HOUSTON – After leading fifth-ranked Tennessee to a 4-0 start for the second time in three seasons, head coach Josh Heupel has been named the Bear Bryant Awards Coach of the Week following the Volunteers’ 25-15 victory at then-No. 15 Oklahoma.
Heupel defeated his alma mater for his 10th ranked win at Tennessee, while improving to 31-12 overall (.721) in his four seasons on Rocky Top. He’s been victorious in 26 of his last 33 games. The Vols are one of two teams in the nation with two wins versus opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of game.
Heupel’s squad limited the Sooners 222 yards of total offense, while racking up three takeaways, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. Oklahoma managed only 36 yards on the ground, representing its fewest rushing yards in a game since logging 15 against Notre Dame on Oct. 27, 2012.
Offensively, Tennessee put up 345 yards of total offense, including 92 yards and a touchdown from running back Dylan Sampson. Max Gilbert booted three field goals and helped lift the Vols to their largest margin of victory (10) over a top-15 team on the road since topping No. 10 Georgia, 51-33, in Athens on Oct. 7, 2006.
Heupel, a two-time National Coach of the Year finalist, owns a 59-20 (.747) record in now his seventh season as a head coach.
The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, presents the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for their mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
