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Tennessee finds itself down 20-7 to Oklahoma at halftime. But the score doesn’t tell the entire story of the first half.
The Vols are fortunate to not find themselves facing a much larger margin, benefiting from Oklahoma being forced into field goal attempts in the red zone.
Oklahoma’s offense looks as impressive as advertised. Trevor Knight has 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 14-of-21 passing. Keith Ford has 68 all-purpose yards and has scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Sterling Shepard has 99 yards on four catches and is averaging 24.8 yards per catch.
Tennessee’s offense has struggled to run the football. The Vols currently have a combined -11 yards rushing, while Jalen Hurd leads the team with 15 on seven carries. However, Justin Worley has looked impressive once again with 144 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-19 passing.
Worley connected to Josh Smith on a 40-yard touchdown. Smith leads Tennessee with 54 yards and a touchdown on three catches.
The most glaring mismatch is in the trenches. The Sooners have dominated the Vols inexperienced offensive line and sacked Worley several times. When given time, Worley has shown poise and can provide a comeback if given an opportunity.
After facing a 13-0 deficit, the Vols forced their first punt in the second quarter, setting up Worley’s only touchdown pass of the game. The Vols looked to grab momentum before allowing Ford’s second touchdown.
But Tennessee laid the final blow before halftime, LaDarrell McNeil picked off Knight to halt a potential scoring drive with seconds remaining.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
