Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel reacts to playing his alma mater, the Oklahoma Sooners, this fall

Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked on Wednesday evening before the final Big Orange Caravan stop about UT's matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman this fall.

“Yeah, before you said that, I didn’t even know they (Oklahoma) were on the schedule," joked Heupel. "Obviously, for me, I spent a lot of time there. Excited to go back and have an opportunity to compete there.”

Heupel, who played for the Sooners from 1999 to 2000, led Oklahoma to a national championship as the program's starting quarterback before eventually becoming an assistant under then-OU head coach Bob Stoops.

From 2006 to 2014, Heupel served as Oklahoma's quarterbacks coach (2006 to 2010) and offensive coordinator (2011 to 2014). Heupel was unceremoniously dismissed by Stoops after the 2014 season, despite the Sooners averaging over 36 points per game in 2014.

Heupel hasn't had much of a relationship with Stoops or Oklahoma since getting "fired" (his contract wasn't renewed) in early 2015.

Last summer, however, Heupel suggested that his relationship with Oklahoma "isn't complicated".

"The relationship with Oklahoma really isn't complicated," said Heupel at SEC Media Days this past July. "I got nothing but great memories of the people and my time there. I certainly do. And it's a huge -- you know, I got a chance to talk about Mike Leach a few minutes ago backstage in the interview -- everybody there helped shaped who I am, where I'm at today. Still got a lot of great friends and teammates that live back there. So the opportunity to go back to Oklahoma -- wish they were coming to Knoxville first, but I say that jokingly -- but looking forward to that opportunity. That's a long ways down the road, man. Focused on '23. But that'll be a unique day in my career, obviously, to go back there."

Last December, Stoops said that he hopes Heupel receives an "incredible reception" when he returns to Norman in September.

"I know he'll have an incredible reception here at OU when he enters the field and he should," said Stoops . "That'll be exciting."

Tennessee will take on Oklahoma on September 21. Beyond it being Heupel's return to his alma mater, it's an incredibly important game for the Volunteers. If Tennessee is going to make a run at the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, getting a win against the Sooners is a must.

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