Nico Iamaleava made his decision before the final Tennessee football drive Saturday.
If the Vols secured a game-ending first down, the redshirt freshman quarterback vowed to run and give the game ball to Josh Heupel.
“We have been wanting this for Coach Heup,” Iamaleava said.
Iamaleava made certain the plan worked. He swerved through the Oklahoma defense for the final first down, kneeled down twice, and then ran again. He ran straight to Heupel, handing the Vols coach the game ball from a punishing 25-15 win for No. 7 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 13 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) on the field where Heupel starred for two seasons.
“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.”
Why Nico Iamaleava gave Josh Heupel game ball from Tennessee’s win at Oklahoma
Heupel never made Saturday about him. But his players all knew.
They knew he played at Oklahoma and won a national title. They knew he coached at Oklahoma. They certainly knew he was fired by Oklahoma.
Those bonds − eternal and severed alike − were at the heart of Iamaleava’s decision to dash to Heupel with the game ball, sticking it in his hands and giving him a hug.
“I knew this was coach Heup coming back to his original home,” Iamaleava said. “He went to college here. He coached here. I knew it meant a lot to him. He didn’t show it as much during the week. We knew what it meant to him and what it meant to us.”
It meant more to the Vols because they wanted it for Heupel, who came back to Norman a decade after he was fired.
He started at quarterback for OU from 1999-2000, winning the national championship in his second season and finishing as the Heisman trophy runner-up. He coached at OU for more than a decade, first as quarterbacks coach and then as co-offensive coordinator before he was fired following the 2014 season.
He left Saturday as a winner as the Tennessee coach.
“Walking off that field with the win felt pretty good,” Heupel said.
Tennessee football beats Oklahoma in Josh Heupel’s return
Heupel, UT’s fourth-year coach, has resurrected a struggling and sanctioned Tennessee program. He might have one day seemed like the heir at Oklahoma, but instead is the head honcho for the Vols.
He brought UT to his old domain at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and reigned victorious. He reveled with his father, Ken. He was emotional discussing his late, mother, Cindy, who died in May.
“She was looking forward to this game,” Heupel said.
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Heupel heard from old teammates and players who played for him at Oklahoma in the days leading up to Saturday. He thanked all of them collectively after the win, but had plans to spend the flight back to Knoxville replying to those he had yet to get back to individually.
“You guys have changed my life and my family’s life forever,” Heupel said. “Eternally grateful for all of you.”
Tennessee players feel similarly about Heupel and that led to the star quarterback choosing to celebrate his coach in the first moments after securing a road win.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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Publish date : 2024-09-22 02:32:00
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