KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – In Tennessee’s 43rd game under Head Coach Josh Heupel, the Tennessee offense went over 300 yards of total offense for the 41st time under the Oklahoma legend, as the Vols downed the Sooners 25-15.

Veteran offensive lineman Andrej Karic said the offensive line’s success comes from the team’s mental makeup as much as its physical ability.

“Something to describe us would be smart,” Karic said. “I think a lot of us in the room have played a lot of games, and just kind of seeing how things play out in the midst of a game and being able to make adjustments on the sideline.”

Saturday’s win wasn’t Karic’s first over Oklahoma. The senior began his career at the University of Texas, defeating the Sooners 49-0 in 2022.

“It was a little different kind of going to Oklahoma at their stadium and getting it done,” Karic said of the win, which he experienced previously inside Dallas’ Cotton Bowl Stadium. “It’s still the same feeling, same satisfaction.”

Karic and the Tennessee offensive line attributed its success to facing the Tennessee defensive line in practice daily.

Senior defensive lineman Elijah Simmons said the unit has been building toward the success its currently enjoying, allowing just 1.57 yards per rush, good for second-best in the nation.

”Yeah, honestly, it started in spring ball,” Simmons said. “We just knew from there that as we continue to go on and progress that it’s going to turn over to the field.”

Tennessee will get a week off before returning to action at Arkansas on Oct. 5, it’s an open date Simmons wished were filled with an opponent.

”I rather play every week,” Simmons said.

Can you blame him?

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The No. 5 Vols are off this week before heading to Fayetteville for another SEC night game on the road at Arkansas.

The Vols have opened as an 11-point favorite as of Thursday afternoon, according to DraftKings. The Razorbacks will be playing against Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas this week before their matchup with Tennessee. The kickoff time for the Vols and Razorbacks will be either 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or ABC.

The Razorbacks are 4.5-point underdogs to the Aggies this weekend. They lead the all-time series with Texas A&M 42-35-3. But since the Aggies have joined the SEC, things have flipped. The Razorbacks have lost 11 of the 12 games that the two have played as SEC rivals.

Arkansas has had an inconsistent season so far in 2024. The Razorbacks are 3-1 and easily could be 4-0 if not for collapsing against Oklahoma State after having an early lead. They have an explosive offense led by quarterback Taylen Green. But he is prone to making mistakes so far.

Green has 957 passing yards this year but only four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 325 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Containing him will likely be Tennessee’s biggest defensive test of the season so far.

Despite the Vols’ great start to the season, a night game in the SEC will not be easy. Arkansas has proven to be a capable offensive team and one that can win in tough environments. The Razorbacks just won their first SEC game of 2024 at Auburn 24-14.

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Tennessee high school football is back and so begins our Player of the Week polls for the state. Teams showcased more of what they’ve got heading into Week 4 of the regular season.

As such, we have eight athletes nominated this week for the SBLive’s Tennessee Football Player of the Week award from September 19-21, and we ask you, the fans, to help decide who should indeed be the top athlete selected.

The senior quarterback rushed for 225 yards on 13 attempts, scoring two touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over Spring Hill. Also threw for 39 yards and a score.

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. – SBLive Sports

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 29th. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Yes, Dobbs won last week’s designation and is in line to do so again after last week’s performance. The running back carried the rock 37 times for 271 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-35 win over Tullahoma.

The junior running back carried the ball 21 times for 136 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 36-22 win over Tri-Cities Christian.

Cretsinger was making plays everywhere in Johnson City’s thrilling 49-32 win over Ashe County. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound linebacker made 14 tackles, three for loss and picked off two passes.

Drapeau was dealing in McCallie’s 41-9 win over Brentwood Academy last week. The signal caller completed 12-of-18 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

Try not to look at the yards perse, but the effectiveness of Sloan. The junior carried the ball five times for 22 yards and scored three touchdowns in David Crockett’s 41-39 win over Cocke County.

The junior signal caller had a day in Briarcrest Christian’s 31-28 win over Knoxville Catholic. Tucker completed 19-of-31 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

One of the state’s top rushing performances came from Martinez in East Robertson’s 43-27 win over Jo Byrns. The running back rushed for 214 yards on 25 attempts and scored three touchdowns.

The sophomore quarterback put on a show in White House’s 35-31 win over Forrest, with Murray completing 23-of-30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns.

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports