‘I haven’t spoken to him in a long time’ – Why Tennessee’s game against Oklahoma will be personal for more than just Josh Heupel
The Tennessee Vols will welcome the Oklahoma Sooners to Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
The Tennessee Vols will host the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in a game that will go a long way in determining what the rest of UT’s season looks like.
Tennessee, thanks to losses to Alabama and Georgia earlier this season, essentially needs to win out to reach the College Football Playoff.
A loss to the Sooners would likely end the Vols’ playoff hopes, while a win would put Tennessee in a situation where they need to beat New Mexico State, Florida, and Vanderbilt after the bye week to put themselves in a strong position to be one of the 12 teams included in the playoff.
Why Tennessee’s game against Oklahoma will be personal for more than just Josh Heupel
The Vols should have plenty of motivation on Saturday night against the Sooners.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s history at Oklahoma is well documented. Heupel was the starting QB on the Sooners’ 2000 national championship team before serving as an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2006 to 2014.
Heupel was fired by then OU head coach Bob Stoops after the 2014 season.
As a result, Heupel, a legend in Norman, has had an icy relationship with his alma mater (mostly with Stoops) for the last 10 years.
Heupel, though, isn’t the only coach at Tennessee with a deep connection to Oklahoma. Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle played and coached at Oklahoma. Offensive analysts Landry Jones, Cayden Cochran, and Seth Littrell also played for the Sooners (secondary coach Willie Martinez also coached at Oklahoma).
Littrell, specifically, had a similar experience at Oklahoma to Heupel’s.
A year ago, Littrell, who was a co-captain with Heupel on the 2000 Sooners team, was fired as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator by head coach Brent Venables.
On Tuesday, Venables was asked what kind of dynamic he expects with Littrell on Saturday night in Knoxville.
Venables admitted that he hasn’t talked to Littrell in a “long time”.
“I don’t think there will be any kind of dynamic between Seth and I,” said Venables. “I haven’t spoken to him in a long time. But he’s doing a great job, obviously, being a part of the offensive staff and the success they’ve had this year.
“But it’s never about two people, this is a players’ game and not a coaches’ game. But he’s doing great. He landed right on his feet.”
Last season’s game in Norman was all about revenge for Heupel. I’m sure Heupel will be similarly amped up for this year’s matchup in Knoxville, but it may be Littrell, who has the freshest wound of all the “OU guys” on Tennessee’s coaching staff, that has revenge on his mind the most when the Sooners visit Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Brent Venables’ comments about Josh Heupel will give Oklahoma fans and Tennessee fans chills
What a message from Venables
