Owen Heinecke, R Mason Thomas Teamed Up to Help Oklahoma Seize Momentum Early

Early in the first quarter Saturday night at Tennessee, it looked like Oklahoma was headed for a long, frustrating night.

The Volunteers scored on the game’s first drive, quickly forced a Sooners’ punt and then set off driving down the field once again, quickly moving into OU territory.

But Owen Heinecke started a momentum-shifting play, maybe Oklahoma's play of the year so far, when he came off the edge and knocked the ball free from Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.

That’s when R Mason Thomas took over.

Thomas’ scoop-and-score was so much more than it looks on paper., which was plenty significant in OU's 33-27 victory over the Vols.

And even that is pretty impressive, as Thomas’ 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown was the longest in Oklahoma history.

The run broke the record set by Nik Bonitto in 2021 with a 70-yard return against Kansas State.

Read More Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

• OU Overcame Slow Start to Deliver the Signature Win of the Venables Era in Tennessee
• Position-by-Position Report Card for Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
• 'When's Enough Gonna Be Enough?' What Venables Said in Postgame Radio Interview
• Who's Up and Who's Down in the OU Stock Report After Huge Victory at Tennessee?

It’s hard to decide what was the more impressive aspect of Thomas’ return.

First, he was still engaged in a block with Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman when the ball popped free.

Thomas reached down with one hand to secure the ball, then took off downfield.

Kitselman didn’t give up without a tight, working for nearly 25 yards to bring Thomas down before Thomas finally shed his tackler.

“That definitely set the tone,” linebacker Kip Lewis said. “We definitely carried on the momentum, carried on the juice from there.”

As Thomas rumbled toward the end zone, he felt something in his right hamstring and then things started going sideways a bit.

Thomas wobbled but never hit the floor, and teammates surrounded him as he neared the goal line.

He nearly stepped out of bounds but managed to keep the play alive with his tightrope walk down the sidelines and finally shuffled his way into the end zone.

The touchdown was the second of Thomas’ career. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in last year’s win at LSU.

Thomas didn’t return after the touchdown, however. But had already left an indelible mark on the game.

He had a sack and a forced fumble to that point.

Though Thomas’ night was done on the field, he stayed engaged with his teammates and with the action on the field as he remained in full uniform. 

After the game, Sooners coach Brent Venables said he believed Thomas would return soon.

Following a bye week, Oklahoma plays at Alabama on Nov. 15.

Heinecke’s uncle, Cory, had what’s now the third-longest fumble recovery for a touchdown in program history, a 69-yard runback against Air Force in 2001.

As good as the Sooners had been this season defensively, turnovers have been difficult to come by on that side of the ball.

Thomas’ play wound up being the first of three takeaways from the defense Saturday.

The Sooners had just four takeaways in the season coming into the showdown against Tennessee.

But OU dialed up plenty pf pressure on Vols’ quarterback Joey Aguilar, sacking him four times.

Heinecke, who made his first career start, finished with a career-high 13 tackles.

“Turnovers are a huge part of the game,” Heinecke said. “They sway the direction in a huge way and we just hadn’t been living up to the standard that we create for ourselves and the one that, historically, Coach V(enables) has been known for. …

“You feel the energy come alive on the sideline,” Heinecke said. “You feel the energy leave the stadium. It’s a huge momentum shift.”