Tennessee’s offensive line needed a bye week – in more ways than one. Now, the Vols have it.

UT’s victory over Oklahoma 25-15 wasn’t just another win. It was an emotional slugfest that left the Vols drained, especially those that play on either the offensive or defensive line. Tennessee center Cooper Mays caught the brunt of the physicality in the game against the Sooners. 

While Tennessee’s defensive linemen rotate during the game, the Vols were just trying to hold things together on the offensive line with two offensive tackles out of the game. LSU transfer Lance Heard didn’t make the trip with a bum ankle. Starting right tackle John Campbell Jr., was knocked out of the game in the first half, with a lower leg injury as well.

“It was pretty physical on all fronts, all sides of the ball,” Mays said on The Vol Report. “They have a really good defense. Credit to them. We’ve got a lot of stuff that we’ve got to get better at that they cause problems with, but yeah, it was very physical for sure.”

Mays didn’t specify, but the Vols certainly need to get better at protecting quarterback Nico Iamaleava from an outside pass rush. The redshirt sophomore, who still looks like he needs to camp out at a 24-hour, all-you-can-eat buffet, was beat around a bit. Iamaleava was sacked three times by the Sooners, who forced two fumbles out of the trio of takedowns. Whether its protecting Iamaleava, him having a better grasp of the ball or just getting healthier, this is the week to do it.

“How nice is it to have an off week,” Mays said with a smile.

Mays added that games like Saturday’s win in Norman can make a body hurt – a lot. For those that don’t know the feeling, Mays described the pain as if it were in his “skeleton” for a couple of days after such a contest.

“You can feel it all over your body,” Mays said. “There’s like a natural just level of soreness and just fatigue and everything. It takes a lot out of you. It really does.”

The emotions of the Oklahoma game also probably took their toll. For those that haven’t been paying attention, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel won a national championship at Oklahoma in 2000 and coached most of his career there until his contract wasn’t renewed following the 2014 season.

When asked about the Heupel tie to Oklahoma a week before the game, Mays was unaware that his head coach had been fired by the Sooners. Mays knew that Heupel was a quarterback for Oklahoma, but didn’t know some of the salty sentiments Heupel might have for those that are running the Sooners’ program. However, as the week went on, Mays learned just how intertwined Heupel and Oklahoma have been over time.

“He definitely didn’t want to make it about himself, that’s for sure,” Mays said. “He dang sure didn’t want to make it about him, but everybody kind of knew what was at stake when it came game time.”

So how good did it feel for Mays to beat Oklahoma for his head coach?

“It was really good,” Mays said. “He’s a coach that really does care about the players and really gives us a chance to kind of make our mark, just do stuff that probably other coaches would want ‘their way or kind of the highway kind of vibe.’

“But, he’s a players’ coach. When a coach takes care of you, you want to take care of them.”

Mays knew that there was more at stake for Heupel against Oklahoma, even if he never admitted it in the preamble to the matchup with the Sooners. When asked why he thought Heupel got emotional, which is very rare, in the locker room after the game, Mays said he thought it was a culmination of many things.

“Being back where he used to play and just being in a familiar scene, that probably took him back,” Mays said. “Then he got a chance to get a big victory in a big road game with his new program.”

Mays said he felt like the win could “right some wrongs” in Heupel’s career and that the win probably provided some closure for the Vols’ fourth-year head coach. That’s a lot. 

Again, it’s good to have an off week, especially with Heard and Campbell on the mend.

“I definitely feel good about it,” Mays said. “I’m super happy about it. I think it’ll be good for the team, good for morale. Good for everyone involved. 

“I don’t think it could have come at a better time.”