Tennessee

How to Watch No. 15 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Tennessee

Published

1 year ago

September 16, 2024

How to Watch No. 15 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Tennessee

A week three years in the making has finally arrived in Norman.

The eyes of the college football world will be on No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0) as the Sooners open up SEC play for the first time against No. 6 Tennessee (3-0).

College GameDay will be on hand in Norman for just the second time since 2012 to see the Sooners’ last national championship winning quarterback, Josh Heupel, lead another program onto Owen Field.

Come 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night, Brent Venables’ team will meet its biggest test of the young season.

The Volunteers have destroyed all challengers thus far, beating Chattanooga, NC State and Kent State by a combined score of 201-13.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava deservedly gets a lot of credit pulling the strings in Heupel’s offense, but Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. may have the biggest impact on Saturday’s game.

Pearce, who had 10 sacks a year ago, won’t have to wait long to hear his named called in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he leads one of the nation’s best defensive lines.

Oklahoma’s offense was always going to have its hands full with the Tennessee front, but those concerns are magnified by the issues the Sooners have had in the trenches through the first three games.

Bill Bedenbaugh’s unit has had to navigate youth and injuries, and the Sooners rolled out yet a different combination up front for a majority of the 34-19 win over Tulane.

Redshirt freshman Heath Ozaeta was inserted at left guard, which bounced Jacob Sexton to left tackle, which helped OU’s offense improve from a lethargic performance abasing Houston.

Quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for 97 yards and two scores, and the offense totaled 182 yards on the ground total.

Arnold also completed 18-of-29 passes for 169 yards and a score, though he did through a nearly catastrophic pick six that pulled Tulane within one score to start the fourth quarter.

While Oklahoma’s offense has been a roller coaster to open the season, Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley’s unit has been consistently excellent.

The Sooners contained a talented Green Wave offense, and stepped up in the fourth quarter to hold onto the lead for the second straight week.

It was defensive tackle Gracen Halton who made the key play against Houston, a safety that effectively ended the game.

Last Saturday, it was defensive end R Mason Thomas’ turn.

He took over the fourth quarter, tracking down Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah for three sacks, one of which was a strip sack where Thomas also recovered the fumble, and he also batted a ball down at the line of scrimmage to force a fourth-and-15.

Heupel’s Tennessee offense will be an entirely different animal for OU’s defense, however.

Iamaleava has had plenty of time to throw behind an experienced offensive line, and he’s completed 48-of-57 passes for 698 yards, six scores and two interceptions. The redshirt freshman has also run for 102 yards and a score on 17 carries in 2024.

Saturday’s SEC debut for the Sooners will be broadcast on ABC.

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Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

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Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

23 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

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Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Why first quarter was ‘crucial’ in Mississippi State’s loss to Tennessee

Sam Purcell felt good about the game plan for Mississippi State women’s basketball’s matchup with Tennessee.

But the Bulldogs gave up 26 points in the first quarter and trailed by seven points. It was a deficit they never recovered from in a 90-80 loss to the Lady Vols at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 8.

“You look at that that first quarter, I thought it was crucial. We had a great scout, a great game plan, but we didn’t talk on ball screens,” Purcell said. “Their largest quarter was that first quarter, and we’re going to watch back and go, dang it, we need to be more vocal. And you got to give them credit – top to bottom, they’re probably as good as anybody in the country with athleticism. So you can’t let those athletic kids turn the corner for wide open layups, and we did.”

Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Francis led the Bulldogs with 22 points each, but MSU didn’t have enough defense to pull off the upset.

Had Mississippi State been able to slow down Tennessee’s drivers in the first quarter, it may have been a different result. But once the Bulldogs started slowing that down, the Lady Vols were “phenomenal hitting some big-time shots,” Purcell said.

Tennessee only had the edge in points in the paint, 42-40, but it also went 10-for-27 on 3-pointers, which was an area Mississippi State couldn’t match. The Bulldogs shot 2-for-13 from deep.

MSU also couldn’t stop Tennessee freshman point guard Mia Pauldo, who scored a game-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting. The Bulldogs sent her to the foul line time and time again, and she went 8-for-9 on free throws.

“I thought (Pauldo) was poised, she was clutch,” Purcell said. “Obviously, that’s what you need in games like this that are gonna come down the to the wire. You need players to step up, and I thought she was the X factor for them.”

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