The SEC debut for No. 15 Oklahoma is a stout test against high-flying No. 6 Tennessee

Published Sep. 19, 2024 11:28 a.m. ET

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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — It's finally here for No. 15 Oklahoma.

After all the hype and waiting, the Sooners will play their first Southeastern Conference game Saturday night against No. 6 Tennessee.

“It’s huge," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "I mean, this is a historical moment for this university and certainly the football program and all the athletic programs here at the university. So to be a part of that is really special, and again, the vision is it’s going to take us to a place that’s been the elite conference in all of college football. We’re taking an elite program and making it even stronger. And so we’re looking forward to an amazing, strong partnership.”

The Sooners will jump right into the fire. Tennessee has outscored opponents 191-13 this season, the largest point differential in SEC history through three games and second-most by an FBS team in the AP Top 25 era, which dates to 1936.

Tennessee is coming off a 71-0 win over Kent State. The Volunteers were so dominant that they offered to have a running clock in the second half. Kent State declined.

Tennessee is the first of many tough opponents the Sooners will face in its new conference. The Sooners also play No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 7 Missouri and No. 16 LSU.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge," Venables said. "And you know, the vision is for the end result is to have amazing success. Even through the headwinds that are ahead. I’m not naive to what that looks like either. And so navigating that as a head coach is a tremendous responsibility, a great honor, something I’m thankful for.”

Familiar coaches

This will be Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s first time coaching against the Oklahoma program he led to the 2000 national championship as quarterback. Venables was the co-defensive coordinator on that team.

Heupel was fired as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator in 2014, but things turned out fine for him. He had a successful run at UCF before taking over at Tennessee. He's 30-12 in four years with the Volunteers.

“Sometimes God — you know, his way’s the right way, even though we don’t understand it and we make a hard right hand turn,” Venables said. “And he’s got something better for you. That’s exactly what happened for Josh and his family.”

Defensive Vols

Tennessee has not allowed an offensive touchdown in 16 straight quarters going back to the Vols’ shutout of then-No. 20 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. That’s tied with Georgia for the longest active streak nationally. It's the Vols’ longest such streak since shutting out 15 consecutive opponents between 1938 and 1939. They join Georgia and Ohio State as the only FBS programs yet to allow an offensive touchdown this season.

The Vols have allowed an interception return for a touchdown by N.C. State and two field goals. They rank second nationally in total defense, giving up 160.7 yards per game, and third in scoring defense, allowing 4.3 points a game.

“We are definitely very proud of our performances, the last few weeks,” Tennessee defensive lineman Jaxson Moi said. “Now it’s time to focus on Oklahoma, playing stout defense against them as well as we’ve done the past three weeks and keeping that momentum going into Norman.”

Tennessee can run

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has drawn much of the praise for Tennessee's offensive explosion, but the Vols are getting it done on the ground, too.

Dylan Sampson has played only eight quarters along with Iamaleava making what he’s done even more impressive. He is tied for the national lead with nine rushing touchdowns. He’s second in the SEC and 10th nationally with 357 yards rushing. He's averaging 7.9 yards per carry, second-best in the SEC. He's posted half of his six career 100-yard games this season.

“It just means more”

ESPN's “College Gameday” be on site for the game. Moi said the atmosphere around Saturday night’s game is exactly why players come to Tennessee.

“You come here to showcase your talent against the best,” Moi said. “I’m excited for what our group is going to show, and I’m blessed for this opportunity.”

Dominant effort

Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas dominated down the stretch last week against Tulane and was named the Nagurski Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week. In a little more than four minutes late in the game, he had three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. He sacked Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah, stripped the ball and recovered it to end Tulane’s final threat.

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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

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