Dan Fleser
Josh Heupel made a point two weeks ago to make a forceful statement regarding Tennessee football and its defense.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense.”
The Vols head coach had his say while taking questions following a victory over North Carolina State. The Vols defenders apparently heard him loud and clear. They offered a timely reply Saturday night, dominating a 25-15 victory over Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The defense limited the No. 15 Sooners to four yards of offense during the second and third quarters, stringing together 10 consecutive plays in which it didn’t allow so much as a single yard. For good measure, the defense also recorded a safety during that decisive span.
Along with the safety, the defenders amassed 11 tackles for lost yardage, three sacks, four QB hurries and three takeaways. That all added up to being elite.
So was the victory, which was Tennessee’s first over a top-15 opponent on the road since winning at then-No. 10 Georgia on Oct. 7, 2006.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava hustled to the Tennessee sideline immediately afterward and handed the game ball to Heupel, who played and coached at Oklahoma. Judging by the coach’s reaction, the gesture was much appreciated. Tennessee’s QB was equally thoughtful later in giving credit where it was due.
“The defense played lights out,” he said.
Iamaleava should’ve found another game ball for Joshua Josephs. The weakside defensive end arguably made the play of the game early in the second quarter, stripping the football loose from Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold and recovering at Tennessee’s 6-yard line. Josephs’ play followed a UT turnover that gave Oklahoma possession at UT’s 5. A seven-point Vols lead seemed destined to be erased and the course of the game dramatically altered, but Josephs had other ideas.
“I just read my keys,” he said. “I noticed that they like to run the quarterback at the goal line when it came to short-yardage situations. I just picked up on that. I played my role. I saw the ball and I got the ball.”
During preseason practice, Josephs made special mention of fellow lineman Jayson Jenkins, referring to him as “a sleeper.” At that point, the redshirt sophomore had played in just seven games and recorded only six tackles. Nobody is sleeping on Jenkins anymore, not after he burst into the Sooners’ backfield shortly after Josephs’ heroics and tackled Sooners running back Jovantae Barnes in the end zone for the safety.
Josephs seemed more excited for Jenkins’ impact than his own.
“Jayson Jenkins two TFLs, a sack and a safety,” Josephs exclaimed. “You can’t teach that. He’s a hooper.”
Did Josephs mean “baller?” Well, you get the point. Jenkins had himself a night and so did the defense, raising the standard for Tennessee’s season against a tough opponent and in a challenging setting.
“Their crowd is screaming and yelling and then it gets pitch silent,” said Josephs. “And then all you hear is ‘Rocky Top, you’ll always be...’ ”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a member of the Tennessee Sportswriters, U.S. Basketball Writers and Greater Knoxville Sports Halls of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.