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Tennessee Vols: #6 Vols Crash #15 Oklahoma’s SEC Debut

Jackson FreemanBy Updated:No Comments5 Mins Read
Tennessee Volunteers Nico Iamaleava
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) talks with tight end Ethan Davis (0) during the NCAA College football game against Kent State on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Vols accomplished something this week that they haven’t done since 2006. They went on the road and beat a Top-15 ranked team. 

This was by no means a pretty game, and the Vols definitely did not play their best. However, different position groups shined throughout the night to ensure a victory for the Vols. While the Vols are 4-0, there are still questions that need to be answered about this team after the 25-15 win.

STARS OF THE GAME

 

THE DEFENSE

The Tennessee defense has turned out to be everything that we thought they were through the first 3 weeks of the season. In their first “real test” of the season, the Vols dominated on the defensive side of the ball. The Vols went 19 straight quarters, dating back to last season, without letting up an offensive touchdown. In total, the Vols only allowed 222 yards, and gave up 2 garbage time touchdowns to make the score look a lot closer than it actually was.

The defense also racked up 3 sacks, 11 TFLs, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles, and a safety. The group played so well, it allowed Coach Heupel to take his foot off the gas, almost entirely, in the 2nd half. After finally having a “real test”, it is safe to say the Vols have one of the more elite defenses in all of College Football.

 

JERMOD McCOY

Jermod McCoy is going to end up being a superstar for the Vols. He is far and away the best DB on the Vols’ roster right now, and it showed on the field last night. Early in the game, McCoy forced a PBU on 4th down. Two drives later, he lurked Oklahoma Qb, Jackson Arnold, and picked him off to give the Vols the ball back. McCoy finished the game with 3 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 INT, and 0 catches allowed on 4 targets.

DONT’E THORNTON

Switching over to the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Dont’e Thornton had another big game.  He tallied 2 catches for 73 yards, and 1 touchdown. He would have had well over 100 yards, but his third catch was called back due to a phantom hold. This is Thornton’s second big game of the season, and he is seemingly establishing himself as the Vols’ WR1.

 

DeSEAN BISHOP

DeSean Bishop continued to cement himself as the Vols RB2. Bishop tallied 65 rushing yards, on 16 carries. He also provided a spark on the ground game when Dylan Sampson wasn’t getting anything going. Bishop has put up multiple impressive performances, for someone splitting carries with Dylan Sampson. These two could become a deadly two-headed attack moving forward this season.

 

NICO IAMALEAVA

Nico made his first official road, and SEC start this week. For Iamaleava, business was usual in this game. The young star finished the game 13/21, 194 yards, and 1 touchdown. Most of these yards came in the first half, as Heupel kept the offense rather conservative in the 2nd half, only allowing Nico to throw the ball 10 times. But, on his limited throwing opportunities, Nico made the most of them. He continues to impress with his accuracy and decision making, and there are a lot of positives to build on moving forward this season.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

 

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line was far from a strong point last night. Although they were down a few starters, the group got bullied all night. Running lanes were hard to come by, and Nico was sacked 3 times, 2 of them being strip sacks. They also have a developing issue with starting left tackle, Lance Heard. There are rumors swirling that the star left tackle is not actually hurt, but is choosing to not play for unknown reasons. If the Vols want to go far this year, they will need to figure out the offensive line moving forward.

 

PLAY CALLING

Play calling this season has been a complete mixed bag. There have been moments where the play calling has been superb, and moments where it is just downright laughable. There were examples of both of this last night. To put it plainly, if Tennessee wants to play for a National Championship, they cannot go entire halves of football calling inside zone run plays over and over. Tennessee needs to be able to keep their foot on the pedal in conference games.

 

OTHER RECEIVING OPTIONS

Besides Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton, there was very little coming from any other pass catchers. This obviously didn’t impact the outcome of the Oklahoma game, but in future SEC games, especially against Georgia and Alabama, more players will need to be able to make their presence known in the passing game. 

Despite those questions, the necessary groups played a good game, and the Vols got the job done in Norman. The defense is different than it has been in years past, and can actually be relied on to win games.

Luckily, the Vols have a bye next week. They will have two whole weeks to get the team right, and prepare for Arkansas and the rest of their schedule. The good thing is, the problems the Vols have are all fixable, it just needs to be done. The pieces are there for the Vols to be a dominant team on both sides of the ball, it just has to be put together.

 

 

 

The Vols will be back in action in 2 weeks, on October 5 after a bye this weekend. They travel to Fayetteville, AR to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. 

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Jackson Freeman is an aspiring sports journalist. He is currently a third year student at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He writes about the Tennessee Volunteers for Gridiron Heroics.

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