NORMAN — Saturday night will be Oklahoma's first venture into the SEC, but that certainly won't be the case for Tennessee.

Norman will host college football's biggest stage this weekend when they take on No. 15 Tennessee at Owen Field (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC). The Sooners have already challenged the fans to bring energy early and often as they look to make a statement that they belong in the SEC.

In addition to this being the Sooners' welcome party in their new conference, it'll also be a homecoming of sorts for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, who will be making his first trip to Norman as a member of the visiting team. Heupel quarterbacked the Sooners in 2000 en route to the national championship and then spent a decade on the coaching staff.

Heupel joked during his press conference Monday that's expecting fans to be quiet on Saturday out of respect for his history with the program. Venables joked right back during the SEC teleconference on Wednesday.

“I think that’s wishful thinking," Venables said. "I’ll say this — Tennessee has been in the most hostile environments in all of college football and has operated at an incredibly high level despite that. This won’t be their first rodeo from that standpoint. But at the same time, energy and momentum is a real thing and (the fans) can help create that here at home."

Here's a look at other notable quotes from Wednesday's teleconference

— Heupel joked that he's glad there weren't in-helmet communication devices when he was quarterback for the Sooners.

"With Mike (Leach), you had no idea what he'd be talking about if he was in your ear," Heupel said. "(Mark) Mangino, when it wasn't going well, if you did something he didn't like, you probably were glad that he didn't have direct communication with me. Looking over and seeing him on the sidelines was enough for everybody, probably. And I say that out of love and respect for Coach."

Heupel also mentioned that he expects his players to have difficulties with in-helmet communication this weekend.

"It's going to be loud. Hopefully we want to make sure that the green dot communication is working as well as the headsets for the coaches and make sure that we're able to operate as usual. I think in certain situations, obviously communication helps. But when you're in a really good road enviornment, it's got a chance to be difficult for the quarterback to hear too."

— On Tuesday, Venables recalled his first meeting with Heupel in 1998, which came just a few days after he had been hired as the program's new co-defensive coordinator. Venables joked that Heupel was "skinny," "frail" and "pasty,"

Heupel agreed.

"I probably was a little pasty," Heupel said. "I was hiding in hibernation in the early part of my life, but when we got there. I certainly had to continue to grow as a player. I might’ve always had a little wobble on my ball, but the staff there — Mike (Leach) and obviously the strength staff there did a great job of helping me transform, but really our entire football roster."