NORMAN — He goes by “Vawl Daddy,” and he wears half-buttoned orange and white checkered overalls, which leave little to the imagination, including an exposed upper thigh tattoo of Tennessee coach Josh Heupel smoking a celebratory cigar.
Before Tennessee’s 2022 game against Alabama, Luke Jackson posted on social media that he’d get a tattoo of Heupel if the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide.
Tennessee won, and Jackson stayed true to his word.
“See, that’s Josh Heupel,” said Jackson, as if the inked image needed explanation.
Jackson, AKA Vawl Daddy, was among the legion of Tennessee fans who descended upon Norman over the weekend in what was OU’s SEC debut.
Before the game, a 25-15 Tennessee win, we caught up with several Tennessee fans to get their takes on OU, the trip to Norman and the Sooners’ inclusion in the SEC.
More: Josh Heupel thanks former OU football teammates, players after Tennessee beats Sooners
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Luke Jackson was a little disappointed by Sooner fans.
“I come in with an arsenal full of trash talk,” Vawl Daddy said, “but you all have been so nice I’ve not even been able to let it go yet.”
That was a common theme among Tennessee fans.
“Sooner fans have gone out of their way to be nice,” said Susan Woodall, from Chattanooga.
“Everybody’s very nice,” said Mike Craig, from Dover, Tennessee.
“Like, nicest fans ever,” added Gary Davis, who grew up in east Tennessee and lives in Dallas.
“The fans have been marvelous,” said Walt Mock, from Richmond, Virginia. “We were just talking about how nice everybody was.”
Everyone was talking about how nice everybody was.
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Tennessee fan Shannon Stewart (not the former Blue Jay outfielder), doesn’t attend many away games.
He circled Sept. 21 given the novelty of the game.
“Now that I’ve been here, I’m definitely coming back,” said Stewart, born and raised in the Nashville area. “The fans, everything, they’ve been so nice, so respectful, I love it.
“I’m coming back every time we play here.”
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One Tennessee fan joked that the Great Smoky Mountains must look like Mount Everest to Oklahomans.
“It’s flat,” Susan Woodall confirmed. “And hot.”
“Where Knoxville is just hilly and hot,” her husband, Gary, said.
Tennessee fans left just as the fall weather rolled in.
OU football grades vs. Tennessee: Defense passes, offense fails in Sooners’ SEC opener
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Walt Mock’s grandfather went to OU. Walking around the South Oval on Saturday before the game, Mock imagined his grandfather doing the same.
“It’s cool just to see where he may have gone to class,” Mock said.
As for the game, Mock was ready to rid himself of bad memories.
“I wanted to get our revenge against Baker Mayfield for beating us in Knoxville,” he said.
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Father and son Greg and Gregory Hess wore custom OU-Tennessee “House Divided” T-shirts.
Greg grew up in Oklahoma, moved to Tennessee in the late 1980s but remained a Sooner fan.
His son, raised in Tennessee, is a Vol.
As a birthday gift, Gregory surprised his dad with tickets to the game.
“Big shock,” Greg said.
More: Who will be OU football’s starting QB? Jackson Arnold, Michael Hawkins now in open battle
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What do Tennessee fans think of OU’s admission into the SEC?
“Welcome to a real conference,” said Justan Spurling, Luke Jackson’s friend.
“I like it,” Walt Mock said. “Anytime you bring more competition, it makes the league better.”
“I like the matchup,” Greg Hess said, “but I hate the SEC.”
Vawl Daddy got the last word.
“They’re definitely more worthy than Missouri and Texas A&M. I’ll say that.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What did Tennessee football fans think of OU, trip to Norman?
