Poll Report: Oklahoma Tumbles After Tennessee Drubbing

The Sooners slid in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll after the offense failed to move the ball against Tennessee.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables stands on the sideline as Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) walks off he field after a fumble during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Volunteers at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma took a predictable tumble in the polls after getting trounced by Tennessee. 

Josh Heupel got his dream homecoming to Norman as his Volunteers beat the Sooners 25-15 on Owen Field on Saturday night in a game that wasn’t truly that close. 

OU (3-1, 0-1 SEC) dropped from No. 15 in the AP Poll down to No. 21, and the Sooners fell five spots to No. 18 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. 

Tennessee (4-0, 1-0) moved up one spot in the Coaches Poll to No. 6, and one spot to No. 5 in the AP Poll after the win. 

The loss sets up one of the biggest weeks in Brent Venables’ head coaching career. 

Venables confirmed there is a full blown quarterback competition that will rage on the practice field this week. 

Jackson Arnold completed 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards, but committed three back-breaking turnovers that sunk the Sooners. 

He under threw J.J. Hester for an interception, though Hester had plenty of Tennessee defenders around him even if the ball got there, before twice fumbling one play after OU’s defense forced a turnover of its own. 

Venabels and offensive coordinator Seth Littrell pulled the plug on Arnold before halftime, turning the offense over to true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. 

It took a few drives for Hawkins to get going due to the offensive line’s inability to block anyone, but the young quarterback showed fight in the fourth quarter. 

He led OU on a pair of touchdown drives, first a 10-play, 68-yard drive and then a nine-play, 76 -yard drive to make the final score look more favorable for the Sooners. 

Hawkins ended the game 11-for-18 through the air with 132 yards and a passing touchdown, and he also added 22 yards on the ground on 12 carries, a number that would have been much better had he not lost 24 yards on sacks and busted running plays.

Moving off of a former 5-star quarterback recruit after just five starts is a difficult decision, but it may be the only option for Venables after Arnold has made poor decisions under duress due to the offensive line’s inability to protect the quarterback or open any running lanes for OU’s running backs. 

Whoever starts at quarterback will have the backing of an excellent defense. 

Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley can lean on that side of the ball, who did seemingly everything possible save score themselves to keep the team in the game against Tennessee’s high-powered offense. 

Now, the Sooners will head to one of the toughest road environments in the SEC. 

Thankfully, Auburn (2-2, 0-1) is also struggling to move the football. 

The Tigers have bounced between veteran quarterback Payton Thorne and redshirt freshman Hank Brown, though neither have performed well in Hugh Freeze’s offense. 

Failure to piece together a successful offensive game plan could see Oklahoma drop to 0-2 in conference play headed into its bye week, and things will only be tougher on the other side with No. 1 Texas waiting on the horizon. 

The changes must come fast for Littrell’s offense, but the group has shown few signs of improvement four weeks into the season.