It’s safe to assume Oklahoma’s preparation has intensified over the last week. The Sooners are preparing for a much more talented foe than they have seen at any point this season. No. 7 Tennessee presents an incredible challenge for OU on Saturday night, but that’s to be expected with the Sooners entering the SEC. The conference games will be more challenging than they were in the Big 12.
The rest of the college football world doesn’t give the Sooners a real chance to win this game. Brent Venables, a master motivator and no stranger to coaching in high-profile matchups over the last 20 years, knows what it will take for his team to come out on top Saturday night.
While Tennessee is the higher-ranked team, it is not invincible. Oklahoma has a path to victory. We took the time to highlight that path with our three keys to the game below.
1. Start Fast
It’s such a cliche statement, but it does hold a lot of weight in a football game. Especially in a game where one team has heard they were the underdogs and didn’t have a chance at winning. It’s a confidence thing that can boost one team and psychologically damage the other.
Oklahoma has had some decent starts to their games this season, but they’ve yet to carry it into the second quarter. And that’s where Oklahoma needs to hone in on Saturday. Play a complete first half, take a breather, and gear up to scrap in the second half because Tennessee will not go away if you come out swinging.
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Seth Littrell must get his young quarterback into a rhythm. Maybe start out with the short passing game and mixing in designed QB runs along with the regular run game to ease him in. As the results show and his confidence grows, Littrell can then start to open up the playbook even wider.