Tennessee vs. Oklahoma: Game Grades, Analysis for Vols and Sooners

Trevor Knight and the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners secured a statement victory on Saturday night, defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 34-10 in Memorial Stadium.

The Sooners' explosive offense turned in another solid performance, piling up 453 yards against an improved Volunteers defense. Tennessee struggled to move the ball against Oklahoma, managing just 311 total yards in the 24-point loss.

How did the Volunteers and Sooners grade out?

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	C-
Run Offense	F	C-
Pass Defense	D	C+
Run Defense	A	B
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	B	C

Tennessee Volunteers Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Justin Worley had an impressive first half, completing 12-of-19 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Things unraveled in the second half, though, as he missed on 16 of his 24 pass attempts and threw two costly interceptions. To Worley’s credit, he was under constant pressure all night from Oklahoma’s stout defensive line.

Run Offense: Tennessee’s rush offense was overwhelmed by Oklahoma’s front seven Saturday night. Jalen Hurd had a pair of nice runs in the second half, but those were the only notable plays from a forgettable performance. Hurd finished with 99 yards on 14 carries, but the offensive line failed to open any consistent lanes up front. 

Pass Defense: Tennessee had trouble containing Oklahoma's dynamic passing attack, especially early. The Sooners threw for 229 yards in the first half, but managed just 79 yards in the second half. The second half dip had more to do with Oklahoma trying to grind the game out on the ground, though, as the Sooners were protecting a big lead.

Run Defense: Linebacker A.J. Johnson was all over the field, leading an inspired effort as he notched 11 total tackles and two tackles for loss for the Volunteers, according to Oklahoma's official website. He made things hard for Oklahoma, which failed to get a ball-carrier over the 75-yard mark. Tennessee held the Sooners to just 64 rushing yards in the first half and 82 in the second.

Special Teams: It was an unspectacular day for the Volunteers' special teams. Dervin Young averaged 20 yards on three kickoff returns and Cameron Sutton took his only punt return three yards. In the third quarter, Aaron Medley connected on his only field-goal attempt, drilling a 31-yard kick.

Coaching: It looked like the team was executing Butch Jones' game plan in the first half as Tennessee trailed Oklahoma 13-7 late in the second quarter. But the wheels came off after the Volunteers gave up a touchdown right before the break. The offense failed to make any adjustments in the second half as Oklahoma just overwhelmed the Tennessee offense all game.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A	B
Run Offense	D	C
Pass Defense	B	A
Run Defense	A+	A
Special Teams	C	C-
Coaching	A	A

Oklahoma Sooners Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Knight turned in another great performance, completing 60.6 percent of his passes for 308 yards and a touchdown against one interception. Sterling Shepard solidified himself as Knight's top target, but Durron Neal continues to prove himself as a competent complement and Blake Bell is a formidable tight end.

Run Offense: Oklahoma came into the game averaging 222 rushing yards per game, but Tennessee was its stiffest test of the year. The Sooners failed to break a huge run and averaged just 4.3 yards per carry, and star running back Keith Ford gained just 56 yards on 15 carries.

Pass Defense: Tennessee’s young offensive line had no chance of blocking Oklahoma’s defensive front. The Sooners notched five sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against Worley. They also picked off two passes, one of which was returned 100 yards for a touchdown.

Run Defense: The Sooners bull-rushed an inexperienced offensive front. The Volunteers rushed for -10 yards in the first half, but Oklahoma gave up a couple of big runs to Hurd in the second. It was still a very impressive performance from the Sooners, who gave up just 112 rushing yards on 33 carries.

Special Teams: Outside of a slightly subpar outing from the run offense, Oklahoma's only big letdown came from its special teams. The kick returners turned in an ordinary performance. Jed Barnett averaged just 38 yards per punt. And worst of all, field-goal kicker Michael Hunnicutt had one of his three field-goal attempts blocked.

Coaching: With this kind of talent and experience differential, one of Oklahoma's top priorities was to simplify the scheme and execute. That's exactly what Bob Stoops and the Sooners did in the 24-point victory. There was no need to do anything crazy defensively because the Volunteers couldn't block Oklahoma's defensive front. Offensively, Knight guided the Sooners to an efficient and near mistake-free performance. That helped Oklahoma coast to its third victory of the season.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NCAA.com.