Josh Heupel’s homecoming could not have gone more in his favor. Anyone who doubted that Tennessee was a true contender in the SEC this season has now been silenced as the Vols put together a solid 25-15 in-conference win over the Oklahoma Sooners on the road.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava gave Heupel the game ball following the victory, but the former Oklahoma quarterback did not center the affair around himself.
“This game was never about me coming back here,” Heupel said. “Not for our football team. I say all that, but they also understood that this one was a little bit different for me personally, too. That is not what it was about. But I do appreciate their recognition of that and wanting that for me.”
Here’s a look into four things we took away from both sides in the Tennessee victory.
1. Nico Iamaleava wasn’t perfect, but proved himself against legitimate competition
There’s been a lot of buzz about Iamaleava being one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, but some were skeptical because of the fact Tennessee hadn’t played a quality opponent yet on the schedule. That can be done away with now as he’s faced a solid SEC defense and still maintained a high level of play. So long as he sustains this through the rest of the schedule, it seems it is only onward and upward for Iamaleava.
He finished out Saturday’s win 13-of-21 passing for 194 yards with one touchdown and 15 rushing yards. It wasn’t without its flaws, but Iamaleava’s presence, ability to create explosive chunk plays and leadership ability was well on display. It also didn’t help that Tennessee’s offensive line was a bit banged up.
So far this season, he holds just under a 70% completion rate, having thrown for 892 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has 117 rushing yards and one score on the ground.
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2. Curtains on the Jackson Arnold show.
Tennessee has its guy at the quarterback position and looks set for seasons to come with Iamaleava at the helm. Oklahoma can hardly say the same thing. The Sooners had to make the tough decision to hand the reins over to true freshman Michael Hawkins during the game, but it was practically impossible not to after starting quarterback Jackson Arnold turned the ball over three times in just the first half, the last of which resulted in a Vols touchdown. Over five career starts, Arnold has nine turnovers to his name.
“I didn’t know it was coming,” Hawkins said of the switch at quarterback after the game. “When the situation came, just try to maximize every opportunity you can get.”
Hawkins took full advantage of the opportunity, finishing the game xxx. It will be interesting to watch what Oklahoma ultimately does at the position, but it seems in their best interest to roll with Hawkins for the rest of the season.
3. Robert Spears-Jennings leads the way for a respectable Oklahoma defensive effort.
While Oklahoma had far from a pristine performance on offense, the Sooners did post a defensive effort worth talking about. And at the forefront of that was junior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings, who has been pinned as a potential breakout candidate and one of the most effective members of the defensive unit through Week 4.
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Spears-Jennings had arguably the biggest play of the game for Oklahoma with a strip-sack on Iamaleava that has the Sooners offensive lined up just outside of the goal line. He finished the game as Oklahoma’s defensive leader, totaling 13 combined tackles, seven of which were solo with one sack.
4. WR Bru McCoy makes his presence felt.
McCoy came into this season making a return from a season-ending ankle injury last year. He’s largely flown under the radar now a third of the way into the 2024 season, but he made a splash in the victory over the Sooners. He played a major role in the downfield passing game, reeling in four receptions for 92 yards. That’s good for an average of 23 yards per catch.
It’s a vast improvement from last week’s numbers in which McCoy had just one catch for nine yards in the 71-0 shutout of Kent State. It’ll be interesting to watch how much of a factor he is moving through the rest of the season.
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