Oklahoma got off to a really slow start against Akron; their first 9 drives resulted in 17 points. Coming out of the half, they caught fire and ran away with it; opening with a one play 76 yard pass to Mixon Baker Mayfield had 6 carries for 8 yards and was 23 of 33 for 388 yards and 3 Tds. 10 Oklahoma players had receptions OU's offensive line struggled against the Akron's DL early on Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon (run and hide women of Knoxville, he'll punch you in the face) combined for for 60 yards rushing on 16 carries. Perrine averaged 3 yards a carry, Mixon 5.4. Mixon was also their leading receiver, 3 catches for 115 yards Oklahoma's offensive line committed 3 penalties in the first 3 drives Akron's QB was horrible throwing it and was replaced after half time. He didn't complete a pass in the first half. The backup didn't fare much better, 6 of 17 for 88 yards in the second half Lincoln Riley admitted to nerves being a problem early on for him and the Sooners offense in the post game. So, they were nervous before playing a patsy in the home opener. We all watched Tennessee and know what they did. So, the matchups: Is Oklahoma serious about running the football? It didn't seem that way against Akron. The Zips were blowing up their running plays and the Sooner OL didn't look real interested in run blocking. The bad part is Tennessee's apparent weakness is the passing defense. I expect it to be better with Martinez in the booth and a healthy Todd Kelly Jr. Hopefully, we'll see Justin Martin a lot on defense. If Tennessee can make Oklahoma one dimensional, even if it's what Oklahoma wants to do, that frees up Barnett and Maggitt to just play kill the QB. Oklahoma lost both tackles to graduation last year. Oklahoma's defense boasts All World everything Eric Striker and an All American corner Zack Sanchez. Sanchez gave up a few catches in Norman last year, but also had a pick. Tennessee's offensive line was awful in Norman last year, but the line has changed quite a bit and there's no longer a statue at QB. I expect to see a lot of Hurd and a lot of Kamara to try and slow Striker down, then a lot of throws over the middle to Wolf. Dobbs is a smart QB that isn't going to force it. Getting Pig back should help a lot, but the offense didn't really miss him Saturday. It wouldn't surprise me to see this turn into a track meet and the first team to turn it over loses. It also wouldn't surprise me to see a low scoring affair where both teams are scared to take a deep shot downfield and it turns into 3 and outs. These tempo offenses, if they ever get off track, bog down. Both Oklahoma and Tennessee have the defensive players to do it, but both have the offensive players to blow up a scoreboard as well. Both teams are able to score a lot in a hurry, so no lead will be safe. Tennessee wins if they can get pressure with the front four and Cam takes Sterling Sheppard out of the ball game. Harassing Mayfield all game is really the key, the more pressure got to him at TTU, the dumber he got with the ball. Another nice day of returns on special teams wouldn't hurt, either. Marquez North making a few plays would be awesome as well. Tennessee loses if they can't get to Mayfield, Oklahoma scores a few times quick and Tennessee goes away from the running game. Tennessee has to stay balanced on offense, Dobbs, as much as I him, isn't throwing Tennessee to a win against a defense like this. I do believe the trio of Hurd/Kamara/Dobbs will be able to run against pretty much anyone in the country. 250 yards a game from these three isn't an unrealistic expectation. I'll take Tennessee by a touchdown because I'm a homer and Oklahoma's 32 year old OC admitted to nerves playing in his home stadium. If you're nervous at home, how nervous are you going to be when you have 102,000+ wishing death on you? The pass rush gets to Mayfield and he gets flustered, Tennessee survives.
I tend to over-emphasize coaching matchups. Some coaches just have another coach's number. I am pretty down on ours at this time. Our defense looked unprepared and uninspired. OU will be running a lot of the same, but with better players. But, the Vols under Butch seem to play poorly in Nashville so maybe Neyland will make a big difference. I expect a shoutout with similar stats for the Vols. I expect OU to score 40. So, it's iffy. The one thing that makes me feel better is that the QB/Receivers for BG connected repeatedly on super precise plays. Mosely got beat, but he was right there many plays and the ball was placed perfectly. That can't happen again. But, I am worried about the coaching matchup. Even with the Riley comment.
Honestly, I don't think the defense will be near as poor moving forward. Ultra up-tempo offense in first game, missing secondary coach, missing a few players. Not saying they're excused for poor showing, but I don't think we're looking at a season of poor play.
You can probably also add the easy line of "we just didn't get up for this game." As you said, not an excuse but you really do have to wonder the motivation of not only our players but coaches too.
Kelly will start. McKenzie will see more reps all week. He apparently missed a week and a half of practice. I bet Kirkland plays A LOT.