Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Oklahoma Sooners Prediction: Who Wins, and Why?
The marquee game on the Week 4 college football schedule finds a pair of ranked conference rivals playing a new-look league game brought to us by realignment, as Tennessee visits Oklahoma in the Sooners’ SEC debut. Here’s what you need to know, along with our updated game prediction.
Let’s call this the Josh Heupel Bowl, as the former Oklahoma quarterback returns to Norman as Tennessee’s head coach in a matchup of SEC contenders looking to avoid their first loss of the season.
Big Orange has pulverized everything in its path through 3 games, outscoring its overmatched opponents 191 to 13, ranking 1st nationally with almost 64 points per game, placing 3rd in rushing and in scoring defense behind one of college football’s best front sevens.
Oklahoma won’t be quite that generous, but there is some concern for this team after it played closely against unranked opponents over the last two weeks.
The Sooners eked out a 16-12 victory against Houston, scoring just 2 second-half points, and led by 5 against Tulane in the fourth quarter last week before scoring 10 unanswered.
Brent Venables and Oklahoma need to use this game to show they belong in the SEC, especially with a much tougher schedule ahead, and Tennessee wants to show it can match up against quality competition after playing against some cupcakes early on.
Playing better on third down is of the utmost importance for the Sooners to play this close and keep the Volunteers’ offense off the field for any sustained period of time.
But that has proved a challenge so far: OU ranks just 109th nationally in third down offensive production, converting only 13 of 42 attempts for a 31 percent average.
Tennessee ranks 2nd nationally in third down defense, allowing only 6 conversions against 38 attempts, a stifling 15.8 percent success rate.
But the Sooners have the skill threats to boost that average, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who has thrown for 484 yards and 7 touchdowns and leads the team with 159 rushing yards and 2 additional scores.
Tennessee presents a formidable challenge in its defensive front, boasting a cadre of pass rushers who have the speed, size, and agility to consistently damage an Oklahoma offensive line that has struggled to incorporate its new rotation so far this season.
That front will also frustrate a Sooner ground game that is averaging a very average 4.34 yards per carry, but has a potential star in freshman back Taylor Tatum, who should see his carries increase this week as OU tries to stabilize its offense and eat some clock.
Nico Iamaleava has played up to expectations in his limited exposure as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, going 4-0 overall and throwing for 698 yards with 6 TDs this season.
Vols back Dylan Sampson has balanced the offense out, rushing for 357 yards and 9 touchdowns already, averaging almost 8 yards per carry through 3 games.
Oklahoma’s defense has taken important steps forward in the last season-plus and comes into this game leading the nation with 10 takeaways, and linebacker Danny Stutsman’s 18 run stops are the most among any player in the country.
And the Sooners’ pass rush has looked efficient thus far, forcing opponents into a slew of mistakes when trying to throw the ball, and could bother the Vols’ good protection unit enough to force Iamaleava into some hurried throws and out of his rhythm.
Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Tennessee: -6.5 (-118)
Oklahoma: +6.5 (-104)
Over 56.5 points: -115
Under 56.5 points: -105
Nico Iamaleava has not played in a true road game for the Vols yet, and his inexperience could show early on as he works against not just OU’s pass rush, but the loud Sooner faithful under the lights.
But games like this in the SEC are won and lost at the line of scrimmage, and on paper Tennessee still clearly owns that advantage, pitting a strong front seven against a very suspect OU line.
Oklahoma has struggled to generate offensive consistency and put up points when it has the opportunity, and the Volunteers have the bodies to make that a problem again.
Both these defenses are playing good football at the moment, which could bring down the eventual total, but Tennessee’s combination of strangling the Sooners at the line, having the superior ground game, and more weapons to test the deeper field will be the difference.
College Football HQ picks …
More … Tennessee vs. Oklahoma score prediction from expert model
When: Sat., Sept. 21
Time: 6:30 p.m. Central
TV: ABC network
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Tennessee
Tennessee AMC theater worker, 85, receives $146K from strangers for retirement after viral video
A viral Tennessee movie theater worker, 85, was surprised with $146K as strangers rallied together to help her “enjoy retirement.”
