The showdown among the top 15 will also be the opening game of the SEC for both teams, as they aim to get off to a good start in the conference playoffs after identical 3-0 starts to the year.
SHIPMENT INFO
For the second time this season, ABC’s primetime team of Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will provide commentary on Saturday’s game, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (locally: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on over 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the Southeast, SiriusXM (channel 82) and the SiriusXM app (channel 82), and the Varsity app. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (Analyst) and Brent Hubbs (Analyst) will provide commentary, while VFL Jayson Swain will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The pre-game show, “Big Orange Countdown”, begins two hours before kick-off at 5:30pm. The pre-game show will be hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a weekly changing VFL special guest. The Vol Network will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2024.
The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (live commentary) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the phone. This version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
WORTH KNOWING
Record-breaking start
Tennessee has outscored its opponents 191-13 through the first three games of the 2024 season. The plus-178 point differential after three games is the largest in SEC history and the second-highest of any FBS team in the AP Poll era (since 1936). Baylor’s 2013 team was first at plus-186.
The Vols have scored more than 50 points in the first three games of a season for only the second time in school history and the first since 1913. That year, UT beat Carson-Newman 58-0, Athens 95-0 and Maryville 75-0. UT joined Alabama in 2018 as the only SEC programs to reach the 50-point mark in the AP Poll era.
Dominant defense remains
The Vols have gone 16 consecutive quarters — four entire games — without an offensive touchdown, which is currently tied with Georgia for the longest streak in the nation. The 16 quarters without an offensive touchdown are the third-longest streak in school history and the longest overall for UT since they held their opponents out of the end zone for 18 consecutive quarters in five games from 1965-66.
The streak of four games without a single offensive touchdown is the longest for UT since November 5, 1938, to December 9, 1939 under General Robert Neyland, when they shut out their opponents in 15 straight games. The current streak began in the first quarter of the 2024 Citrus Bowl against Iowa.
This season, opponents have scored on just one interception return (NC State) and two field goals. In the FBS, the Vols rank second and third nationally in both total defense (160.7 ypg) and scoring defense (4.3 ppg) this season. UT is one of only three FBS programs, along with Georgia and Ohio State, that have not allowed an offensive touchdown this season.
Oklahoma Connections
Tennessee’s staff has numerous ties to the University of Oklahoma, as four of the field coaches have either played and/or coached for the Sooners in the past. Head Coach Josh Heupel returns to his alma mater, as the 2001 OU graduate led the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000 as a quarterback and was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. From 1999 to 2000, Heupel posted a 20-5 record, throwing for 7,456 yards and 53 touchdowns. Overall, he still ranks fifth in program history in passing yards and fifth in touchdown passes. The 2000 first-team All-American universally recognized led the Sooners to a perfect season, capped off with a 13-2 victory over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.
Heupel spent 11 years as an assistant at Oklahoma. He began his coaching career as an assistant during the 2003-04 season, when the Sooners reached the national title game both seasons. He then served as quarterbacks coach from 2006 to 2014. He also served as co-offensive coordinator for OU from 2011 to 2014 and coached Heisman Trophy winners Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008). Overall, as an assistant and as a player, Heupel compiled a 137-36 (.792) record at Oklahoma with 10 10-win seasons and seven Big 12 championships.
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Joey Halzle is a two-time OU graduate and played quarterback for the Sooners under Heupel from 2006-08. Halzle began his coaching career at Oklahoma as a graduate assistant and offensive quality control assistant from 2009-14 and was part of five Big 12 championship teams.
Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebacker Coach Michael Ekeler was a defensive assistant at the OU under Heupel and second coach from 2003 to 2004 Willie Martinez coached the Sooners defensive backs from 2010 to 2011.
Must-Watch Vols, ESPN College GameDay
ESPN College GameDay will be in Norman this Saturday for the ranked matchup between the Vols and Sooners. It will be Tennessee’s 25th appearance on the broadcast and its fourth during the Heupel era. The Big Orange are 2-1 in their last three games under Heupel when College GameDay is there.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the series 3-1
The Vols and Sooners will meet for the fifth time on Saturday. It will be the second meeting between the two teams in Norman (2014).
Tennessee is looking to end a three-game losing streak against Oklahoma and earn its first win in the series since a 17-0 victory over the Sooners in the 1939 Orange Bowl.
OU won the 1968 Orange Bowl and won back-to-back games in 2014 and 2015, including a double-overtime thriller at Neyland Stadium in the most recent meeting between the two historic teams. Saturday will be the first meeting between the Vols and Sooners as conference opponents.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Head coach Brent Venables is in his third season leading the Sooners and has them ranked in the top 15 after a 3-0 start to the year. Defense has been their flagship early in the season, as they held opponents to 11.3 points per game and 264.7 yards per game through Saturday’s game. Oklahoma also leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in turnover margin, having already recorded 10 takeaways (six fumble recoveries and four interceptions) through three games.
On offense, OU has been led by dynamic quarterback Jackson Arnold, who leads the team in passing and running so far this season. The second-year signal caller has completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 484 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions, in addition to rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks has been Arnold’s primary target in the passing game, catching 22 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman leads a strong defense for the Sooners. The 2023 All-American is second in the SEC and 10thth nationally in tackles with 33, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas has also filled the stat sheet with a team-leading four TLFs and three sacks, as well as two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Redshirt junior cornerback Kani Walker is one of four Sooners with an interception this year and also leads the team with three pass breakups to pace the secondary.
