Josh Heupel’s No. 6 Tennessee looked like a contender Saturday night in a 25-15 win at No. 15 Oklahoma in the Sooners’ SEC debut. The dominant Vols defense forced a safety and shook up Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold enough that he was pulled late in the first half and replaced with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. It was a sweet homecoming for Heupel, who quarterbacked Oklahoma to a national championship and was later fired as offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is dealing with key injuries, finding its way in the SEC — and a new quandary at quarterback. It was Hawkins who kept Oklahoma fighting in the second half.
Here are some takeaways from Tennessee’s win.
Heupel has a contender — that’s better than redemption
The Tennessee coach’s history at Oklahoma was much of the talk this week. Heupel’s return was triumphant, no doubt a priority for his players. More importantly, this win puts Tennessee in strong position early for the College Football Playoff. Two gigantic games remain on UT’s schedule, Alabama and at Georgia. The Vols will be heavily favored to win all other remaining games. This looks like it should be one of the 12 teams in the field. If it keeps progressing, it might be much more than that. — Joe Rexrode
Arnold out, Hawkins in
Oklahoma’s shocking quarterback change shifts the outlook of its season. After a backward screen pass bounced short of a receiver and resulted in Arnold’s third turnover of the first half, Oklahoma benched him in favor of Hawkins. Arnold (7-of-16 passing for 54 yards, 1 INT) didn’t return until late in the fourth quarter, when he handed off for a touchdown.
Hawkins gave OU a boost. A scramble on his second play from scrimmage ended a run of 10 consecutive plays that went for a loss or no gain, including two fumbles and a safety as Tennessee put the Sooners in a 19-3 hole at halftime.
After Dillon Gabriel threw for 30 touchdowns and 3,660 passing yards but was delicately ushered to Oregon to clear the way for Arnold, the five-star redshirt freshman, coach Brent Venables’ Sooners face a difficult quarterback conundrum. This season, Arnold is just 73rd nationally in passer rating and has accounted for five turnovers in fewer than four games. Hawkins led the Sooners on their first touchdown drive of the night in the fourth quarter, the first touchdown surrendered by Tennessee’s defense this season. He finished 11-of-18 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown. What that means for this season and the rest of Arnold’s career remains to be seen. — David Ubben
Vols are playing championship-level defense, especially up front
Oklahoma’s offensive futility in the second quarter of this game may be studied some day, and is worth a review. First possession: run for 0, two incompletions. Second possession: run for loss of 1 and a lost fumble, the play after getting a UT fumble. Third possession: false start, run for 2-yard loss and a UT safety. Fourth possession: pass complete for a loss of 2, two incompletions. Fifth possession: pass under pressure that’s a lateral and lost fumble, the play after getting a UT fumble. So that’s zero positive plays, two turnovers and a safety, minus-20 yards and the game essentially lost.
Oklahoma finally crossed the 100-yard threshold with 11 minutes to play. At some point, the Vols are going to encounter a capable passing attack — they have yet to see one through four games. But UT is loaded and connected up front, and that can put any offense in a bind. — Rexrode
Injuries catching up to Sooners
Oklahoma entered Saturday’s top-15 showdown with injury issues and suffered even more Saturday. Receiver Nic Anderson, who caught 10 touchdowns a season ago, made his season debut but subbed himself out after just three snaps and returned to the sideline in street clothes before halftime. The Sooners were already without Jalil Farooq, leaving Oklahoma without two of its top three targets against a Tennessee defense that entered the game ranked fifth nationally in passing yards allowed per game. Senior defensive back Kendel Dolby suffered a serious lower leg injury and had to be carted off the field. The offense struggled against a fearsome Tennessee front and managed just three points in the first three quarters. — Ubben
Nico Iamaleava overcomes protection leaks and ball security issues
The Vols missed injured left tackle Lance Heard at times, most notably on two strip sacks of Iamaleava. Ball security is the lone nitpick of Iamaleava on an otherwise encouraging night. In his first opportunity in a hostile environment, against a defense as legitimate as Oklahoma’s offense is questionable, Iamaleava was poised and accurate. He didn’t force passes but he took timely shots, including a gorgeous strike to Dont’e Thornton in stride for a 66-yard touchdown. His arm was needed for a little more than a half and he ended up 13-for-21 passing for 194 yards. — Rexrode
(Photo of Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott and Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold: Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images)
