Mizzou return

Tennessee Coach Josh Heupel will return to Columbia, Mo., on Saturday when the Volunteers face Missouri, where he previously was an assistant coach.

Heupel was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Missouri Coach Barry Odom in 2016-17. Odom is now Arkansas’ defensive coordinator.

Calling plays for Missouri helped Heupel become a head coach after he had been fired as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, which he helped lead to the 2000 national championship as the Sooners’ quarterback. He landed at Utah State as offensive coordinator, then Odom gave him an opportunity to get back in a Power 5 conference.

“It had a huge part [in becoming a head coach], the success that we had in taking over a program that had a recent struggle in the previous year,” Heupel said Wednesday during the SEC coaches’ teleconference. “Having to rebuild the culture really from the ground floor in my opinion, and doing the things we were able to do. Our second year, we got hot at the end of the year and started playing good football, in particular on offense, but really collectively.”

Missouri improved from 4-8 in 2016 to 7-6 in 2017.

“The players are the first think that come to mind for me when I think about heading back to Missouri this weekend. The relationships you formed and the guys that were part of that experience. It was an awesome two years for myself and our family.”

Heupel left Missouri to become the coach at Central Florida, where he had a 19-5 record in three seasons, and now is in his first season at Tennessee.