by Riley Haltom
The No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers will play the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman this Saturday, September 21, on ABC in a primetime 7:30 E.T. matchup. This Saturday will be Oklahoma’s first SEC matchup since joining the conference in July. With College Gameday in attendance, the matchup is highly anticipated by fans of both teams and fans of college football alike.
Heupel’s Return to Norman
The game also marks a homecoming for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, who led the Sooners to a national championship as their quarterback in 2000. Heupel returned to the Sooners as a coach and worked his way up to offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops, the head coach at the time. Following the 2015 season, Oklahoma did not renew Heupel’s contract. After some time at Utah State and Missouri, Heupel landed the head coaching position at UCF under UCF’s athletic director Danny White. White was hired to Tennessee, brought Heupel with him, and now, a few years later, Heupel makes a highly anticipated return to Oklahoma. Current Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables spoke highly of Heupel’s impact on Oklahoma.
“Make no mistake, Oklahoma fans are going to want to see Coach Heupel take a loss on Saturday night,” said Venables. “And there will be no one that feels bad if they don’t do well, we know that. But people pull for people. And I think this is one of those times that you put the logo aside. He’s got an amazing legacy at this university. And sometimes, God, you know, his way’s the right way, even though we don’t understand it. And we make a hard right-hand turn and he’s got something better for you. And that’s exactly what happened for Josh and his family.”
Tennessee Favored to Win
Tennessee opens as a touchdown favorite against Oklahoma. This is the first time the Sooners are a touchdown home underdog since Nov. 21, 1998, vs Texas Tech. A ranked Oklahoma team hasn’t been a home underdog of more than 4 points since at least 1978. But why?
The Sooners are 3-0 on the season, with a dominant 51-3 win over Temple to start the season. However, week two was a home matchup with Houston. The Sooners won an unconvincing 16-12 contest with the Big 12 middle-of-the-pack Cougars. In week three, they pulled away late from Tulane, winning that one 34-19. The Sooner offensive line has allowed nine sacks on the year, a statistic that is more important when you consider the fact that Oklahoma has yet to face a defensive line as strong as Tennessee’s. I’d say that is the key matchup in this game. How will the Oklahoma offensive line protect Jackson Arnold and create lanes in the run game against the top-of-the-country Tennessee front seven?
Here are some key stats to keep in mind. The Sooners rank 73rd in offensive efficiency and 21st in defensive efficiency, while the Vols rank 5th in offensive efficiency and 1st in defensive efficiency according to FPI.
Oklahoma Players to Watch
Oklahoma starting quarterback Jackson Arnold is the biggest weapon the Sooners have. Arnold has 484 yards, seven touchdowns, and two picks through the air. Arnold has also carried the ball 36 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The sophomore looked his best last week against Tulane.
Junior receiver Deion Burks has been a playmaker for the Sooners this season. Burks has 22 catches for 169 yards and three touchdown grabs so far. The Purdue transfer has elite explosiveness throughout the route and after the catch and will be a tough matchup for the Tennessee secondary.
A pair of senior defensive players anchor the Sooner defense. Defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. had six picks last year, returning half of those for touchdowns. He already has one pick this year, a fourth-quarter sealer against Tulane. He’ll be a presence in the secondary, making things harder for Nico Iamaleava.
Linebacker Danny Stutsman has had back-to-back 100 tackle seasons and is already up to 33 this season. Stutsman has forced five turnovers over his career. Stutsman will be the toughest test running back Dylan Sampson will have faced this season.
Tennessee Players to Watch
How will Nico Iamaleava handle his first true road game in his young career? Memorial Stadium is no easy place to play, so will the redshirt freshman be able to handle the pressure? Iamaleava, through three games (although he has played only one full game), has thrown for 698 yards, six touchdowns, two picks, and over 70% completion. He has also rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown.
Dylan Sampson is in the conversation for best running back in the country, in the top 10 of most statistical categories and tied for most rushing touchdowns in the country currently. Keep in mind, Sampson did not play the entire second half of the Chattanooga and Kent State games. Sampson will face his toughest challenge against Oklahoma, but with talent on Sampson’s level and a tendency to run the football like Josh Heupel’s, expect Sampson to keep it up.
James Pearce Jr. has been frighteningly quiet so far. Pearce has recorded just one tackle on the season, a far cry from the expectations fans and experts alike had for him. So why? Pearce played just 10 snaps against Chattanooga and just 14 against Kent State. Kent State attempted five passes on Pearce’s snaps. He had three hurries, including one that would have surely been a sack without an egregious holding penalty. The quiet performance against NC State worries me, but expect more James Pearce Jr. against an Oklahoma offensive line that has surrendered nine sacks on the season. Start sounding the alarms if Pearce doesn’t perform well against the Sooners.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 E.T. on ABC.