The Tennessee football team brought its defense to Oklahoma.

The No. 7 Vols (4-0, 1-0 SEC) defeated No. 13 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) 25-15 on Saturday as coach Josh Heupel returned to his alma mater and former employer.

Here are three exaggerated reactions to the victory in Norman, Oklahoma:

Tennessee Football has the best defensive line in the country

Oklahoma’s backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. couldn’t get out of the way. The Tennessee trio of Jayson Jenkins, James Pearce and Omarr Norman-Lott rushed and caught Hawkins. A loss of 16 yards allowed a third-and-28.

These three had a moment on this play in the third quarter. It seemed like every defensive player had at least one moment.

It started with Elijah Simmons botching a run on the first play of the game. It never really stopped. Jenkins had a safety. Tyre West continued to dominate. Jaxson Moi shredded Oklahoma’s offensive line. Dominic Bailey pressured starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and had him throw a backwards pass that UT recovered. Joshua Josephs forced a fumble.

Lance Heard is the most important player in Tennessee’s offense (except Nico)

Saturday was a clear lesson in how important Lance Heard is to Tennessee’s offense.

Oklahoma had two strip sacks on Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The Sooners pulled backup tackle Dayne Davis out of the way both times. The first came down the left side with Davis filling in for the injured Heard. When John Campbell Jr. was out with an injury, Davis moved to right tackle and OU managed another strip sack.

There’s a reason Tennessee coveted Heard in the portal. They needed a true left tackle. They got one in Heard, who missed the last two games with an injury. They don’t have anyone else, and that was evident against Oklahoma when UT played the second half with the combination of Larry Johnson III at left tackle and Davis at right tackle.

TRANSCRIPT: Nico Iamaleava stats: Tennessee quarterback’s best and worst moments in Oklahoma win

Tennessee has a penalty problem

Tennessee received two penalties against Hawkins in the fourth quarter, which led to OU’s two touchdowns.

Bailey was cautioned for roughing the passer on the third attempt. Four plays later, OU scored its first touchdown. Linebacker Arion Carter was cautioned for touching the quarterback above the shoulder on a game-ending play. Four plays later, OU scored another touchdown.

To some extent, that’s the nature of having a strong defensive line that’s close to the quarterback, but these problems cannot be allowed to persist.

UT had 10 penalties, the most of the season, and also had a penalty early on tight end Ethan Davis blocking outside the field, similar to a penalty it took against NC State on Sept. 7.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilsonIf you like Mike’s reporting, consider a digital subscription that gives you access to all content.

This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee shows off country’s best defensive line in dismantling Oklahoma