Are the Vols ready to face Oklahoma? Head Coach Josh Heupel speaks ahead of first SEC game

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Volunteers are getting ready to face their first SEC opponent this season . Head coach Josh Heupel held a press conference on Monday to share how the team is getting ready to face Oklahoma.

Tennessee will face the Sooners on September 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Norman, Oklahoma. The game is UT’s first Southeastern Conference road tilt of the 2024 campaign. The game will air on ABC/WATE.

Although this will be the Volunteer’s first SEC opponent, the team triumphed in its first three games against Chattanooga , NC State , and Kent State . According to the most recent AP Poll, Tennessee was ranked No. 6 , marking the school’s highest rank since it finished No. 6 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll of 2022.

“As a player, you better enjoy the wins Saturday night and enjoy it on Sunday too. But Monday is getting back to reality and understanding how you have to grow and understanding that you’re only as good as your next [game],” said Heupel.

The Volunteers haven’t faced Oklahoma in nearly a decade. Their most recent encounter was in 2015 at Neyland Stadium, where UT lost 24-31. In total, the Volunteers have faced Oklahoma four times in the past, winning once in 1938 in Miami, Florida, and losing three times.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated following Heupel’s remarks.

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