This is a monumental week in Oklahoma Football history. It marks the Sooners’ first conference game in the SEC. It’s a top-15 matchup. ESPN “College GameDay” will be in town to mark the occasion, as will CBSSports/247Sports’ college football analyst Josh Pate. Former five-star quarterbacks [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and Nico Iamaleava will face off for the first time in their collegiate careers.
The game means a ton for both teams’ College Football Playoff chances. A win will set either team up for a strong season. A loss will force the other back to the drawing board.
But it’s an important week for another reason, as it will mark the return of former national championship-winning quarterback and offensive coordinator [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag].
And with the hype building for this primetime matchup between the Oklahoma Sooner and Tennessee Volunteers, Former Oklahoma Football head coach [autotag]Bob Stoops[/autotag] is taking himself out of the equation.
Citing a strong relationship with both head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his former quarterback Heupel, Stoops shared on X that he won’t be doing any interviews in the buildup to the top-15 affair.
“All attention needs to be on those two coaches and their programs,” Stoops posted on social media. “I have great respect for both coaches. I’m grateful for their great work here at OU; Brent as a coach here for 13 years, including our national championship in 2000. Josh, as our 2000 national championship QB and coach for 10 years. I’ve often said he is the MVP of all my recruits because he was the catalyst that go(t) us started in ’99.”
Heupel’s arrival in 1999, alongside Stoops’ coaching staff, which included Venables, helped kickstart the introduction of the Air Raid offense that has taken over college football. Heupel’s success running the offense at OU took the nation by storm in 2000, leading Oklahoma to their seventh national championship and earning a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Though his time as offensive coordinator ended after the 2014 season, Heupel’s legacy has endured long after. Though his an Oklahoma’s focus will be on what happens between the stripes on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be some emotions this weekend as well.
#OUDNA #Boomer pic.twitter.com/4sQDsBGmiR
— Bob Stoops (@CoachBobStoops) September 16, 2024
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