Along this 400+ mile stretch of Old Route 66 that winds its way through the Sooner Nation, every college football gameday from late August until early January is regarded as sacrosanct. It is not unusual in these parts for family planning of autumn and the December holidays to revolve around the Oklahoma Football schedule. Such is the case for most of my fellow Sooner fans. This current season, Oklahoma’s first as a member of the Southeastern Conference, holds a special significance. Even more special is the first ever OU SEC game set to be played on Owen Field at the Palace on the Prairie, Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which kicks off this Saturday evening, September 21st, at 6:30 PM. What makes it an even a more dazzling spectacle is the opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers, who are led by head coach Josh Heupel. That is the same Josh Heupel who was the quarterback that led the Sooners to their 2000 National Championship. Heupel, who came back to serve on the Sooners’ coaching staff from 2006 through 2014 ultimately became the co-offensive coordinator. When his contract was not renewed in early 2015, Josh moved on to bigger and better jobs. Coach Heupel’s return to his Alma Mater has been much ballyhooed given his team is at or near the top of offensive and defensive statistic rankings and has proven worthy of their #6 AP ranking.
Yours Truly has been an OU season ticket holder since the 1999 season, Josh’s first season at OU. I still take pride in the fact that I was privileged to witness every snap Heupel took on Owen Field in 1999 and that magical season of 2000. I am sure me and many of my fellow crimson-wearing Sooner faithful will have a turbulent mix of emotions when we see a fondly remembered and much revered OU Football alumnus wearing dayglo orange and standing on the visitor’s sideline!
Although the 2024 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners is sitting pretty with a 3-0 non-conference record and maintaining a ranking of #15 in the AP Top 25 poll, the Team has showed cause for concern. This is mostly due to the relatively new personnel on the offensive line and injuries to key starters at skill positions. We’ll know who will start and who will be available for play at gametime. As was stated above, Tennessee has duly earned its AP ranking of #6 by posting the sort of offensive numbers for which a seasoned offensive mind like Josh Heupel is known. The Vols are also sitting on a 3-0 non-conference record and playing their first true road game. They defeated NC State in a neutral venue 51 to 10 two weeks ago and, according to many in the punditry, have yet to be tested in a real hostile environment.
Just how big is the showdown between the Vols and the Sooners? ESPN Gameday will be broadcasting from the OU Norman campus for the first time since the 2020 Bedlam showdown with Oklahoma State. The home team did well that day against the visitor vanquishing the Cowboys 41 to 13 before a pandemic crowd of 22,700. Thus far in 2024, the visitor has been beating the home team at every Gameday venue since Week 1. This is one factor into the favoring of Tennessee by 7.5 points coming into the game. Both teams and their fan bases are genuinely interested in just how good they really are. This will be a critical test for the Sooner offense against a seasoned Vol defense and how both defenses can contain dual-threat quarterbacks. This will be the Vols first game where their offense will be challenged to move the ball, on the ground and through the air, against a stout defense in a true road test. There remains a fair amount of consternation throughout the Sooner Nation regarding OU’s inconsistent performance versus prior opponents against whom they were heavily favored. It is well understood upon entering the SEC schedule that mental mistakes, lapses in discipline and marginal performance are going to be unacceptable. Also, we OU fans in the stands as well as those listening on the radio or watching on the TV are even more curious as to how much Coach Venables and his staff have been holding back in terms of their playbook. In the first three games this season the offense has appeared plain vanilla leaving us all wondering when QB Jackson Arnold will unleash some arial firepower. It is well understood that moving the ball downfield against a defense like that of Tennessee is an imperative if OU is to emerge with the “W.”
Having been a Sooner fan since my student years at OU and remaining one unabashedly during the absolute worst of times for the Sooner Football program in the mid-1990s, loyalty paid huge dividends in the new century. Having seen four Heisman Trophy winners play on Owen Field since Josh Heupel helped bring the seventh National Championship to OU, I can say our collective optimism has not been wasted despite the Team failing to secure that ever allusive NC #8.
It is true that the more things change the more they stay the same. I say that because regardless of the final score this Saturday evening, me and the vast majority of my fellow Sooner faithful will remain loyal to the Crimson & Cream of OU. Win or lose, Josh Heupel will remain a loved and respected fixture in the storied history of Oklahoma Football. As Coach Venables has said on record, there will be much intense emotion on Owen Field as the match of these two heavyweights becomes the focus of the college football universe in a primetime featured match. Thanks for reading and BOOMER SOONER!!!
ADDENDUM 9.22.24: It was a game that lived up to billing although the result was disappointing. OU has been here before, and the Sooners will be back. All Tennessee fans I met were classy fans who were dedicated to following their Team. Congratulations to Josh Heupel and the Vols for well-executed gameplan.
