The Opponent: The University of Oklahoma was founded 1890. It is very unique among large public universities, as its founding predates Oklahoma’s statehood. The school started off as Norman Territorial University, before being renamed the University of Oklahoma in 1907 when the state officially joined the union. Oklahoma first started playing football in 1895 and should be considered one of college football’s standard bearers. The school has seven claimed national championships, and 50 conference titles. Oklahoma has seven Heisman trophy winners, including four quarterbacks this century. All eyes will be on Josh Heupel this weekend, one of Oklahoma’s favorite sons. Heupel captained the 2000 Sooners to a National Championship in the Orange Bowl and spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach at his alma mater.
Are they any Good?: Yes, Oklahoma is a good team. The Sooners are ranked inside the Top 15 and are undefeated on the season. The shine has somewhat rubbed off this Sooner team in September though, mostly because of offense struggles. Oklahoma is replacing its entire offensive line, its quarterback, and its offensive coordinator. Struggles should not be surprising, especially given their injury luck. In light of those struggles, it is hard to say whether Oklahoma is a good team or a great team. Brent Venables does appear to have Oklahoma back playing very solid defense though. The Sooners are allowing just 11 ppg so far this season, and have already created 10 turnovers. Winning cures everything, and a big home win against Tennessee would likely set everything right in Sooner Country for the time being.
What will this tell us about Tennessee?: The good vibes around Tennessee’s program have not been this strong in many years. The Vols are attracting national attention and have jumped up significantly in national polls in recent weeks. That will happen when you outscore your first three opponents 191-13. Tennessee’s offense has looked both balanced and explosive. Its defense has looked downright dominant. You have to mention the competition though. That has been against one FCS school and arguably the worst FBS team in America. Tennessee’s only Power 4 opponent, NC State, has gone from ranked inside the Top 25 to 20+ point underdogs this weekend at Clemson. Fans and pundits alike will be lined up to say, “I told you so,” if Tennessee fails to deliver Saturday night. On the flip side though, a win in Norman with primetime national coverage would be impossible to ignore. It would likely solidify Tennessee as a prohibitive favorite to make the college football playoffs, and a serious national title contender. This is a major moment for Josh Heupel’s program.
What does Vegas say?: You could have bet Tennessee as an underdog in this game basically all summer long. That line officially flipped after the Vols dominated North Carolina State, and Oklahoma struggled to put away Houston. It opened this week right at a touchdown and has bounced around from Tennessee -6.5 to -7.5 all week. The Over/Under appears settled at either 56.5 or 57.5. It is worth noting that this is the first time Oklahoma has been a touchdown underdog since 1998, in a pre-Stoops game versus Texas Tech.
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Matchup to watch on Offense?: Protect Nico Iamaleava. While Oklahoma’s early season struggles on offense have stolen more headlines, this Sooner defense has been quietly outstanding through three games. It has taken some time, but it appears Venables finally has his unit playing closer to the standard he set at Clemson. The Sooners have 11 sacks through three games, and 23 tackles for loss. Like Tennessee, they want to play in their opponent’s backfield. I fully expect Venables to have an aggressive mindset against Tennessee on Saturday night. Oklahoma will want to take away the Vols’ run game, and force a young QB making his first road start to beat them. Ideally for Oklahoma, that will mean getting Tennessee in 3rd and long with the chance to come after Nico. It will be a big challenge for Tennessee’s offensive line. The Sooners are an SEC team, and have SEC-caliber pass rushers. Gracen Halton and R Mason Thomas have both started the season hot, with multiple sacks and TFL’s between them. Lance Heard sat out last weekend for precautionary reasons, but will be full go Saturday night. It is a big spotlight game for Tennessee’s prize transfer. One big hit on Nico’s blindside could change the entire trajectory of this game. Brent Venables understands how important this matchup will be in the game. The Volunteer offensive line has to play well on the road, and protect its quarterback, for Tennessee to win the game.
