Tennessee football: Remembering the time Josh Heupel as an OC torched Nick Saban’s defense

Saturday won’t be the first time Josh Heupel and Nick Saban have gone head to head. If Tennessee football fans want any encouragement about the Vols’ chances, they can go back to another time these two faced off, and Heupel came out on top.

Back in 2014, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oklahoma Sooners faced off in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama was coming off an 11-1 2013 season and missed out on the final BCS National Championship game because of its kick-six loss to the Auburn Tigers. Oklahoma went 10-2 and finished second in the Big 12. This was an at-large BCS game for both teams.

Heupel was in his third year as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for OU, who came in ranked No. 10. Alabama was coming into this game without the chance to win a third straight national title. However, they were ranked No. 3, and it was A.J. McCarron’s last game, so they were the heavy favorites.

With Trevor Knight at quarterback, Heupel torched Saban and Kirby Smart. His offense put up 429 total yards, and Knight threw for 348 and four touchdowns. Oklahoma won 45-31, dominating in a way that nobody expected.

Detractors will point out that Heupel’s offense benefitted from five Alabama turnovers. While that is true, they still had drives of 78 yards, 66 yards and 76 yards. It picked up over five and a half yards a play.

This was back in the day when Alabama still won with elite defenses, and they had only given up more than 40 points one time ever under Saban heading into that game. That came earlier in the year, when Johnny Manziel put up 42 points thanks to 21 in the fourth quarter after the game was already in hand.

Still, his defenses were by and large dominant. Tennessee football hadn’t yet scored more then 17 points against a Saban-coached Alabama team. Up until then, Saban hadn’t given up 45 points on any team he had coached since 2004, when the Georgia Bulldogs beat his LSU Tigers 45-16. That was the only other time he had allowed 45 points since leaving the Michigan State Spartans.

Simply put, Heupel did something to Saban nobody was doing at the time. This year, Tennessee football’s offense is thriving, just as it was expected to under Heupel. Saban’s defenses are significantly worse than they were back then, as he has adjusted to become more offensive-minded given the changes to the game.

That could bode well for the Vols on Saturday. After all, Heupel was able to torch Saban before the game and his focus changed. Who’s to say he can’t do it now and in even more impressive fashion? It’s a tall task, but history is on his side.