Tennessee
Tennessee football can’t please everybody. Some wanted bigger win vs Oklahoma | Adams
Some of my literary contributors apparently were spoiled by their team’s 3-0 start in which Tennessee football outscored its opponents 191-13. Either that or they’re just harsh critics.
They didn’t get another landslide victory against the Sooners last week, so they criticized coach Josh Heupel’s conservative play-calling in a 25-15 victory.
I’ve also gotten feedback from a few Oklahoma fans, one of whom called the Vols “cheap-shot artists.”
Chris writes: The Oklahoma game was very alarming. UT should have won this in a runaway, but Heupel and his staff “turtled.” Someone may want to give him his “man card” back. Actually, this was about as pathetic of a top-20 win as you can get. Oklahoma will be lucky to win seven games.
My response: There’s nothing pathetic about Oklahoma’s defense. Because of that and injuries to UT’s starting offensive tackles, Heupel was smart to call a conservative game.
The game reflected how Heupel has evolved as a coach. He doesn’t have to overwhelm an opponent with a high-speed, high-scoring offense. He can win at a slower tempo and with defense as well as offense.
Chris writes back: I agree … just got a little frustrated. But I shouldn’t have. UT is leaps and bounds above where they have been recently.
Richard writes: You guys are cheap-shot artists. No class.
Late, dirty hits. Lousy officiating.
But good for Josh, who we like.
We are not a southern state or school and it’s a mistake joining the Dixie league. How stupid by Oklahoma officials. However, we will eventually win big down in Dixie. We have more money and tradition.
Oil my friend, oil.
My response: The Sooners have had oil pumping in their favor for quite a while but haven’t won a national title since 2000. It will take more than oil to prevail in the SEC.
Cheap shots? Lousy officiating?
Congrats on having your excuses lined up. Better have some more handy when you play Texas.
Sam writes: Tennessee won the game. That’s good, but its overall performance was marginal against a totally inept Oklahoma offense.
Nico didn’t look like a Heisman Trophy candidate to me. I’ll give him a C+.
Except for the last two minutes of the game, it was a boring game. Except for Alabama and Georgia, the rest of season will be easy.
My response: The Sooners offense has struggled, in part, because of a rash of injuries in the line and receiving corps. But Oklahoma has a talented defense, and coach Brent Venables is an exceptional defensive coach.
That and Heupel’s conservative play-calling factored into Iamaleava’s pedestrian stats – 13 of 21 passing for 194 yards and one touchdown. For the season, he has completed 69.3% of his passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. Stats like that won’t make him a Heisman finalist.
Iamaleava easily could have better stats if he had played more in Tennessee’s three lopsided victories. But the Vols aren’t trying to win a Heisman. They’re trying to win a national championship.
And Iamaleava is impressing the right people. NFL scouts had to be wowed by several of the throws he made against Oklahoma.
Terry writes: A rude and appropriate welcoming to the SEC for the team from Oklahoma. An impressive performance on the road from the Vols.
Obviously, the UT defense was stout again this weekend, and the Big Orange Heup train shoved the Schooner into the L-column ditch. With the Stoops connection at yet another SEC program (Mark Stoops at Kentucky), and Coach Heup’s undefeated record against both, can we safely assume him to be the Stoops’ new Daddy figure?
My response: You might be on to something. As a head coach, Bob Stoops won one national title with Josh Heupel, and none without him.
Mark Stoops’ next national title as a head coach will be his first.
Colorado Mark writes: Brent Venables has officially replaced Mike Elko (Jeremy Pruitt II) as the dumbest coach in the SEC, and I am sure Jackson Arnold will agree.
ADAMS: Tennessee football is more than a playoff contender after turning back Oklahoma
OU is in big trouble with that offensive line. Good luck in the SEC. Cue the ‘fire Venable’ crowd. He just met the Peter Principle face to face.
My response: I’m sure Florida fans would trade Billy Napier for either one of your “dumb coaches.”
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
The Ohio State Buckeyes’ loss to the Michigan Wolverines now feels like ages ago.
Ohio State went into its first-round College Football Playoff matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers with major question marks.
Will Howard was under fire. The play calling was in the crosshairs. Ryan Day’s job security had become a regular topic of discussion.
But then, the Buckeyes hammered Tennessee by a score of 42-17 to advance to the Rose Bowl for a chance for revenge against the Oregon Ducks.
Ohio State put together arguably its best performance of the season against a very tough Tennessee opponent. The Buckeyes scored 21 points in the first quarter, immediately sending a message to the Volunteers—and the country—that they meant business.
Howard, who looked like a deer in headlights in the regular-season finale against Michigan, stepped up with a significant performance. Yes, there was the red zone interception, but in the end, it was no harm, no foul (he probably shouldn’t do that against Oregon, though).
Jeremiah Smith looked every bit of the phenom we all thought he was heading into 2024. The defense was tremendous. Day? He coached a terrific game.
But the most impressive part of this showing by Ohio State was the resolve that it demonstrated, picking itself up off the mat after a soul-crushing defeat to the Wolverines earlier in the month.
I have to admit: I wasn’t sure if the Buckeyes had this in them. Not after they mustered just 10 points against a far inferior Michigan opponent, a game in which they were physically beaten up.
And considering that Tennessee’s defense was even stingier than Michigan’s this year, I certainly didn’t anticipate that Ohio State would drop 42 points.
Nevertheless, here we are.