Matchup to watch on Defense?: Keeping Jackson Arnold in the pocket. For those unfamiliar, Jackson Arnold was a five-star quarterback in the Class of 2023. He ranked right alongside Nico and Arch Manning at the top of every recruiting service ranking. Oklahoma thought so much of Arnold that it quietly showed veteran Dillon Gabriel the door to make this Arnold’s team. Thus far, the results have been inconclusive. A large part of that is due to a rash of injuries within the Oklahoma offensive line and wide receivers corps, two positions pretty important to a young quarterback. It appears Arnold will get receiver Nic Anderson back this weekend, and maybe even Andrel Anthony. The return of Anderson is big for the Sooners. The receiver had nearly 800 yards receiving, and 10 touchdowns last season. That will help Jackson Arnold in his development within Seth Littrell’s offense. From Tennessee’s perspective, the Vols need to control the pocket around Arnold in order to have success. Jackson Arnold rushed for nearly 7 yards per carry, and 100 yards total against Tulane. It was his legs that really brought this Oklahoma offense to life in the second half. Tennessee has done fairly well with dual-threat quarterbacks over the past few seasons. It is the guys that can scamper out of the pocket, and extend drives that have driven the Vols nuts at times. Brady Cook has done it in each of the past two games against Missouri. Anthony Richardson was successful in 2022 with his legs. The Vols struggled mightily with this in 2021, with Matt Corral probably being the low point. Nothing is more infuriating than a quarterback slipping out of a broken pocket to make something out of nothing. That is what Tim Banks’ defense has to avoid. It obviously starts with basic containment on the edges, but it also requires the Vols to play stout along the interior. Tennessee’s defensive line depth should help with this task. Fresh bodies should do a better job holding containment. The Sooners have given up 9 sacks on the season. If the Vols can control the pocket, then they have the chance to flip potentially positive plays into negative ones. Jackson Arnold has five interceptions in four career starts, so can make mistakes when pressed. If Tennessee can control the pocket around Arnold, then the Vols have a good chance to win this game.
Fun Fact: Tennessee fans have certainly heard the phrase “Boomer Sooner”, and can expect to hear it more this coming weekend. Boomer Sooner is the official fight song of the University of Oklahoma, as well as its rally cry. However “Boomer” and “Sooner” are two separate, and conflicting, monikers for those who took part in the Land Rush of 1889. For those unfamiliar, the Land Rush of 1889 helped informally settle modern-day Oklahoma. An estimated 50,000 people took part in claiming up to 2 million acres of land made available by the federal government. The settlers rushed to claim their 160 acres at the sound of a gunshot at high noon on April 22, 1889. Not everyone played fair though. Countless individuals were hiding nearby choice parcels, instead of beginning at the designated start line. Their claims were often heavily contested, and they became known as “Sooners”. It was a negative term at the time, and for years to come in Oklahoma. Those who followed the rules, and did not enter the available territory until the appropriate time, became known as “Boomers”.
So what Happens?: Tennessee goes into Norman, where the Sooners have had the best home-winning percentage in FBS since 1999 (.917). It will be a raucous atmosphere and the game of the week in college football. Motivation should not be an issue for either team. In a lot of ways, I think this game reveals how mature Tennessee is as a team. The Vols have not played a four-quarter game yet. They have barely played a three-quarter game. They have not needed to as of yet. Have they gotten caught up in the September hype, or stayed focused on the bigger picture? Mature teams find a way to finish drives in the red zone. The Vols are 19-21 in the red zone this season, with 14 touchdowns (67%). In its four losses last season, Tennessee converted just 2 of 9 red zone trips into touchdowns (22%). I have made it this far without mentioning Dylan Sampson. The junior running back is averaging nearly 8 yards per carry this season and has been a threat receiving as well. Tennessee does not need Sampson to put up gaudy numbers against this Oklahoma defense, they just need him to consistently get positive yardage. The Sooners have some primetime players on defense. All-American linebacker Danny Stutsman is going to eclipse 300 career tackles this season. Billy Bowman Jr is an All-American caliber player at safety, with a lot of playing experience. Bowman is a versatile defender. He can come up and help in the run game. He can also provide help over the top in the passing game. This is a very good Oklahoma defense overall. That is all the more reason that the Vols have to cash in on their trips to the red zone. Defensively, this is another test for a remade Tennessee secondary. While the Sooner passing game has been fairly pedestrian to this point, weapons are starting to return to the lineup for Jackson Arnold. How balanced can Oklahoma be offensively though? Jackson Arnold is a threat to break the pocket with his legs, but what about the traditional running game? The Sooners have looked decent running the ball with Jovantae Barnes and Taylor Tatum. They go up against a Tennessee defense that has been outstanding against the run for several seasons now.
For all the pomp and circumstance surrounding this game, it will likely come down to who can control both lines of scrimmage better. Which team can protect their quarterback better? Which team can consistently run the football better? Tennessee has more depth, experience, and continuity along both lines of scrimmage than Oklahoma. That will be the difference in this game. Tennessee does a better job protecting its quarterback, and staying ahead of the chains with its run game. That allows for a few big completions in the passing game, including an active night for Tennessee’s tight ends. Saturday night will be a reminder of why Rodney Garner was one of the biggest hires Josh Heupel ever made though. Garner’s unit frustrates a patchwork Sooner line, and helps Heupel get the last laugh in his return to Norman. Vols 34, Sooners 24
