Tennessee football’s playoff dreams died on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium as the Vols’ coughed it up three times and fell to Oklahoma 34-27. The Vols severely outplayed Oklahoma in the first half but trailed at halftime due to a multitude of self inflicted mistakes and strong Sooners’ special teams plays.
Here’s four quick takeaways on the loss.
Tennessee’s Offense Struggles To Capitalize On Scoring Opportunities
Through the first quarter and a half, Tennessee was out-gaining Oklahoma 220-67. Yet the game was tied at 10-10 as Tennessee struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
The Vols first four drives all reached scoring range. But they only netted in three Tennessee points. Tennessee scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive to take an early lead. The Vols had it first-and-10 at the Oklahoma 24-yard line on their second drive before R Mason Thomas stripped Joey Aguilar, recovered the fumble, drug Miles Kitselman for 15 yards and then rumbled 71 yards for an Oklahoma touchdown to tie the game.
Tennessee’s ensuing drive reached the Oklahoma 22-yard line before a blown up run and sack made the Vols’ settle for a 45-yard field goal that Max Gilbert knocked through to give the Vols the lead. They were back at the Oklahoma 19-yard on the next drive but came up empty after Gilbert hooked a 37-yard field goal.
A late hit on Jadon Perlotte helped Oklahoma cross mid field for the first time on its ensuing drive before Tate Sandell bombed a 55-yard field goal through.
Turnovers Cost Tennessee
Oklahoma had forced just four turnovers entering Saturday’s game while Tennessee had forced turnovers at an extremely high rate. But the Sooners forced three first half turnovers that proved massive as the Sooners went into the locker room at halftime with a lead despite being severely out played.
The previously mentioned Aguilar fumble gave Oklahoma its lone first half touchdown and kept Tennessee from taking control of the game early. But it was two terrible interceptions from Joey Aguilar later in the first half that proved nearly as costly.
Tied late in the first half, Aguilar threw into double coverage down the field and Peyton Bowen made him pay, intercepting the pass and returning back to the Sooners’ own 41-yard line. Oklahoma took advantage, taking the lead on a Tate Sandell 51-yard line.
Looking to get points before halftime, Aguilar wildly overthrew Ethan Davis over the middle and Robert Spears-Jennings intercepted it and returned it deep into Tennessee territory to set up a 40-yard field goal. Despite totaling just 99 yards of offense in the first half, Oklahoma scored 16 points.
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Tennessee’s Offense Fails To Find Consistent Success In The Second Half
There were some similarities between Tennessee’s offensive performance in both the first and second half. The Vols opened each half with a touchdown before struggling to sustain that success.
But there were a lot of differences in the details. While Tennessee moved the ball in the first half but failed to capitalize with points, the Vols could not get anything going in the second half. Tennessee’s second and third drives in the second half were each three-and-outs. The first came after the Vols’ defense forced a turnover in the red zone.
Tennessee’s fourth drive crossed midfield before freshman Jack Van Dorselaer dropped a pass on fourth down that would have moved the sticks. The Vols inability to get the run game going finally came back to cost them as the chunk plays in the passing game dried up.
The Vols scored one late game touchdown that gave them a fighting chance in the final two minutes. But it was too little too late.
The one consistent theme for Tennessee’s offense was its struggles blocking Oklahoma. They rushed for just 59 yards while the Sooners sacked Aguilar four times.
Press The Kicking Game. Here Is Where The Breaks Are Made
General Neyland’s sixth game maxim came into play in a major way. Tennessee missed a short field goal in the first half while Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell was money.
Sandell knocked in attempts from 55 yards, 51 yards, 40 yards and then a 55 yarder that extended Oklahoma’s lead to two possessions in the fourth quarter.
The Sooners bombing in three field goals while Gilbert missed a field goal shorter than 40 yards proved to be a massive difference in the game. Gilbert got a little bit of redemption, knocking through a 48-yard field goal late. But Tennessee was unable to recover the onside kick to make it matter.