A couple of weeks ago, it was beginning to look like the Buckeyes wouldn’t even have a chance against Oregon. Heck, there were some who felt that the Volunteers would beat them.
It wasn’t due to a lack of talent, either. It was more due to the thought that Ohio State lacked an identity and didn’t seem to have the mental fortitude required to win a national championship.
Remember: the Buckeyes also lost to the Ducks earlier in the season as a result of some mental erros and not being able to seal the deal.
So the concerns surrounding Ohio State heading into the College Football Playoff were legitimate.
But the Buckeyes appear to have flipped a switch, and it appears that their tenacity has finally matched their excessive talent.
Now, we’ll see if Ohio State can exact revenge on Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
College Football Playoff first-round straight-up picks
Before The Snap takes a close look at the four first-round CFP games and makes straight-up picks.
The first round of the College Football Playoff is nearly complete, with the final game of the slate featuring Ohio State vs. Tennessee in “The Shoe.”
Two of the most recognizable brands in college football, Tennessee and Ohio State arrive in the 12-team playoff with at-large bids, falling just short of reaching their respective conference championship games and snatching one of the top four byes in the bracket.
Tennessee will be making its first playoff after going 10-2, which included a win over Alabama that likely is the reason why the Volunteers are in the playoff. No strangers to the playoff, Ohio State arrives with a fan base that isn’t all too thrilled with head coach Ryan Day after losing a fourth consecutive year to Michigan. A national championship is still possible, but the pressure is on for Day to deliver a deep playoff run and possibly save his job. Will the Buckeyes get a much-needed win, or will Tennessee pull off the upset in front of more than 100,000 fans?
It’s the second time Tennessee and Ohio State have faced each other, and the winner of the first-round finale has a tough date ahead of them. The victor will head west to Pasadena to play No. 1 overall seed Oregon in the “Granddaddy of them all,” the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day.
When is the College Football Playoff between Tennessee and Ohio State
The College Football Playoff first-round game between the No. 9-seed Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 8-seed Ohio State Buckeyes kicks off at 8 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio
How to watch College Football Playoff between Tennessee and Ohio State
The College Football Playoff first-round game between the No. 9-seed Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 8-seed Ohio State Buckeyes will be televised nationally on ABC and ESPN.
Live streaming is also available on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Catch Tennessee vs. Ohio State with a Fubo subscription which has a free trial
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the favorites to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers in this first-round College Football Playoff game, according to the BetMGM college football odds on Saturday.
- Spread: Ohio State (-7)
- Moneyline: Ohio State (-275); Tennessee (+220)
- Over/under: 46.5
USA TODAY Sports: No. 8 Ohio State over No. 9 Tennessee
Paul Myerberg writes: “This is the premier pairing of the opening round and a nice barometer of how playoff games could unfold between the best of the best in the Big Ten and SEC. Given two evenly matched teams with similar traits, two factors will make the difference in Ohio State’s favor: homefield advantage and a more credible offense. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has more experience and better skill options. But another big game from Volunteers signal caller Nico Iamaleava could easily shift this game in the opposite direction.”
ESPN: Ohio State has 65% chance to win
According to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a 65.5% chance to beat the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
College Football Network: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 23
Will Helms writes: “To be clear, I think Ohio State’s offense is capable of moving the ball down the field through the air, but Tennessee’s defensive line could feast against a reshuffled Buckeyes O-line. But I also trust (offensive coordinator Chip) Kelly to find ways to scheme open elite playmakers like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. If this becomes a close game, Ohio State’s experience can make a difference. However, I like the Volunteers as one of the best bets of the opening round. The Buckeyes’ experience and depth should help them close this out, but take the Volunteers to cover in a close one that ticks over.”
Sports Illustrated: Tennessee Volunteers
James Parks writes: “Tennessee +7.5 … We’re taking the Vols to win straight-up on the road given their outright advantage on a very dominant defensive front, which should overpower a Buckeyes offensive line down two key starters to injury, while Dylan Sampson and Tennessee’s gifted ground game do the rest.”
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It has been a long time since Tennessee Titans fans were able to watch legendary running back Eddie George run the football. He was a fan favorite for years and was one of the best backs in the league during his era.
Now, he has become the head coach for Tennessee State in college.
With that being said, George still opens up about the NFL. He recently talked about his thoughts on the state of the league.
Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. did an interview with George where he shared his opinion on where the league currently stands. He is clearly a fan of what he is seeing despite all of the changes that the NFL has made.
“Oh yeah, I mean, it’s (the NFL) changed over the years to become safer, and I get it,” George said. “But the quality of the game is still the same. I love it.”
In a time where so many former players are unhappy with how “soft” the league has become, George stands out as a big fan of the changes. While the NFL has changed a lot, the product being put on the field is still good football and entertaining to watch.
Throughout his NFL career, George was known as a bruising running back. He was a nightmare for opposing defenders to tackle.
He ended up playing in 141 career game, racking up 2,865 carries for 10,441 yards and 68 touchdowns. George averaged 3.6 yards per carry in a much tougher era to run the football.
George also ended up catching 268 passes for 2,227 yards and 10 more touchdowns.
As for the current state of the Titans, things do not look great. Will Levis has been benched ahead of Week 16 and there is expected to be a search for a new quarterback during the upcoming offseason.
So far this season, Tennessee has mustered up a brutal 3-11 record. There hasn’t been much for the fans to cheer about.
Hopefully, the Titans can figure things out and get back into playoff contention. George and the fans would then be able to enjoy football with their team winning again.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
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