No. 6 Tennessee Visits No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday Night

Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma, is the place to be as the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers head west to America’s heartland to take on the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners.

It’s the Sooner’s first conference game since joining the SEC, and there are a lot of questions about whether they will be able to stack up against the high-powered Volunteers. For Tennessee, the vibes couldn’t be higher entering this one. The Volunteers are rolling not just offensively, but defensively too. On top of all of that, it’s the first time that head coach Josh Heupel will be back to the Palace on the Prairie since he was fired as the Sooners offensive coordinator in 2014.

Brent Venables reflects on Josh Heupel's "amazing" legacy at Oklahoma as player, coach ahead of this weekend's top-15 tilt vs. Tennessee.

"You really felt Sooner Magic was reignited (in 2000). And he was a catalyst of that. And people won’t forget that"https://t.co/f692zJ3eIA pic.twitter.com/BfghYEPksF

— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) September 17, 2024

Oklahoma Wins this Game If?

There must be more offensive production for Oklahoma than what they’re getting right now. They’re putting up about 34 points a game, but have been too inconsistent. The offense looked good against Tulane but needed a safety to survive a bad Houston team the week prior, where they only managed to put up 16 points.

While the Vols rank sixth in the country in pass defense, giving up just 105 yards a game, it’s a Vol secondary that hasn’t been tested to this point. However, if they want to test that unproven group, then the position players for Oklahoma need to step up and play better on Saturday. Oklahoma has dealt with injuries at the receiver position this year, and transfer receiver Deion Burks and tight end Bauer Sharp are the only two pass catchers for the Sooners with double-digit receptions.

Slow it Down

Slowing the game down will also be key if Oklahoma wants to pull off the upset. The best way to limit a high-powered offense that averages 63 points a game is to keep them off the field. The only way to do that is to run the ball and control the time of possession. One problem – Oklahoma ranks 67th in rushing, and their leading rusher is quarterback Jaxon Arnold. That is just not going to get it done against a Tennessee defense that only allows 55 yards a game on the ground. The Sooners hope to get some key parts of the O-line back before Saturday, but running back Javontae Barnes will need to step up, too.

Defensively, the Sooners need to find a way to force turnovers. This is a middle-of-the-pack defense, but a team tied for first in turnovers gained with ten so far this season. If they can make things difficult for quarterback Nico Iamaleava and throw off his timing, they could make him susceptible to turning the ball over.

Can Rocky Top Keep Rollin?

The Vols come into this one looking like a well-oiled machine on both sides of the football, but this will be their first real test in a true road environment. For Tennessee to succeed in this game, they must remain balanced on offense and defense. Many people think Tennessee is a spread-out and throw the ball 50 times a game team. And while they will go up-tempo, and spread you out, they want to establish the run game above anything else.

This team ranks third in the country in rushing, with 336 yards per game, and its main contributor is running back Dylan Sampson, who enters Saturday’s game in the top ten in both rushing yards and touchdowns. Iamaleava protecting the football and getting the ball out to his weapons will be big here, too. Tennessee has a four-headed monster in the receiving room led by Bru McCoy and  Dont’e Thornton Jr.

offense 🤝 defense#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/GN9tKEnVuc

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 17, 2024

Defensively, making Oklahoma one-dimensional on offense and making Arnold beat you with his arm has to be the game plan. The Sooners don’t have much of a run threat, and with the Vols being able to put points up at such a high rate. Oklahoma will have to throw the football which plays right into what Tennessee wants to do. If Arnold does have to drop back and throw the ball a lot, it will allow a fast and athletic defense led by Keenan Pili and Dominic Bailey to cause havoc and takeover the game.

Where to Watch

You can catch the game on ABC Saturday at 7:30 pm.