Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols silenced a major misconception about UT football in a 25-15 win against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night and it should scare the rest of the SEC (and college football in general). 

For the last several years, since Heupel took over as the program's head coach, unnamed opposing coaches and rival fan bases have described Tennessee's offensive approach as "gimmicky". 

The Vols' tempo and wide splits help create advantageous matchups for Tennessee's skill players. And for whatever reason, those coaches and fan bases (and some media) believe that the Vols are one-dimensional in the way they can win games. Essentially, the narrative is that Tennessee can only win high-scoring shootouts (like the 52-49 win against Alabama in 2022). 

On Saturday night in Norman, Heupel and the Vols completely blew that narrative out of the water. 

Tennessee slowed down the tempo against Oklahoma in key spots, electing to chew up clock via predictable running plays. The Vols trusted that their defense could keep Oklahoma out of the end zone. And Heupel decided to pull back the reigns on the offense. 

With redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava making his first career start on the road, there was no need to take risks and give the Sooners easy opportunities off of turnovers — especially with the defense playing at a high level. 

After the game, Heupel told reporters that he thinks it's important to find different ways to win games. 

"Field position changes the way the game’s played for everybody and what type of position you’re trying to put everybody on your football team," said Heupel after the game. "So it changes how the game is played and tonight the game kind of formed its own identity mid-second quarter, certainly as a third quarter got started. But each game is different so you have to be ready to play it as it starts unfolding."

"I think in this league, you’ve got to be able to win different ways as the season unfolds," added Heupel. "Each game is different, each opponent, matchups, all of that. We need to be the most physical football team on the field every Saturday." 

Tennessee showed on Saturday night in Norman that they don't have to be a high-flying offense that operates at a rapid pace to win big games on the road. The Vols adjusted to the way the game unfolded, showing that Heupel has an elite feel for how to manage a game. He didn't try to force deep passes and explosive plays just because that's the way Tennessee has won big games in the past. 

And that's incredibly important. Sometimes you have to win big games with a different approach. The Vols proved they're more than capable of winning a defensive slug fest in an intense/loud road environment. 

This Tennessee team isn't one dimensional. They're not gimmicky. Instead, the Vols can win in a variety of ways. And with the talent this Tennessee team has, that should scare the hell out of the rest of the SEC. The Vols are undoubtedly a national championship contender. 

The Tennessee Vols had one of the coolest ways ever to celebrate beating the Oklahoma Sooners

Pretty awesome if you’re a Vols fan