Josh Heupel told Nico Iamaleava Tennessee 'pulled back a tad' on offense late in Oklahoma win

Tennessee football fans don’t have too much to be upset about four games into the 2024 college football season, with an undefeated record, a No. 6 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll and an explosive offense that’s averaging more points per game than all but one team nationally.

But for a program with such a passionate fan base and such lofty expectations, there are always nits to pick, like the Vols’ offensive approach in the second half of an otherwise resounding 25-15 win at then-No. 13 Oklahoma last Saturday.

It turns out, though, there was a method to coach Josh Heupel’s madness.

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In a widely circulated video clip, Heupel can be seen talking after the game with Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and explaining the team’s play-calling in the final two quarters, which had elicited criticism from portions of Vols fans.

“I pulled back a tad just because the way our defense was playing,” Heupel said to his quarterback. “Hell of a job.”

After scoring 19 points in the first half on its way to a 16-point lead, Tennessee eased its foot off the gas noticeably in the second half, scoring just six points across the final two quarters.

The Vols’ general play selection didn’t vary drastically, with the team passing 10 times on 34 plays in the second half after throwing 11 times on 39 plays in the first half. The aggressiveness of those passes changed, however. In the first half, Tennessee averaged 11.5 yards per attempt from Iamaleava before seeing that average drop to 6.8 yards per attempt in the second half.

As Heupel mentioned, it mattered little.

On the way to building a 22-3 lead, the Vols’ defense held Oklahoma to just 98 total yards and 2.2 yards per play through the first three quarters. When the defense is playing that well, it’s not the worst idea to, as Heupel said, pull back a bit so as not to risk a field-flipping or even game-changing mistake from a quarterback who, for as excellent as he is, is still relatively inexperienced.

For as much attention as the Tennessee offense has understandably received, its defense has been superb one-third of the way through the regular season. The Vols are allowing just 176 yards and seven points per game, ranking them first and fifth among all FBS programs.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel told Nico Iamaleava Tennessee 'pulled back a tad' late vs Oklahoma