It’s hump day, which means we’re just three days away from a big Big 12/SEC clash between the Oklahoma Sooners and Tennessee Volunteers.
The Sooners and Vols will play on a national stage on ABC in Norman, OK. Before we get to the big game, we wanted to get some perspective from a Tennessee writer.
We went to the best and asked Zach Ragan, lead editor of AllForTennessee.com.
Joe Buettner: First off, GameDay won’t be in Norman. Is it disappointing at all the Vols won’t get the GameDay treatment?
Zach Ragan: Vol fans might be relieved to be honest. The last time Tennesssee was featured on Gameday (Sept, 2012 in Knoxville for Florida game) it didn’t go so well. Plus the Gamesay experience is more of a plus for the home team. Both teams should still get a significant amount of exposure since it’s the ABC primetime game.
JB: How have you felt about Justin Worley’s first two games and what concerns, if any, do you have for him going in to this game?
ZR: Worley is a much more confident player and a better leader in his second season as the starting QB at UT. He’s also playing better this year, but he’s far from a playmaker. Worley does well managing a game, but he can’t consistently deliver big plays. That’s something UT will desperately need against Oklahoma.
JB: From an SEC perspective, do you buy the Trevor Knight hype?
ZR: I don’t subscribe to the superiority complex of the SEC. I know it’s not a popular opinion if you cover an SEC team, but I look at each team independent of each other. To me, Knight is deserving of the hype. He keeps getting better and should give Tennessee a fit.
JB: What does Tennessee need to do if they want to win on Saturday?
ZR: They have to be able to run the ball. They haven’t been able to run the ball effectively this year and Oklahoma will have the best front 7 that Tennessee has seen this year. If the Vols have to rely on throwing the ball, it’ll be a long trip back to Knoxville.
JB: How do you see Saturday turning out? Maybe a score prediction?
ZR: I have Oklahoma winning. I haven’t decided on my final score quite yet, but it’ll be by a significant margin I think. Somewhere in the 17-24 range.
We’d like to thank Zach Ragan for taking the time out of his day for answering our questions. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachAFT.
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