his duties by Bob Stoops almost a decade ago to coming back to what had been home for him, and just months after his mother, Cindy, passed away.
Clearly, from Nico's gesture after the game, the players knew what this week meant to Heupel. And boy, did they deliver with a spirited, gritty performance on both sides of the ball, especially on defense.
And if the emotion that Heupel was fighting back wasn't obvious enough on the field, it surely was during the locker room postgame, when, with a cracking voice and pausing to catch his emotions, he told his team he appreciated the little bit extra they gave for him in this one.
Oh, and Nico handed him another game ball.
Now, Tennessee will head into the bye week 4-0 and on the cusp of breaking into the top five after one of the most impressive road wins by anyone in this young 2024 season. And Heupel has a new souvenir he's going to have to find a place for in his office.
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