Tennessee Football: How Latest Injuries Will Impact Vols vs. Oklahoma

The Tennessee Volunteers were already in for a challenge with Oklahoma's vaunted front seven. But the potential loss of two key playmakers would put the Vols in perhaps an insurmountable hole.

UT head coach Butch Jones told the media this week that electrifying junior receiver Von Pearson won't play Saturday night after suffering an ankle sprain while blocking downfield against Arkansas State.

Freshman tight end Ethan Wolf's outlook is a little more favorable after he suffered a knee bruise against the Red Wolves, though he hasn't exactly received a clean bill of health.

For the Vols' sake, Wolf needs to play and play well.

Not having either of those integral offensive cogs at full strength could significantly alter UT's offensive attack against the Sooners. With their wounded weapons, the Vols' biggest supposed strength—pass-catching depth—will be tested.

"Well, the great thing is that's one position where we do have some depth," Jones said. "But anytime you take an individual with the likes of Von Pearson out of your lineup, that's a setback for you."

Despite the seemingly dire injury news, the Vols are actually fortunate.

Both Wolf's and Pearson's injuries looked worse than the prognosis, and not having them for a short amount of time is a small price to pay considering visions of "season-ending injuries" danced through the heads of UT fans as they were helped off the field.

The news on Wolf has gotten significantly better throughout the week, with Vols tight ends coach Mark Elder telling the media Wednesday afternoon that he believed Wolf would be "ready to go."

An already cloudy forecast for points will become even more in question if neither player can perform at a high level. Here's where the Vols will miss them most.

Run Game Replacement

USA TODAY Sports

As vital as Pearson is to Tennessee's ability to change games on the perimeter, getting Wolf healthy in time for Oklahoma is just as important.

That's why the news that he's progressing is huge for a UT team needing every weapon it can salvage against the Sooners.

The 6'5", 240-pound freshman tight end is UT's best all-around player at the position, and through the first game-and-a-half during which he was on the field, the sure-handed Wolf caught eight balls for 46 yards.

Those are modest numbers until you dig a little deeper into the catches. Two of them went for first downs, and three more were on first-down plays to set the Vols up in favorable down-and-distance situations.

Once Wolf left in the third quarter of the ASU game with an injury, quarterback Justin Worley didn't target a tight end for the rest of the game.

With the run game struggling (3.3 yards per carry), the Vols have been forced to compensate with a short passing game. Wolf is a big piece of that puzzle, and if he can't go, the offense will suffer.

Another place where Wolf excels is blocking.

He's much better than fellow freshman Daniel Helm and senior Brendan Downs in that aspect of the game, and with UT scuffling to generate positive yardage on the ground, it needs Wolf.

Despite all the positive vibes surrounding Wolf's status on Wednesday, Patrick Brown of the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported he was still hobbled, so there is at least some uncertainty about the level of his availability:

Helm will have a "tremendous opportunity" and see his role expanded if Wolf can't go, Jones told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan.

He's got plenty of talent, too, but it's in the best interest of UT's offense for Wolf to play because of the various strengths that only he can bring to an offense needing difference-makers—especially against a powerhouse like the Sooners.

Missing 1 Game-Breaker

USA TODAY Sports

Anybody who doubts what kind of game-changing speed and talent Pearson has needs only watch his 56-yard catch-and-run against Arkansas State.

Though Worley hasn't had enough time to let plays develop much downfield, and his accuracy has been off when he has had time, he threw a deep crossing route to UT's 6'3", 188-pound receiver last week that Pearson hauled in with space in front of him.

After sprinting toward the sideline, he changed direction on a defender and squeaked out a few more yards.

It wasn't the kind of play UT fans got used to seeing with another former great JUCO receiver—current Minnesota Vikings dynamo Cordarrelle Patterson—but it wasn't that far off athletically.

Pearson is special with the ball in his hands, and that can't be replicated.

Marquez North is the Vols' best all-around receiver and NFL prospect, but Pearson can make so much more happen in the open field.

Tennessee has other players such as Josh Malone and Josh Smith who are capable of making defenders miss, and they have to realize that potential immediately with Pearson watching from the sideline. Smith, for instance, needs more of this:

Schematically, not much will change for the Vols without Pearson.

They can still go into three- and four-WR sets with anybody in the country. Having a stable that features North, Smith, Malone, Pig Howard, Jason Croom, Johnathon Johnson and Vic Wharton, among others, allows you to do that.

But because the impact of those weapons has been muted by a struggling offensive line that allows pass-rushers through to Worley before plays develop, that strength has been neutralized so far this year.

In order for Tennessee to pull a stunning upset over Oklahoma, it has to block better and run better above all. The Vols also have to get huge games from Worley and at least a pair of his targets.

Tennessee's receivers have star potential, and they have to show it right now with one of the team's biggest weapons being forced to watch.

Injuries are part of football, but with Pearson not playing and Wolf possibly limited, opportunity abounds for some of Tennessee's other talented youngsters to help fill the void.

If they don't, the Vols are going to be flying back home saddled with only a lopsided loss to show for their trip to Norman and prime-time jaunt back into national limelight.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics gathered from UTSports.com and observations obtained firsthand. All recruiting information from 247Sports.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter here:

@Brad_Shepard