The Tennessee Volunteers rode into Norman to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners. In a day of rough games, this was no different. We predicted that Tennessee would welcome Oklahoma to the SEC the hard way, but nobody could have foreseen just how hard this game would be to watch.
Tennessee Triumphs Over Oklahoma in 25-15 Win
Oklahoma’s Greatest Weakness
Head Coach Josh Heupel has not led Tennessee on a historic turnaround by chance. The best college football coaches have always known how to capitalize on an opponent’s weaknesses. Heupel is no different. Oklahoma has had a rough season so far in terms of offensive production, and the Volunteers took full advantage on Saturday night.
Tennessee won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, forcing Oklahoma to start on offense. Quarterback Jackson Arnold did a decent job of creating momentum on this first drive, but the Volunteers quickly shut the Sooners down. Oklahoma’s leading receiver from last season, Nic Anderson, finally made an appearance this year. Unfortunately, it was also his only appearance. When the Sooners opted to go for it on 4th and 2, Arnold lobbed a pass to Anderson for the conversion. Instead of sticking in open space, though, Anderson ran directly into the path of Tennessee’s cornerbacks.
He would not see the field again after being tackled and aggravating his injuries.
The Sooner offense would fail to capitalize on any gains for the remainder of the night. Even when the Volunteers fumbled the ball twice, Oklahoma quickly turned the ball back over to them. In fact, it took until the fourth quarter for the Sooners to gain over one hundred yards of total offense.
Whatever it was that Oklahoma’s Head Coach Brent Venables had planned for tonight, it was clearly not the right choice. The Sooners’ running game struggled to gain anything but lost yardage. Arnold, after a few failed drives, was rattled and this led to even more mistakes. Something has to change.
Tennessee’s Overconfidence
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee came in confident and ran wild on Saturday night. Quarterback and Heisman-contender Nico Iamaleava was unable to break a 200+ yard passing game. Dylan Sampson, the starting running back for the Volunteers, was shut down with only 91 yards on the ground. These stats are below average for both players.
Additionally, there were more than a few times when the Sooners’ defense caught Tennessee off guard. Robert Spears Jennings, Danny Stutsman, and Kip Lewis forced incompletions and sacks all night long. Jennings and Iamaleava had one memorable collision, in particular, that ended in a fumble. Oklahoma’s defense is one of the best in the nation right now and they proved exactly why against Tennessee.
Injury Report
The Oklahoma Sooners started this season with a roster that could go all the way. Although, from week one to now, the Sooners have had a difficult time keeping players on the field. Now, they’ll have to make do with even less.
Anderson was sidelined in the first drive of the game. Kendel Dolby‘s injury puts him out for the season. Da’Jon Terry was inconsistent on the field due to injuries. Taylor Tatum‘s game-ending injury came from a rough hit that sent him halfway under the bench.
Unlike the Texas Longhorns, these injuries are certain to be more devastating. For a team that has had to change plans weekly to adjust for injuries, the future is in even more doubt now. How Venables and the Sooners plan to compensate for this turn of events will be critical for the rest of the season.
By The Numbers
After benching Arnold due to three turnovers in a row, backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. hoped to turn things around for Oklahoma. In his defense, Hawkins did help lead the Sooners to 222 total yards of offense and prevented any further turnovers. Oklahoma also came out with 16 total first downs. Hawkins ended the night with 132 total passing yards. Arnold finished with just 54 yards. Hawkins completed 11 of his 18 passes for the night.
The quarterback was once again the leading rusher for Oklahoma. Hawkins came in with 22 yards of rushing offense, followed closely by Deion Burks at 18 yards. Jaquaize Pettaway was the leading receiver with 79 yards, followed by Bauer Sharp at 36-yards. The Sooners finished with just 24 minutes of possession time.
Tennessee put up 345 total yards of offense against Oklahoma. Iamaleava finished the night with 194 yards of passing offense. Sampson was the leading rusher for the Volunteers with 92 total yards on the ground. Wide receiver Bru McCoy matched Sampson with 92 total receiving yards. Tennessee finished the night with nearly 36 minutes of possession time.
What’s Next For Oklahoma?
The Oklahoma Sooners’ welcome to the SEC was a rough one. Any loss is a tough obstacle to overcome, but with a performance like this, it is clear that they have some retooling to do in practices this week. When your fans are leaving before the game is even finished, alarm bells should be ringing for the coaching staff. Venables has built an imposing defense, but his offense is lagging far, far behind.
Next week’s game is against Auburn, and it’ll be the Sooners’ first road game of the season. Can they survive the best the SEC has to offer? Or will injuries and doubt continue to plague them? Is Hawkins the new starting quarterback over a risky and rattled Arnold? Whatever happens, Last Word On Sports will be sure to keep you updated.
