Tennessee football’s SEC opener is its hardest challenge in the young 2024 season. The only game that is comparable is the neutral site showdown with NC State where the Vols cruised to a 51-10 victory.
But Tennessee’s showdown at Oklahoma will be even harder for a handful of reason. It’s a true road game in what will be a hostile environment and the Sooners have one of the best defenses in the SEC.
However, one aspect of the game is similar to the Vols’ week two matchup against NC State. Tennessee will once again have a significant advantage with its defensive line facing Oklahoma’s offensive line.
The Vols’ defensive line has completely overwhelmed every opponent they’ve faced this year. It’s a key reason that their run defense is the best in the country according to estimated rushing yards per play. Tennessee’s pass rush hasn’t been fantastic but it has been good and the Vols have faced few opponents who have looked to push the ball down the field.
“James Pearce, he might be the best guy in the country on defense,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said this week. “And they’re really experienced upfront, very disruptive, very athletic. They’re long, explosive.”
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Oklahoma’s offense, and particularly its offensive line, have struggled badly early this season. The Sooners have been pedestrian in the run game with quarterback Jackson Arnold leading the team in rushing through three games. Most of that rushing success has come on scrambles and not designed quarterback runs.
The Sooners nine sacks allowed ranks 117th nationally and the offensive line issues have kept Oklahoma from finding any sustainable offensive success. Due to that fact, Oklahoma ranks 110th in third down efficiency and 122nd in three-and-outs.
The more-and-more I analyze Saturday’s showdown in Norman, the more-and-more I get the same feeling that I had before the Tennessee-NC State game. That Tennessee’s defensive line is going to overwhelm its opponents offensive line and that’s going to make it difficult for Oklahoma to move the ball on Saturday.
While I have questions about how successful Tennessee’s offense will be against a defense that will force them to have success throwing the ball, that is just a question. Oklahoma’s ability to move the ball against a defensive line that can overwhelm its offensive front is a true issue. One I’m unsure how they can navigate around.
Kickoff between Tennessee and Oklahoma is at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe are on the call for ABC.
