“Stormin in Norman” spoke with “All for Tennessee” FanSided editor Caleb Calhoun about Saturday’s top-25 matchup featuring Oklahoma vs. Tennessee. Here is what Caleb had to say about the 2015 edition of Volunteers football:
Q: Where have the Volunteers made the most improvement from last year’s game in Norman?
Calhoun: The biggest improvement the Volunteers have made is on the offensive line. Certainly a case could be made for Joshua Dobbs being an improvement at quarterback over Justin Worley last year due to his ability, but last year the line got destroyed in Norman, as everybody in the unit was starting just the third game of their college career.
There are three reasons the line is much better this year. For starters, everybody is back and much more experienced. Also, the unit is much deeper, as Butch Jones and the coaching staff brought in one of the greatest recruiting classes in history at the position, including six freshmen, three of whom were four-stars on Rivals and one who is a five-star.
Sep 5, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) rushes for a touchdown against the Bowling Green Falcons during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
But the most overlooked area where the line will be improved is the switches Jones and new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord made, moving their top two O-linemen to the left side. Last year, the Vols were torched on the left side by the Sooners’ elite front seven, particularly by linebacker Eric Striker. But this year, Kyler Kerbyson, who is much better than he was last year and was named SEC Lineman of the Week after Week 1, will start at left tackle, and Jashon Robertson, who converted from defensive lineman to right guard last year and was the best player in the unit as a freshman, moved to left guard. The improvement at center with Coleman Thomas should really shore up the left side and, in turn, dramatically improve the line’s performance this year, but it will still be tough against a good front seven like Oklahoma’s.
Q: Who are the key players on the Tennessee offensive and defensive units that Sooners fans should watch for?
Calhoun: In addition to Jashon Robertson and Kyler Kerbyson on the offensive line, Sooner fans will also want to keep an eye on quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who is equally as accurate and a lot more mobile than Justin Worley, the starting quarterback last year. Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara form a one-two punch at running back that could be devastating. Hurd is a power back with a huge frame who ran well against Oklahoma last year, and Kamara is a speed back who came in from junior college and ran 15 times for 144 yards last week against Bowling Green. The Vols are very deep at receiver and have a solid tight end, but the success of the offense will be dictated by the line and the backfield.
On defense, Curt Maggitt and Derek Barnett combined for more than 20 sacks as edge rushers last year, and both are back. Both of them could have a huge impact. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a veteran linebacker who tends to be all over the field. But the best player on defense is in the secondary: cornerback Cameron Sutton. In spite of the Vols’ struggles last week in the secondary, Sutton was never a problem, and nobody even threw his way. On top of that, he was a deadly weapon as a punt returner. Given how much Oklahoma throws the ball and spreads the field in its new offense, you could hear Sutton’s name a lot more this week.
Q: Which SEC team would the Tennessee coaches say this year’s Oklahoma team most closely resembles?
Calhoun: Going into the year, Oklahoma was very similar to a lot of SEC teams simply due to the fact that they had questions a quarterback, an elite rush defense, and an amazing running game. But since they (sometimes) run a 3-4 defense and had to replace lots of star power on their offensive line, the team they most closely resemble this year in the SEC is the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Sep 5, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones on the sideline during the first half Bowling Green Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma obviously had serious issues down the stretch last year that Alabama did not have, but both teams have multiple superstar tailbacks and the Sooners decided to open the offense this year with Lincoln Riley as offensive coordinator the same way the Tide have since they brought in Lane Kiffin last year. Both teams have superstars on defense and will be very hard to move the ball on, particularly in the running game.
Q: How big a home-field advantage is Neyland Stadium for the Volunteers? How successful have SEC visiting teams been playing at Tennessee in recent seasons?
Calhoun: Home-field advantage at Neyland Stadium on paper is not what it used to be dating back to the 1990s, when the Vols had a four-year run without losing a game at home. It has dropped off significantly recently. Since 2010, Tennessee has gone a mere 21-15 at home, losing three games every year during that time. In the SEC, the Volunteers have been even worse, going 6-14 at home over that time. The drop-off dates back to the 2000s, even when the Vols were still somewhat in their heyday. For some reason, they appeared to be better on the road than on home during that time.
All that being said, Oklahoma is going to Neyland Stadium at a rough time. The Vols fan base is probably the hungriest fan base in the country at this point when you consider how much the program has struggled recently – not losing fewer than six games since 2008 – compared to how loyal the fan base is and how used they are to traditionally winning. The Vols are expecting to be to relevance this year, and they view Saturday’s game as a way to signify that return. That type of feeling among the fans combined with being a night game on national television could make for a hostile environment.
Q: Both teams seem to be very talented on offense. My sense is that the defensive play and special teams will be the deciding factor in this top-25 matchup. What is you assessment of the key matchups in this game?
Calhoun: The most important matchup of the night is Tennessee’s offensive line vs. Oklahoma’s front seven. That was the top factor in the Vols getting blown out last year, and with all the shuffling by Butch Jones and the coaching staff to correct this issue this year, Tennessee has an obligation to perform well. Otherwise, it will be another route because that front seven of the Sooners has a case to be among the best in the country.
When the Volunteers are on defense and the Sooners are on offense, the most important matchup is the Tennessee safeties against Oklahoma’s slot receivers and running backs. The Vols were only half good last week at safety with Brian Randolph playing, but Todd Kelly is back this week to take the other spot. With the Sooners spreading the field a lot in their new offense, Baker Mayfield already showed against Akron he can utilize a lot of players. The corners for the Vols are pretty good and will play Oklahoma’s top receivers to at least a draw. But if Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, along with the other receivers, torch Tennessee’s secondary, Oklahoma runs away in another blowout.
Q: What is your prediction on the game?
Calhoun: Tennessee has done absolutely nothing to garner the respect they deserve in big games like this, particularly at home, over the past seven years. On paper, they are not showing themselves to be much better than the Sooners anywhere, and based on what we have seen from the Vols in recent times in major games that fans definitely want to win, they still do not have the proven mental toughness to win games like this.
The Vols have a third-quarter lead, but Oklahoma takes over in the fourth, and once they take a lead, Tennessee will not have the mentality to recover.
Oklahoma 34, Tennessee 27
Editor’s note: You can read my response to the interview questions posed to me by Caleb Calhoun about the Oklahoma-Tennessee game on the All for Tennessee FanSided website.