Before I get into the details of Tennessee’s 71-0 victory over one of the MAC’s weakest teams on Saturday, I decided to skip the football story to Tennessee vs. Oklahoma.
ESPN’s commentators felt the same way. They began promoting the UT-OU game next Saturday as soon as the Sooners extended their lead against Tulane to 21-0. Oklahoma eventually had to survive a second-half comeback by the Green Wave and win 34-19.
The Oklahoma-Tennessee game is now well set for ABC, which will broadcast from Norman in prime time. ESPN will also be on College GameDay. Both teams are 3-0 and nationally ranked. Both teams have talented redshirt freshman quarterbacks – Nico Iamaleava of Tennessee and Jackson Arnold of Oklahoma.
But 3-0 records are not all the same.
When I predicted a 10-2 season for Tennessee, I counted the Oklahoma game as a loss. Now I wonder how big of an underdog the Sooners will be at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. In fact, this historic matchup — in which the Sooners will make their SEC debut — could be a bust, as unlikely as that may seem in the preseason.
No. 9 Tennessee has dominated three opponents, including 22andNC State, ranked No. 1, and coach Josh Heupel’s typically high-scoring offense coupled with a strong defense have already raised playoff expectations. But the lopsided results weren’t the only evidence of their superiority over inferior competition.
The Vols struck fast and kept striking, as evidenced by their school-record 37-0 first-quarter outscoring Kent State. Moreover, they didn’t lose their defensive prowess even as their lead grew to outrageous proportions. When they reached 37, the Golden Flashes had a net minus-31 yards in the running game — thanks to some wild center snaps — and had failed to recover a UT onside kick (if you’re looking for mercy, Neyland Stadium is not a recommended venue).
The 13thThe path of the number 1 ranked Sooners to 3-0 was completely different, which was mainly due to the weak offense.
Oklahoma even struggled to convert a third down in its season-opening win over Temple, and managed just 249 yards in a 16-12 win over Houston, which lost by 20 points to UNLV. The Sooners’ offensive performance improved in the first half against Tulane, but their drop-off in the second half showed that not all of their problems have been solved.
This isn’t all Oklahoma’s fault. The team has struggled with injuries to receivers and the offensive line, which had to rely on a third option at center.
Imagine if UT had to dig that deep down the middle. Remember how the offense faltered without center Cooper Mays in a loss to Florida last season?
Oklahoma’s attrition began after last season. The team lost a handful of offensive players, including two in the NFL Draft. And Cayden Green, who was expected to be a starter this season, transferred to Missouri.
So now you have a quarterback making his first start trying to make his mark behind a shaky offensive line and an injury-plagued receiver corps. Arnold also has to get used to a new offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell.
Arnold’s decisions were not always praiseworthy. He threw an interception for a touchdown when pressured by Tulane. But he completed 18 of 29 passes for 169 yards and ran 14 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
Iamaleava, who played just a quarter and a half against Kent State, was not hindered by a lack of support, as evidenced by his fourth career start on Saturday. In his four starts, no team came closer than 35 points to Tennessee.
But Oklahoma’s concerns aren’t limited to containing Iamaleava, who completed 10 of 16 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown against Kent State. Its offensive line’s dilemma could be exacerbated against Tennessee’s elite defense. Oklahoma’s quarterbacks have been sacked nine times in three games and have never faced a pass rush of Tennessee’s caliber.
ADAM: SEC football predictions: How Tennessee can make history against Kent State, more tips
Oops. I just realized I’m almost done and didn’t include the details on Tennessee-Kent State like I promised.
I’ll make it short: UT’s Dylan Sampson scored more touchdowns in the first half than fellow running back DeSean Bishop (four to two), the Golden Flashes finally crossed the halfway line midway through the second quarter, the Vols had rushed for nearly 700 yards by the end of the third quarter, and Heupel resisted the temptation to attempt a second onside kick.
And one more thing: My philosophy on one-sided games hasn’t changed. Bring in your reserves, but keep your offense going regardless of the score.
If the NCAA wants to keep game scores down, it should implement a “mercy rule” or prevent top-ranked SEC teams from scheduling games against Kent State.
John Adams is senior columnist. Reach him at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
