Josh Heupel's plan against the Oklahoma Sooners was obvious and it worked for the Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols only scored two touchdowns on Saturday night in Norman, but it was enough to get a win against the Oklahoma Sooners. Tennessee prevailed 25-15 in Josh Heupel's return to Norman, giving the Vols a signature road win in a primetime game in front of a raucous crowd. The MVP of the game […]
The Tennessee Vols only scored two touchdowns on Saturday night in Norman, but it was enough to get a win against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Tennessee prevailed 25-15 in Josh Heupel's return to Norman, giving the Vols a signature road win in a primetime game in front of a raucous crowd.
The MVP of the game was the defense, which, despite giving up a touchdown for the first time since last November, was so stingy that it appeared to alter the Vols' offensive game plan.
Tennessee eschewed tempo and deep vertical shots in the passing game (there were a couple of deep completions, but the Vols didn't throw it deep too often) in favor of running the ball for short gains to eat up clock.
"Offensively, little bit different game as the game unfolded," said Heupel to ESPN's Holly Rowe after the Vols' win. "Adjusted to their structure and in the second half, pulled it back a little bit and played a complete football game with the way our defense was playing."
With Oklahoma struggling to move the ball against Tennessee's stout defense, Heupel decided to take a conservative approach. Essentially, he wasn't going to give the Sooners any free points via a turnover.
It wasn't always pretty. And there weren't a bunch of exciting splash plays. But it was a brilliant approach from Heupel. Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava was making his first road start. He may have Heisman Trophy-caliber talent, but he's still a young player without much experience. There was no need to put more pressure on his shoulders.
Once Heupel saw how Tennessee's defense was playing, he knew he could play to not lose the game. That's not always a popular plan, and it's not a plan that Heupel often deploys, but it was the right plan against Oklahoma. And as a result, the Vols are now in prime position to make a College Football Playoff run.
