Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tennessee Volunteers

 Happy Saturday, Sooner fans. Today, the Sooners are in Knoxville, TN for a Black Out night game against the Vols. The Sooners, fresh off a hard fought loss at home last week, are now truly fighting for their season. 

The Sooners have to put it all together tonight to have any chance.

OFFENSE

Last week the Sooners found something in the running game in the second half with Xavier Robinson before panicking late and abandoning it completely. John Mateer was serviceable, but the fact is he's not a great decision maker and his touch is a C at best. 

Also, the Sooners have dynamic playmaking ability with Deion Burks, Isaiah Sategna and Jaren Kanek, who are often open and, as a group, are not getting enough good opportunities in the open field. 

Finally, the offensive line is absolutely the weakest unit on this football team. Ole Miss got pressure with a 3 man rush at times. Think about that.

Today, the Sooners need to figure out the run game early and give Mateer some simple reads. Get the ball out quick, get one of the three dynamos out in space, commit to the running game. It's a simple game.

For my OPOG, I like Isaiah Sategna to bounce back from a brutal fumble that irreversibly turned the tide in favor of Ole Miss last week. 

DEFENSE

If the Sooners hope to win any of their remaining games the Sooner defense simply has to be more opportunistic. At this point, they are still one of the better groups in the country. They are capable of getting pressure and they are good tacklers.

And yet there is almost a conservative aspect to this unit that is either coached or just part of who they are. The Sooners just don't take chances jumping routes or are not in a position to do so. 

I worry it's coached. If that's the case, we're sunk. You cannot win close games by being on the wrong side of turnover margin and the Sooner offense is good for two turnovers a game, easy. 

I'm not hating here. They are undoubtedly good enough to keep us in every game. They need to take chances in the secondary and not just chances trying to rush the QB.

I'll take Marvin Jones, Jr. for my DPOG

THE SCORE

I think the Sooners can come out of Knoxville with a win. I love that Seth Litrell might be tying boat anchors around the proverbial neck of Josh Heupel's offense. To win though, the Sooners have to win the turnover battle. They haven't done it all season, but they must do it today.

If they do, I'll take the Sooners 31, Volunteers 20

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Tennessee

 That was a pretty brutal loss to Ole Miss last week. On one hand, they played pretty terribly and had a chance at the end. On the other hand they lost a game they shouldn't have. Also, Lane Kiffin is a huge shithead. This isn't news (if you came here for that, there are, um, better options). Anyway, of the remaining games that was pretty much a must win as I would say the Sooners will have to run the table to have a shot at the playoff. A high flying Tennessee team isn't exactly the cure for what ails you in terms of the win column. The Sooner D has been good, but they have to be damn near perfect with the way the offense has been playing. The play calling on that side has been very questionable I would say. Continuing to run the same plays that don't work seems to be a resume builder for potential OC hires at OU. Similarly, going away from the only thing working last week (i.e. the run game) was baffling. OU had one good quarter offensively when they ran it down their throat. Otherwise it was BS gimmick plays and deep shots that never panned out. They'd better figure that out this week or it will be more of the same

Offense

Continuing my season long trend of picking the facet of the game that worked the week before, I'm going to go with a RB today. Matteer clearly has to be better, and if he isn't, the rest of the offense isn't likely to get much done. I'm hopeful that on reviewing game film from last week they might revisit that 3rd quarter when they ran with authority. I am going to switch it up though and go with Tory Blaylock this week. I like him to get going and get in the end zone.

Defense

I'm going to go with Owen Heinecke today. He's been a really good player all season for the Sooners and seems to consistently be around the ball when he's in there. I think he jumps a route and gets a pick today on top of a bunch tackles.

Score

I really don't like this game today. My head says this is Tennessee all the way, but my heart wants the Sooners so bad. I'm going to go against my better judgement and take OU 31-30 on a last second FG. Now let's get back in this thing.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner