Tennessee

OU's offense struggles in Game 3 as Tennessee clinches series

Published

8 months ago

March 30, 2025

OU's offense struggles in Game 3 as Tennessee clinches series

NORMAN — Both Oklahoma and Tennessee knew the drill coming into Sunday’s rubber game. With the series on the line, it would be an old-fashioned pitching duel between Sam Landry and Karlyn Pickens.

For a brief moment, it looked like the Landry and the Sooners would emerge victorious.

After the Sooners’ offense was non-existent through the first two innings, they started quickly in the third inning. Hannah Coor hit a leadoff single then stole second. Abby Dayton then followed with a single and then stole second. Nelly McEnroe-Marinas forced a walk to load the bases.

Kasidi Pickering stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI double that cleared the bases, giving the Sooners a 3-0 lead. In a series where both offenses struggled, it felt like all the momentum OU would need.

Instead, the Volunteers responded. Landry got two quick outs to open the frame, but Tennessee kept battling. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, then an RBI double from Laura Mealer cut OU’s lead to 3-2.

On the next at-bat, Ella Dodge smoked a three-run home run to right field to complete the two-out rally.

In a dramatic turn of events, OU’s three-run lead turned into a two-run deficit. The Sooners (31-3, 9-3 SEC) never recovered from that momentum change, as they fell 5-3 to Tennessee.

The loss marks the Sooners’ first series defeat in conference play. They lost on Friday 5-2 and won 4-1 on Saturday.

Landry eventually bounced back from that rough fourth inning, retiring nine of the final 10 batters she faced.

But the Sooners’ offense looked shellshocked as Pickens kept them from finding any rhythm. The Sooners had 12 of their final 14 batters retired over the final four innings, as the only hit came on a single from Abby Dayton with two outs on the board in the seventh inninmg.

But Nelly McEnroe-Marinas followed that with a strikeout, ending the game.

Landry finished with four hits and five runs allowed while striking out six and walking two. Pickens struck out six and allowed three hits, three runs and three walks.

— If it wasn’t Pickering, offense was really tough to come by this weekend, particularly on Saturday and Sunday. In Games 2 and 3, Pickering went 4-for-5 at the plate. The rest of the team combined for five hits.

For the weekend, Pickering was sensational. She finished 7-for-8 at the plate with two walks.

— Three of the Sooners’ four hits came in the third inning. The Sooners 2-for-12 with runners on base and 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

— It was a rough weekend for Gabbie Garcia, who went 1-for-8 across the three games. She finished 0-for-3 on Sunday.

— The struggles continue for Parker, who went 0-for-3 at the plate with zero walks. She’s now 2-for-30 (.067) at the plate in conference play.

— Up next: The Sooners will look to bounce back at UT-Arlington on Tuesday (6 p.m.)

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Tennessee

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

5 Keys For Florida to Beat No. 20 Tennessee – WRUF 98.1 FM | 850 AM | 103.7 HD2 ESPN

Florida is back in The Swamp on Saturday for the first time since Oct. 18, just in time for a rivalry matchup with No. 20 Tennessee.

The Gators walked away from their three-game road trip winless and interim coach Billy Gonzales is still yet to win a game. But while their 3-7 record eliminates them from bowl eligibility, the Gators still have plenty to play for. Tennessee and Florida State are the last two opponents on Florida’s schedule and historically create gritty matchups with bragging rights that go a long way. The Gators haven’t lost at home to Tennessee since 2003 and won’t play the Vols for two years with the SEC’s new scheduling practices.

Here are Florida’s five keys to taking down Tennessee’s high-powered offense and keeping the win streak alive.

Pressure Joey

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar leads one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Aguilar is first in the SEC with 2,737 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tennessee averages over 44 points per game and will blow the game open if you allow Aguilar to get comfortable.

Florida bringing defensive tackle Caleb Banks back into its lineup could be a game-changer after he’s missed the last seven games. His ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback could force Aguilar to make quicker decisions and, in turn, make mistakes. Banks hasn’t really been on the field all season, but will instantly draw the Tennessee offensive line’s attention, which could provide openings for the rest of the defensive line.

Florida has only recorded 21 sacks this year, a clip that needs to improve if the Gators are going to slow down the Volunteer offense.

Limit Big Plays

Florida’s secondary is another area that needs to show out Saturday.

Tennessee is 14th in the country in passing yards per completion, near Ole Miss and Texas A&M, who both caused problems downfield for Florida. The wide receiver trio of Chris Brazzell II, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews is elite. They are all within the top seven in the SEC in receiving yards. Brazzell leads with 808. Matthews, the worst statistically of the three, still has 200 more yards than Vernell Brown III, Florida’s leading receiver this year.

The Gators will have to watch out for the deep ball. Safety Bryce Thornton will be a major difference maker, but that’s if he makes it onto the field. He’s currently questionable, but his ball-hawking ability can create takeaways.

Show Up Every Play

Gonzales said it’s inevitable for a team like Tennessee to create big plays, but the real battle is making sure you get right up and prevent them from continuing.

That’s the exact mindset Florida’s defense needs to have going into Saturday.

At risk of becoming repetitive, the Volunteers’ offense is the most explosive part of their team. It’s how they win games. If the Gator defense can keep Tennessee under 30, they will have a chance to score the major upset.

Protect the Quarterback

DJ Lagway showed some slight improvement in Florida’s loss to Ole Miss. His long touchdown toss to receiver J. Michael Sturdivant with the sophomore signal-caller’s feet planted shows what he can do when he is confident and can get his mechanics set. That starts with the offensive line.

Austin Barber has struggled this season at left tackle. Lagway naturally tends to float out of the pocket, so when the offensive line is poor he is quick to escape toward the sideline. This encourages his off-balance throws, which have been notably inaccurate this season. Florida needs to prevent that as much as possible to allow Lagway to put points on the board. Tennessee scores a lot. If the Gators are going to keep up offensively, Lagway needs to have a near-perfect situation when throwing.

Make it Ugly

Sometimes rivalry games produce results that you wouldn’t expect, only because of the sheer emotion of the matchup. Fights break out and trash talk, exotic celebrations reign. So while the Gators have definitely been worse than Tennessee this season, a hard-mouthed, ugly game that gets the crowd involved can bridge the gap in on-the-field quality.

The Gators upset the Vols last time they came to The Swamp and a late hit on Graham Mertz after a quarterback kneel resulted in a fight after the final whistle. The home team has won four years straight in this rivalry for a reason. Getting Tennessee frustrated and keeping the crowd in the game can be an advantage.