Oklahoma had its first test of the season, and it passed—and ran—with flying colors.
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma final score: 3 things we learned from the Sooners’ 34-10 win
The Sooners’ fast, physical defense overpowered visiting Tennessee.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Sooners racked up 454 yards of total offense and controlled the game from opening whistle to final gun, 34-10. A 100-yard pick-six by Julian Wilson with about 11 minutes left was the icing on the cake, but this was a total team effort.
Of particular note was the Oklahoma front seven, led by rampaging beefdemon Jordan Phillips at defensive tackle and a lightning-fast linebacking corps. The Oklahoma pass rush battered Tennessee QB Justin Worley all game long, and the Vols' running game was utterly nonexistent until garbage time—the Vols were in negative rushing yardage until a minute left in the third quarter. Mr. Phillps, your thoughts?
This man is 334 pounds.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s ground game was its usual bruising self, with 34 rushes for 146 yards and two scores. That rushing attack wasn’t the whole show as it had occasionally become in recent years, but plenty of teams would take 34 for 146 against an SEC defense.
This wasn’t a perfect outing for the Sooners, of course; Oklahoma was 3-for-12 on third downs, which is not great, Bob Stoops. Two turnovers is two more than is ideal (though the margin was zero for the game). Knight went cold through the air as the second half wore on—the game was never remotely in doubt after halftime, of course, but that’s still cause for some concern.
But in terms of an early-season performance—especially in the context of the rest of the nation, which was chock-full of dumpster fires this weekend—Oklahoma looked absolutely formidable. No doubt about it.
Three things we learned
1. Oklahoma is a legit championship contender. The list of teams with a realistic shot at getting into the CFB Playoff is... well, it's much, much bigger than four, but not only is Oklaoma on that list, it's way high up, and this game proved why. The Sooners were dominant in the trenches, Trevor Knight is a legit threat—more on him in a bit—and he's got a very nice assortment of weapons around him (even the Belldozer himself at TE, Blake Bell).
2. Tennessee's got some talent, but it's a year away. The score is... well, it's not close. But late in the first half this was still a 13-7 game with Tennessee ball. You see talent at the skill positions—Jalen Hurd and Marquez North are legit weapons—and the offensive and defensive lines were fine. To be clear: few if any lines left on the Vols' schedule are going to be as troublesome as Oklahoma's were on both sides of the ball. So there's something building in Knoxville, without a doubt.
Hey, we finally joined Facebook!
3. Trevor Knight is the man. Kudos to Knight for this stat line: 20/33 for 308 yards and a TD, plus 17 more yards rushing and another score on the ground. That's a good Vol defense he did that to. Knight's not going to win the Heisman—there are too many players who'll put up gaudy numbers every year—but he's going to give Bryce Petty a legitimate push for first team All-Big 12 status, and if Oklahoma works its way into the Playoff, Knight might, might get a trip to the Downtown Athletic Club out of the deal. And even if he doesn't, hey, it looks like he's poised for a pretty rad year all the same.
See More:
