Tennessee Football Coach Josh Heupel Previews Oklahoma Matchup

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel previews John Mateer and Oklahoma ahead of the crucial SEC matchup

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during warm-ups for a NCAA football game against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The home game against Oklahoma this Saturday will be a crucial point in the season of the Tennessee Volunteers if they hope to reach the College Football Playoff again this year.

Both programs enter this game at 6-2 and this could be an elimination game of sorts as it will be left to several external factors for a three-loss team to make the CFP field with an at-large bid, and both have rivalry games against ranked opponents remaining on the schedule.

This game could be a bit personal for head coach Josh Heupel, who will host the Sooners for the first time, after a storied playing career and a rocky exit from the program as a coach.

Oklahoma is led by standout quarterback John Mateer, who is skyrocketing up NFL draft boards after proving his dual-threat abilities translate to the level of competition in the SEC.

The star quarterback has a great defense to complement him with a ferocious defensive line that generates all kinds of negative plays for opposing offenses and the Vols offensive line will have their hand full on every single snap of the football game.

Josh Heupel Opening Statement

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel walks off the field after a college football game between Tennessee and Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 18, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I know Coach (Josh) Elander was just introduced here a second ago and I want to wish, his family, and everybody congratulations and I'm excited to see him to continue to help our baseball program continue to grow. I want to wish Tony (Vitello) good luck and obviously first-hand, I have gotten a chance to see what he has done in helping that program win a national championship, but also what he has done for this campus too. I am excited for him and that opportunity. Great week of football here this week. Obviously, it is a really huge contest with a really good football team that we are getting ready to play. I'm excited to get back into Neyland (Stadium) and see our fans, dark mode, we need them and the Neyland Effect to be a huge part of this football game on Saturday night, so I am looking forward to the day with them."

Heupel Details Defensive Struggles

"There was some things that were really good and there were some things that weren't. You get a guy out of a gap and you create a seam, and then a couple big pass plays, so at the end of the day, it is all eleven. The correctables have to get corrected and that's what we did this morning and that's what we will continue to work on this week. I'm excited to go play with these guys."

Click HERE to watch and listen to everything Josh Heupel said when previewing the home matchup against Oklahoma this week.