For the second time, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel faces his former team, the Oklahoma Sooners. It will be the Sooners’ first visit to Knoxville since joining the SEC, and their second visit ever. Oklahoma’s only prior matchup at Tennessee was back in 2015, when Baker Mayfield led the Sooners to a double overtime victory.

In a league where it always means more, this one is particularly personal for Heupel. The Tennessee head coach led the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000 as the team’s starting quarterback. 

He then spent nine seasons on staff under Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, and was ultimately fired in 2014. His dismissal led to a fractured relationship with the university ever since. It was believed by many that Heupel would one day be Stoops’ successor, but that job ultimately went to Lincoln Riley.

Last season, the Sooners’ first SEC conference game took place in Norman against the Volunteers. On that night, Heupel got his revenge on his alma mater, as Tennessee dominated Oklahoma with a 25-15 road win.

Both teams enter Saturday with a 6-2 record, and the Sooners have Heupel’s full-attention. In his weekly press conference, when asked about the matchup against Oklahoma, Heupel stated, “Yeah, watch the tape and get ready to play a really good Oklahoma team. Defensively, one of the top teams in the country in every statistical category. The front's big, strong, physical, relentless. The tackles for loss, sacks, not giving up a bunch of big plays. Huge test.”

Heupel spoke on facing John Mateer and the Sooners’ offense saying, “Offensively, dynamic quarterback that's a playmaker. He does that through the air, does that with his legs. He's got good skill around him, so huge test.”

He added, “The quarterback (Mateer) is a playmaker. He extends plays when the initial reads aren't there and does a great job on scrambles, keeping the play alive, throwing it downfield and using his feet when it's not. Everything is matched out, so you have to apply pressure to him, but you have to try to find a way to keep him bottled up too. They'll turn the numbers into their favor and use the quarterback run game, and he's really good in that as well. Their offensive line is just continuing to get better throughout the course of the year.”

Tennessee aims to create a hostile environment with ‘Dark Mode’—all-black uniforms and a blackout crowd. Heupel expressed excitement about the atmosphere. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC from Neyland Stadium.