The Tennessee Volunteers are the sixth-ranked in the country and they will be on the road against the 15th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night. Kickoff for this game will be at 7:30 p.m. ET.
One of the star players to watch for in this game is quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Last week against Kent State, he completed 62.5% of his passes for 173 yards and one touchdown. Iamaleava will probably have a bigger role for Tennessee against Oklahoma this weekend. The Volunteers are 3-0 entering this game.
PFF Questions Whether Or Not the Sooners’ Defense Can Limit the Tennessee Volunteers’ Offense and Nico Iamaleava
Pro Football Focus writers Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman previewed the biggest college football games of the weekend. When the Volunteers have the football against the Sooners, they question can the Sooners’ defense limit the big plays from Nico Iamaleava and the Volunteer’s offense. They said:
“Running back Dylan Sampson has been the star of Tennessee’s offense so far this season. The junior’s 7.9 yards per carry are fifth among all tailbacks in the country. However, he’ll have a tough test on Saturday night since Oklahoma’s defense is outstanding at defending the run. The Sooners are currently second among FBS teams in run-defense grade (92.5) and allow just three yards per attempt.
In all likelihood, the Volunteers will need quarterback Nico Iamaleava to carry the offense in order to pull off the road win. The redshirt freshman has been able to rest on his laurels after an elite performance in Week 1, posting just a 56.0 passing grade in the past two weeks with two big-time throws and the first three turnover-worthy plays of his career. He’ll need to be sharper against an Oklahoma defense that’s surrendered just a 58.4 grade from opposing quarterbacks this season. Those signal-callers have just one big-time throw and five turnover-worthy plays against the Sooners so far.’
If Tennessee can run the football against Oklahoma, they may not need the quarterback to do much again. The running backs went off against Kent State last week. The Volunteers’ offense is so dangerous because they are not a one-dimensional team.
Both PFF Analysts Have the Volunteers Winning
With this being the Sooners’ first game of SEC Conference play, the PFF writers think that they will be in for a rude awakening. Max has Tennessee winning 31-20 and Dalton has the Tennessee Volunteers winning 45-23.
Max Chadwick said:
“Oklahoma’s offense struggles to find its footing once again while Nico Iamaleava makes enough plays for Tennessee to pull off another ranked win.”
Nico Iamaleava will need to make some key throws in this football game for the Tennessee Volunteers’ offense against the Oklahoma Sooners. Tennessee’s offense has looked impressive in the first three weeks and they will continue to pour on the points also.
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