Sat Sep 21 11:15:26 UTC 2024: ## Heupel Returns to Norman as Vols Face Sooners in Highly Anticipated Matchup

**Norman, OK** – Former Oklahoma quarterback and current Tennessee head coach, Josh Heupel, is set to make a highly anticipated return to Norman on Saturday as the No. 7 Volunteers face the No. 13 Sooners. This will be the first time Heupel has stepped foot in Memorial Stadium since his firing in 2014, and the matchup promises to be a nostalgic affair.

Heupel, who led the Sooners to a national championship in 2000, will be facing off against his former team as the head coach of a formidable Tennessee squad led by Heisman Trophy candidate Nico Iamaleava.

“It’s a passionate fanbase,” Heupel joked this week regarding the atmosphere in Norman, “I’m expecting them to be extremely quiet for us out of respect for me and our program, too.”

While the game is sure to be emotional for Heupel, it will also be a chance for him to showcase his coaching prowess against the team that helped him reach the pinnacle of college football.

Heupel’s playing career at Oklahoma was short but impactful. In two seasons as the starting quarterback, he led the Sooners to a 20-5 record, including a national championship win over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.

Despite his brief time in Norman, Heupel remains among Oklahoma’s top five quarterbacks in passing yards, completions, and touchdown passes.

Now, as the head coach of Tennessee, Heupel will be looking to prove himself against the team that gave him his first big break.

“It will be unique. I had teammates and friends back there hit me up a little bit,” Heupel said about returning to Norman. “It’ll be a viewpoint, I’m not sure I’ve ever spent a day on the opposing sideline inside of that stadium, not even for a scrimmage. So it’ll be different but it’s one I’m really looking forward to. There are so many people who have been a huge part of my journey that I get a chance to go back and, hopefully, get a chance to say hi to a bunch of them.”

Saturday’s game will be a clash of generations, with Heupel’s Tennessee team looking to pick up their first signature SEC road win of the season against a Sooners team hoping to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with.

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