On paper, Tennessee’s 34-10 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma leaves plenty to be desired.

The Vols struggled to keep up with the overmatched Sooners, as was shown in the final score. However, Tennessee fans should remain optimistic of their team’s rebuilding process moving forward.

Consider this, would the Vols of recent years past fare any better in Norman against one of the most balanced Oklahoma teams of the Bob Stoops era? Would a Derek Dooley coached team even be able to score a point, let alone hold the Sooners to 34?

If the answer to either of those questions is yes, you haven’t paid enough attention to Tennessee football during its fall from grace. Granted the offensive line looked terrible against the nation’s top pass rush, the Vols showed glimpses of a team making improvements at several positions.

When he wasn’t on the ground, Justin Worley looked like the prolific passer we saw in his first two games against weaker competition. Worley’s improvement from 2013 to 2014 has been outstanding and he looks like a completely different player.

Jalen Hurd has been even better than advertised, which is something considering he was dubbed the crown jewel of Tennessee’s top-5 recruiting class. Hurd leads the Vols in rushing yards and has seen the most attempts from the backfield, despite still being listed second on the team’s depth chart.

As a corps, the wide receivers look to be one of the most talented groups in the country. The Vols have seen expected results from Marquez North and drastic improvement from Josh Smith. Josh Malone has the potential to be an elite SEC player wide receiver once he sees more reps and gains experience. If Von Pearson is able to return from a high ankle sprain, Tennessee will hold a favorable matchup against most pass defenses.

The defense showed determination and fight against one of the nation’s top offenses. A.J. Johnson, to no one’s surprise, played like one of the top linebackers in college football. Tennessee’s young defensive line looks to be a force moving forward with Derek Barnett and several other current and incoming freshmen prospects. Cam Sutton even made some big plays at cornerback, despite allowing Sterling Shepard to gain 109 yards receiving.

I’ve always felt that “moral victories” are somewhat of a cop out, especially considering the spread was even less than the outcome. However, if you take away a few late-game desperation plays, the score would have been much closer.

Tennessee definitely looked far more impressive against a top-4 team in its first road game than most expected and fans should remain optimistic of where Butch Jones is taking this program. Give it time, Vol fans, you’re team is definitely in good hands.