Secondary
Daniel: It didn’t feel like the Vols got absolutely shredded, but 308 yards, a touchdown and 14 first downs through the air is a pretty good line for Oklahoma’s passing game. The Vols did snag one interception that kept OU off the board late in the first half, But Sterling Shepard (109 yards) and Durron Neal (71 yards) both had big nights. The entire defense busted a coverage on Keith Ford’s easy touchdown reception out of the backfield as well. There were a few bright spots, but the Vols were in trouble much of the night if the rush couldn’t get to Trevor Knight. Grade: C-
Houston: A few bad plays can ruin a night of good ones and I think that was the case for the secondary in this one. They were very good in coverage on third down and deflected quite a few passes throughout the game that would have been big completions for the Sooners, but they busted a coverage for a touchdown and again on a Sterling Shepard slant where nobody switched and Shepard ran free for a 45-yard gain. Credit Oklahoma receivers for making some very tough catches early in the game against tight coverage, but the Vols showed room for improvement for sure. Grade: C
Reed:The numbers are ugly. Tennessee gave up over 300 yards passing and allowed the Sooners to average a whopping 9.3 yards per pass attempt. This group also missed numerous tackles and had at least one busted coverage. I don’t think they played as poorly as the numbers indicate, though. Several times Oklahoma just made plays when the Vols covered well. That happens. Not a great day by any stretch, but not as bad as many think. Grade: C-
