One can already feel the heat for the Oklahoma Sooners vs the Tennessee Volunteers face-off. Brent Venables’ squad is now looking for ways to plant their flag back after the Ole Miss heartbreak. While Josh Heupel’s boys are driving their energy from their latest 34-56 win against Kentucky, more panic brews for the Sooners as their injury list is longer than the Volunteers. The Sooners’ offense is now running on wobbly wheels with six players down with injury woes, while Tennessee has only one. 

On October 31, George Stoia III tweeted the Friday Report. From Venables’ squad, running back duo Jovantae Barnes and Taylor Tatum sit on the “out” bench. They are joined by WR Keontez Lewis and the offensive lineman trio- Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton, and Jake Taylor. For Heupel, they would be only losing out on one of their offensive weapons, WR Travis Smith Jr.

Oklahoma’s offensive line may have to lean on its rookies once more. Right tackle Derek Simmons is doubtful for the trip to Tennessee after sitting out the Ole Miss game with an ankle issue, meaning freshman Ryan Fodje, who debuted last week, could be back in the lineup. While Oklahoma OL Logan Howland missed the Sooners’ loss to the Rebels, it is being reported that there he could probably play in the upcoming game. WR Lewis, who has not played since the Texas game, will also be sitting out of this one. The Sooners’ WR was banged up in a pair of scary incidents against Temple and then in Oklahoma’s win over Kent State.

Not a good time to be burdened by such a long list. After all, Oklahoma is looking to reignite its passing attack against a Tennessee defense surrendering 266.3 yards per game, the 124th-ranked unit in the nation. Their running back, Barnes, has not appeared since before their bye week, having last played on August 20th. Venables thought it was nothing major coming out of Red River, just a small hamstring setback. But the situation is a bit concerning. “I think it’ll be a short-term thing, I don’t really have any more information,” Venables said.

Not a good feeling for Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer as he got hit with a quadruple blow. The Sooners’ rushing attack has been one of the weakest in the conference, sitting at No. 99 in the FBS with 130.1 yards per game. After showing promise last year, Barnes has slipped down the depth chart, managing just 45 yards on 19 attempts while Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson carry the workload. And this puts Mateer in a tough spot.

Oklahoma’s wobbly O-line has already exposed the quarterback to a lot of unnecessary pressure. He has already been sacked a total of 13 times. Amidst this gloomy environment, the Sooners’ HC gets some positive news. 

Oklahoma Sooners’ defense regains balance just in time

Before the Tennessee face-off, a trend of downgrades had hit the Sooners’ camp. Lewis went from “doubtful” on Thursday to “out” on Friday. Barnes and Tatum went from “questionable” on Thursday to “out” on Friday. When it looked like all hope was lost, a couple of potentially returning stars restored some confidence in the team. According to Thursday’s SEC Availability Report, Cornerback Gentry Williams and linebacker Kobie McKinzie are both recovering well from their injuries and have a high probability of returning for the game on November 1st.  

So, while Oklahoma’s offense has hit its back against the wall, at least on the defensive side, things are falling into place. Their defense took a big hit in the loss to Ole Miss. Williams didn’t play at all after being injured the week prior against South Carolina, while McKinzie managed only 15 snaps before exiting in the first quarter with what Venables called a “tweaked groin.” Now, that must bring some respite to the Oklahoma squad.

After all, they will be facing off against Tennessee, who rank second nationally in scoring offense and third in passing defense, and they’ll be the toughest test for the Sooners’ defense thus far. Tennessee’s attack lives and breathes through QB Joey Aguilar, backed by a powerhouse receiver trio at his disposal, Chris Brazzell II, the SEC’s top wideout with 740 yards and eight scores, plus Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews, who’ve already cracked 500 yards each. It’s going to be a tough test for Oklahoma’s defense, but at least he has his good students back in the fold.

Can the Sooners bounce back following their tough loss against Ole Miss?