Offensive Grade Report: Tennessee Vs Oklahoma

Tennessee's offensive effort gets graded following a 25-15 win that snapped a 29 straight streak of losses against a top-15 team on the road.

Sep 21, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Bru McCoy (5) reacts during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by a score of 25-15. This game was played in Norman, Oklahoma which was the first true road test for Nico Iamaleava.

The offense had a few hiccups throughout the game which makes this grade report unique.

Quarterback: B

Iamaleava did a great job managing the game against Oklahoma in the second half. The talented QB had a single touchdown pass, a 66-yard result as Iamaleava hit Dont’e Thornton on a strike. What keeps this grade so low is the two turnovers that Iamaleava had which were both fumbles. One was to be blamed on Iamaleava as he did see the defender coming and the other was to be blamed on the blindside tackle Dayne Davis. Overall, Iamaleava performed solidly on the road.

Running Backs: B-

The running backs could never really get going. This was an issue all night as this was the first game of the season for Dylan Sampson where he was held under 100 yards. Sampson finished the game with one touchdown and 92 yards on 24 carries. DeSean Bishop had a somewhat better game in the average per carry category having an average of 4.1 yards per carry on 16 carries and he totaled 65 yards. The field condition was very bad and the offensive line once again wasn’t great. Overall, they had a below-average game but this would’ve been an average game for most teams.

Wide Receivers: A-

There weren’t many targets that had good games but the top of the list was very good. Thornton finished with the lone touchdown on the day and had the second-most yards (73). He was bested in that category by Bru McCoy who finished with 92 yards on four catches and two huge plays. One that resulted in 42 yards. The third receiver was a huge drop off from the top which was Squirrel White with 13 yards on two catches.

Tight Ends: C+

The tight ends had their worst game of the season when it came to receiving. Ethan Davis was the leading receiver for the position group with 8 yards on one catch. They did a solid job blocking in the run game when Heupel elected to use 12 personnel — Two tight ends. This was overshadowed by the lack of offensive line play on the day which made some of these blocks non-impactful.

Offensive Line: D

They allowed tons of pressure all night long. This allowed the Sooners to force two fumbles, three sacks, and nine tackles for losses. The Vols were without Lance Heard in this game and was momentarily without John Campbell which both are the typical starters at the tackle positions. Dayne Davis was the replacement for Heard and was beaten badly on a play which resulted in the blindside fumble. If it wasn’t for the defensive effort these fumbles would’ve been way more impactful.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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