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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/yousmelllikebiscuits on 2024-10-13 16:39:47+00:00.

Investigative journalism by u/yousmelllikebiscuits

To open the season, the 2024 Tennessee Volunteers were one of the most prolific offenses in college football. Through the first 14 quarters of the season, Tennessee was scoring at a 1 point per minute pace (the highest rate under Josh Heupel through the first 14 quarters). That’s averaging 60 points per game.

Ending the 1st half at Oklahoma in Game #3, Tennessee took a knee on the final play. The Volunteers marched off the field with a dominant 19-3 lead on the road in one of the most notable games in the 2024 season due to Oklahoma’s first SEC game and Josh Heupel’s lauded return to Norman, OK. Heupel was Oklahoma’s National Champion QB and Heisman Finalist. As Holly Rowe, ESPN’s goated on-field reporter, interviewed Josh Heupel, he looked confident and statuesque as usual sharing common thoughts of cleaning up penalties and being more efficient in the 2nd half. Then on that fate-filled night, Tennessee entered the visiting locker room at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and closed the doors without knowing what the future would bring.

Since that moment, Tennessee has scored a measly 43 points in 10 quarters. They have been beaten coming off a bye week at Arkansas and have been held scoreless in consecutive 1st halves (had never been held scoreless in ANY half under Josh Heupel). After losing to Arkansas, Tennessee did complete an ugly win over Florida at Neyland on 10/12/24 but the offense has been missing and unaccounted for. Below are my initial findings:

Most likely:

  • Offensive tackles got hurt have been playing through injuries impacting their effectiveness.
  • Heupel has changed the play calling due to perceived (real or not) injuries on the OL.
  • Nico’s confidence was impacted by 2nd half play calling.
  • Heupel has changed the play calling due to ineffectiveness of QB play.

Real possibilities:

  • Oklahoma actually bottled up in the 2nd half at Oklahoma, masked by the conservative play calling narrative.
  • Nico is playing through an injury, causing his ineffectiveness.
  • WRs are playing through injuries, causing separation and route running issues.
  • Tennessee had a locker room breach (playbook left out, camera/audio into locker room, etc.) that has led to the team’s offensive signals being compromised.
  • Tennessee has a locker room problem. Could be NIL, could be injury holdout related, could be Heupel, who knows?

Unlikely but possible:

  • Tennessee’s offense is completely neutralized by the 3-2-6 and Heupel’s offense will never be the same again.
  • Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Darnell Wright, and Alex Golesh were the real reason why 2022 was special and Tennessee won’t ever be that good that again.

Probably not but 🤷 can’t prove it wrong:

  • Josh Heupel was kidnapped and replaced with an aged version of Bobby Hill.
  • Brent Venables Monstar’d Nico a la Space Jam and gave his talent to freshman Michael Hawkins Jr to replace Jackson Arnold.
  • Josh Heupel has post-nut clarity after finally getting revenge on Oklahoma for firing him and no longer has the will and desire to be a football coach. He will retire after the 2024 season.
  • Bob Stoops, who admitted he was “all Boomer Sooner!” in the lead up to the game, hired a sorcerer to conjure a hex on Josh Heupel to continue scapegoating him rather than admitting his brother Mike was the source of the 2014 Oklahoma Sooners problem.

Other evidence:

  • Temple opened at Oklahoma and lost 2 straight games following their trip to Norman.
  • Houston threw an interception and gave up a safety in the 2nd half (didn’t do either in the 1st half). They were also shutout in 2 of their next 3 games.
  • Tulane outscored Oklahoma in the 2nd half and since has scored 157 points in their next 3 games including a dominant 45-10 win vs Alex Golesh and USF where Tulane was less than a TD favorite (-6.5).
  • Oklahoma took a true freshman QB and scored 27 points on the road in an SEC game in the next week.
  • Arkansas’s DC was visited in the night by mythical spirits and compelled to completely change defensive schemes as a result of the 2nd half of Tennessee @ Oklahoma - thanks u/radehart

Coincidence? I think not. We have to get to the bottom of this and I won’t stop until I do - you have my word. Please forward any other evidence to the inbox of u/yousmelllikebiscuits via reply to this post.

Only Supporting Evidence Will Be Considered