Former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops announced his pick for the upcoming Top 15 matchup between Tennessee and Oklahoma this week, and the answer may not surprise you.
In Thursday’s episode of his YouTube show “Coach Bob Stoops,” Stoops went through the big storylines surrounding the SEC game in Norman.
“Huge game to start our careers in the SEC,” Stoops said in the video. “It’s really exciting. We’re playing against a really good football team that’s great in Tennessee, coached by Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle, a guy who played quarterback for us here as well and is their offensive coordinator. So it’s a big game. I know our fans are going to be pumped and excited for it.”
Stoops spoke to the camera for about 10 minutes about Saturday’s game and all the storylines surrounding it. Stoops also paid high compliments to Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, his former national championship-winning quarterback at Oklahoma and a former assistant on his staff. Stoops made the decision to part ways with Heupel after 10 years together as coaches, but still holds the Vols coach in high regard.
Stoops is no stranger to major conference games and revealed his keys to the game from OU’s perspective:
“The biggest thing for me is we have to be good against their running game,” Stoops said. “Every one of the games they lost a year ago, people held them to less than 135/140 yards (rushing). That’s a big deal. To get them some three-and-outs, to get them out of rhythm a little bit, if you can come up with a play that will give them lost yards. Limit the running game. Put them in predictable situations and then come up with plays. And another thing that I don’t think people talk about enough is the offense really has to stay on the field and cool them (the OU defense) down.”
More from RTI: How the College Gameday Crew picked Tennessee vs. Oklahoma
Before the preview section ended, Stoops made his official selections.
“Of course,” Stoops said when asked if the Sooners would win Saturday night. “That’s my assessment in a close game. We’ll be ready for it. I know these guys, these players, have heard it all week, all summer leading up to this game. The coaching staff has heard it. This is a proud program, so I believe they’ll respond to it.”
No. 15 Oklahoma hosts No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Check out Bob Stoops’ full Tennessee-Oklahoma preview below.
