A game that had no fireworks for much of its duration got some late pyrotechnics — and, because of the pyrotechnics, No. 19 Oklahoma has a 31-24 road triumph, and No. 23 Tennessee still doesn’t have a big win to call its own under Butch Jones.
Oklahoma vs. Tennessee final score, with 3 things to know from the Sooners’ 31-24 win
The Vols held Oklahoma in check for just long enough to blow another big game under Butch Jones.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Vols held Oklahoma in check for the first three quarters of play, building a 17-0 lead in the first half. But Tennessee gave up 17 straight points to the Sooners — 14 in the fourth quarter — and then touchdowns in both overtime periods, allowing Oklahoma its first lead more than four hours into the contest on this amazing Sterling Shepard catch-and-run.
And then Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw the game-sealing pick in Tennessee's chance to respond in double overtime.
The squandered lead is the largest at home by Tennessee in its history.
Three things to know
1. Tennessee can play some defense. The Vols held Oklahoma to 348 yards of total offense on 87 plays, and harassed quarterback Baker Mayfield all night; if he was making a play, it seemed like he had to break out of a sack or two to do it. That defense held Mayfield to an 8-for-25 performance through the first three quarters, and though it did give up the lead at game's end, the concerns about the Vols after Week 1 were all about a defense that couldn't stop Bowling Green. Now, they will be about an offense that couldn't build on a big lead.
2. Oklahoma fought hard as hell. The last time the Sooners won a game in which they trailed 17-0 was in 2010. And as the fourth quarter began without even a single snap run in Tennessee territory, it sure felt like the Sooners could have packed up the wagons and gone home to Norman with a disappointing loss. Instead, they circled them, and scored 14 points against a salty Vols defense in the fourth quarter, then executed well in overtime to come away with a huge win.
3. The Butch Jones Era is still bereft of a big win. Tennessee had every opportunity to bury Oklahoma in this game, and even got a couple of breaks on fumbles before Oklahoma's rally truly began, with one by Dobbs getting negated by a whistle for forward progress and another by Jalen Hurd magically ending up back in his hands after a couple of caroms. And yet, at game's end, the Vols went from a 17-0 lead before a raucous Neyland Stadium crowd to a 31-24 defeat. Oklahoma may yet prove to be very good, but Tennessee's difficulties with beating good teams under Butch Jones now span all three years of his tenure, and the Vols need them rectified before they can truly contend in the SEC.
See More:
