By Riley Haltom
The seventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers welcomed the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC with a 25-15 thrashing. The Vols held the Sooners to just three points until the fourth quarter. Two garbage-time touchdowns brought the score to a much more respectable 10-point differential for one of the SEC’s newest members. Current Tennessee head coach and former Oklahoma national championship-winning quarterback Josh Heupel got his revenge on his alma mater as he led the Vols into hostile territory. Here are my takeaways from the ranked conference win.
Vols Defense is Championship-Caliber
The Vol defense held Oklahoma to just a field goal until the fourth quarter, where the Sooners scored two touchdowns late to try to make the score more respectable. Jermod McCoy led the Tennessee defense in Norman, setting the tone with a fourth down tackle on the Sooners’ opening drive and an interception two drives later.
Through three quarters, the Tennessee defense had held Oklahoma to under 100 yards of total offense and forced a safety and three turnovers, leading to the benching of the Sooners’ starting quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Missing the Tackles
Tennessee was without starting left tackle Lance Heard for the second straight game, which left Dayne Davis to start. Davis struggled to protect Nico Iamaleava, leading to both fumbles that Iamaleava had against the Sooners. Additionally, the offensive line as a whole struggled to generate push in the run game at times, forcing the play calling to be more conservative. Losing John Campbell Jr., the starting right tackle, for a few series did not help matters. More consistent play from the offensive line is a must for Tennessee to compete with playoff-caliber teams.
Nico Iamaleava’s First Road Game
Nico Iamaleava looked confident in his first-ever true road game. Iamaleava has started in two neutral-site games that skewed orange in the crowd, and two home games in Neyland against nonconference opponents. Memorial Stadium was Iamaleava’s first true road test, and the redshirt freshman looked comfortable when he had time to throw the ball. Even with a struggling offensive line, Iamaleava racked up a stat line of 13 completions on 21 attempts, 194 yards, and a touchdown. Iamaleava did have two fumbles, but both came from his blindside where a backup left tackle was struggling. In a play script that did not favor him and a tough defense lining up against him, Iamaleava looked confident and in control.
What’s Next?
Tennessee has a bye week coming up, which will be major in getting the offensive line healthy. The Vols take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville the following Saturday, October 5. The Razorbacks are coming off a 24-14 conference win over Auburn. After Tennessee took down a tougher opponent in a tougher environment, the Vols will be favored to win big over Arkansas.