coach Josh Heupel did his best to keep the focus on his team this week. He mostly deflected the questions he received about the significance of his return to Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship and spent 10 of the first 11 years of his coaching career.
But after the sixth-ranked Vols put the finishing touches on their 25-15 victory over No. 15 Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., the typically guarded Heupel opened up a little bit more than usual Saturday night during his postgame interview with ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe. Heupel insisted that Saturday’s game wasn’t about him, but he acknowledged that it carried added significance because of his history with the Sooners.
It also meant something to Heupel because of his family. His mother, Cindy, died in May at age 69, and his father and other family members were in attendance Saturday night to see Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) pick up its first road win against a top-15 team since 2006…