The Oklahoma defense will need to play its best game of the season as it gets ready to host Tennessee for the SEC opener on Saturday evening. Tennessee enters the contest as one of the nation's prolific offenses, currently sitting in second in all of FBS in total offense per game (639.3 yards).
The Sooners' defense has only surrendered three touchdowns this year, and it will be relied upon even more against Tennessee, especially if the Oklahoma offense struggles to move the ball as it shown this season. The biggest ask of Brent Venables' defense will be to neutralize quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and it may be just as difficult to stop him as it is to pronounce his last name.
The Long Beach native has been off to a stellar start for the Volunteers, throwing for 698 yards and six touchdowns in three games this season. Up to this point, Iamaleava has lived up to his five-star billing and was rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class behind Arch Manning (according to 247 Sports).
The dual-threat quarterback showed Rocky Top what is to come when we led Tennessee to a 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl last season. While Iamaleava and the Volunteers' offense looked sharp in their 51-10 beatdown over then-ranked NC State, this will be the first true road environment for the 6-foot-6 gunslinger.
That's where the Oklahoma fan base in attendance on Saturday will come in handy. Not only can they play a big role in disrupting the Tennessee offense, but they can also put the college football world on notice that they need to be considered as one of the top SEC crowds.
If the Oklahoma crowd can do its part, then the same should be expected of the defense. Oklahoma will need to mix up its coverages and looks in order to rattle Iamaleava. Former Oklahoma standout linebacker Teddy Lehman believes that the Sooners can slow down Tennessee's rushing attack. Lehman added on his podcast (The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman), "We've been pretty vanilla through the first three games which is pretty standard. There's going to be a lot of stuff that Tennessee hasn't seen yet. I expect us to do pretty well against the run."
Morning Ted Talk:@TedLehman11 believes OU's defense can slow down Tennessee's rushing attack. pic.twitter.com/RK15Jd9axF
— The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman (@OK_Breakdown) September 19, 2024
Hearing that from a stud linebacker like Lehman should reassure many Oklahoma fans. We can all agree that Venables knows what he's doing on defense, so we should expect him to open Pandora's box on Josh Huepel and the Volunteers. If the Sooners can stop the run and get a pass rush on Iamaleava, then that should benefit the secondary as well, which has to cover multiple big-play receivers such as Bru McCoy, Squirrel White, and Dont'e Thornton.
Oklahoma also can't forget to contain Iamaleava and will need to prevent him from using his legs to create positive plays. Having a guy like Danny Stutsman, who can use his speed and pursuit to QB spy him should help.
Whatever defensive strategy Venables and Alley dial-up, Oklahoma fans should feel optimistic that the defense can keep the game in reach or even in our favor. The Sooners may be banged up on both sides of the ball, but the "competitive depth" that Venables has been preaching since he's been here will be in the spotlight come Saturday.