Tennessee vs. Oklahoma: Final Breakdown and Prediction
Tennessee is set to take on the 15th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners tonight to kick off conference play in a game with talent, drama, bad blood, and playoff implications. All eyes will be on two hungry teams to prove that they belong, ready to solidify themselves as one of the better teams in the entire country.
Josh Heupel is making his return to Norman and he will be ready to show the Oklahoma faithful what they lost when they let him go as the offensive coordinator in 2014. Heupel has a Tennessee team loaded with talent led by his 5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. On the other side, Oklahoma has a 5-star of their own in Quarterback Jackson Arnold. He and the Sooners will be eager to prove they belong in the SEC with a statement win in their first-ever conference matchup. The drama will be through the roof tonight as the nation tunes in to see which team notches the statement win.
Tennessee has been making headlines early in the season with their offense that looks back to 2022 form, and their defense that looks like one of the best in all of college football. Oklahoma hasn’t impressed like the Volunteers, letting inferior opponents hang around late in games. Don’t get it twisted though, Oklahoma has talent across the board and will easily be one of the better teams the Volunteers will run into all season. Brent Venables in his 3rd year as Oklahoma’s Head Coach wants to show that he belongs as one of the nation’s best, and what better way to do that than notching a huge win in their first-ever SEC game?
OU Offense
Like the Volunteers, the Sooners have an exciting young Quarterback in Jackson Arnold who was ranked just behind Nico coming out of High School. Arnold sat behind Dillon Gabriel last season to learn the offense before they let him loose. Arnold has impressed so far this year showing that he can rip the ball with anticipation, get out of the pocket, and throw it while also using his athleticism to take off when his team needs it. Arnold has also shown a tendency to brush off mistakes, which as a quarterback are the skills that make one elite. While Arnold has shown flashes of being an amazing quarterback, he has also shown a tendency to make serious freshman mistakes.
The Sooners feature a backfield of Junior Javonte Barnes and Freshman Taylor Tatum, both are shifty athletes with the ability to make guys miss, but haven’t been a factor for Oklahoma as much as they have hoped this season. This stems from the offensive line play which has been abysmal even against the lesser competition they have faced, but grace should be given in this area as they look to return C Branson Hickman and RT Jake Taylor. Even with their potential returns, it will be a tall task to keep the Tennessee defensive front at bay.
Oklahoma has some guys in the pass-catching game that are impressive. The leading Receiver for the Sooners has been Transfer WR Deion Burks. Burks is one of the better athletes that the Volunteers will see this season, he’s compact, quick, strong, and has shown it well this season producing three TDs so far for Oklahoma. TE Bauer Sharp has shown a nice connection so far this season with the young QB as well. The Receiver room looks to bring back Sophomore Nic Anderson who produced last year for the Sooners as a Freshman, with his return they will bring size to a room that has lacked it so far.
OU Defense
Head Coach Brent Venables has been a well-known name in college football over the past decade as he sported one of the nation’s best defenses during his tenure as Clemson’s Defensive Coordinator. From 2012 until his hire as Oklahoma’s Head Coach in 2021 the Clemson defense helped them to two national championships. He will have something schemed up for the high-powered and fast-moving Josh Heupel Offense.
The Oklahoma Defense has a base look of Nickel but will switch looks up to try and confuse the opposing Quarterback. The strength of the Oklahoma defense is up the middle as they are deep at DT with guys like Graycen Halton, Jayden Jackson, and former Vol Da’Jon Terry. The best player on their defense and one of the best MLB in the country Danny Stutsman is the anchor up the middle. Stutsman will look to cause the Tennessee offense problems all night.
Oklahoma’s Secondary has star power as well, especially at safety as they have a nice tandem in Billy Bowman Jr. and Robert Spears-Jennings who secure the back end of what looks to be a formidable and deep defense. The Veteran safeties will look to bait Nico into mistakes in his first career road start.
Offensive Keys to the Game
Take the crowd out of it
With your first road game of the year coming against a top-15 opponent in primetime you cannot give Oklahoma freebies. The crowd will be loud on Saturday night, and you must limit the effect of that. The way to do that is to play ahead and limit the mistakes. Keeping flags in the refs’ pockets will benefit the offense as penalties kill drives.
2. Establish the run and execute
Oklahoma looks to be one of the nation’s best in run defense, and establishing the run has been Tennessee’s go-to all season. Establishing an effective run game opens things up for Nico and will help make it easier for him in his first SEC road start. Dylan Sampson and the Tennessee offensive line are key to success.
3. Know your identity – speed.
Know who you are and execute what you know. Our pace is our identity, and if we go into Oklahoma and play our game, we will impose our will against one of the nation’s toughest defenses.
Defensive Keys to the Game
1. Get to Arnold and Contain him.
Jackson Arnold has been the anchor for Oklahoma not only in the passing game but in the run game as well. He is a young and shifty guy in the pocket, we cannot let him extend plays with his legs. Keeping him in the pocket will make him force throws leading to mistakes which is what Tennessee wants.
2. Limit big plays
Big plays shift momentum, which is a huge thing in a home environment, not only that, it can get the crowd going which affects our offense mightily. Oklahoma will have its fair share of nice plays throughout the night, but it is about limiting those huge plays. Our secondary can’t get caught sleeping or the young talented Arnold and his athletic receivers will make us pay.
3. Play with intensity
Give Oklahoma a warm welcome to the SEC with hyperintensity, we are bigger and can impose our will on them. Aggressiveness everywhere will tire them out, and we have done a fine job with that all season up to this point.
Prediction
Tennessee 38, Oklahoma 17
This is a top-15 matchup with what looks to be major playoff implications, but I feel Tennessee has one of the better teams in the country. The Vols are bigger and deeper in a lot of spots both offensively and defensively. I feel the Sooners keep it close in the first half, but Nico will settle in as the Vols separate in the 2nd half to earn the huge early season win.