Mary Ellen Eron was seen hauling a heavy black garbage bag and pushing a cleaning cart during her shift at the theater in Maryville, Tenn., which has since been viewed more than 13 million times.
“Let’s secretly help retire this beautiful woman. No one deserves to work at this age,” movie customer Brooklyn Green, who filmed the video, captioned the post.
Green launched a fundraiser last weekend after watching Mary, who has been a movie theater staffer for 45 years, hard at work – even though she’s a stranger.
“I knew nothing about her. I didn’t even know her name when I went to the theater,” Green told WATE reported. “I just decided that she was working so hard, and I aspired to be like her one day.
“Her physical appearance didn’t look too comfortable, especially since the way she was working so hard.”
Green set a target of $200,000 – and she raised $146,317 before pausing donations. More than 7,500 people donated to the charitable cause.
On Wednesday, Green posted the moment that she presented Eron, who helps the homeless and her local church, with the total figures from the crowdfunding page.
“Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of money,” Eron said as she realized the number on the piece of paper.
“That’s a lot of money and you deserve every bit of it,” Green said.
The clip also featured a message from Eron, who addressed the people who had contributed.
“Thank you so very much to all the wonderful people that have donated money to the GoFundMe,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed and certainly blessed by the Lord and you wonderful people. Thank you once more.”
The theater’s manager revealed it will be Eron’s decision when she retires.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had their fair share of bad news as of late when it comes to the college baseball transfer portal, but luckily, they have received some great news.
The great news that they have received is that they will be returning one of their breakout stars from this past college baseball season, as he has no intentions of entering the college baseball transfer portal.
Trent Grindlinger Will Return to Tennessee
The player who is set to return to Tennessee is Trent Grindlinger, who was electric this season and is expected to be a future top 10 MLB draft pick. This is expected for the first draft that he is eligible for, which is the 2027 MLB Draft rather than this upcoming draft that will feature multiple Vols, including Tennessee ACE, Tegan Kuhns.
Grindlinger finished last season with a batting average of .345, while hitting eight home runs and only striking out 28 times. This would be an electric season for the talented Volunteers’ batter, and he is set for a season that could and should be even better than that, which would be good enough to consider for some major college baseball end-of-the-season awards. He is just one of the few players who opted to stay and return rather than enter their name into the college baseball transfer portal, but if they were going to return anyone, he is the player they would want to return in the field.
Had he entered the transfer portal, there wouldn’t be a single college in the nation that wouldn’t want to add him, as every college would want to add the elite prospect. Not only that, but he would become the nation’s No. 1 player on the portal more than likely.
Luckily for the Vols, though, they don’t have to worry about that.
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Tennessee
Franklin police ticket 13-year-old after e-bike crash, and a new Tennessee law brings more changes July 1
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Franklin police cited a 13-year-old following a crash involving a motorized bike, and a new Tennessee law taking effect July 1 will bring additional restrictions for young riders.
On April 21, Franklin officers responded to a fender bender at the Interstate 65 off-ramp at the Goose Creek Bypass involving a 13-year-old on a motorized bike and a vehicle. Both the teen and the adult driver were waiting for officers when they arrived. The woman behind the wheel was visibly shaken and told officers the bike came out of nowhere while she was attempting to turn right on red.
The bike turned out to be more powerful than a standard e-bicycle. Under the law, it is not considered a bicycle at all — it is classified as a motor scooter, which falls under different laws than Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes.
“Downside is kids are about to get a bunch of tickets. He can’t ride that e-bike because it’s not just an e-bike — too much voltage, it’s a motor scooter,” Officer Spry with the Franklin Traffic Unit said.
“He can’t be on a sidewalk, he has to be in a bike lane, and it can’t be more than 28 miles an hour,” Spry said.
The driver of the car was cited for failure to exercise due care. The 13-year-old was cited for several violations, including not having a driver’s license, insurance, or registration. Franklin police say the citations issued to the teen are all appropriate under current law. Officers told the teen’s parent the citations would need to be answered in juvenile court. The family promised to trade the bike in for something safer.
Spry made clear this is not an isolated case.
“You’re not the only one that I’ve written this ticket to,” Spry said.
“This is probably one of the greatest opportunities for us to provide safety and save a life that we’ll ever see,” Franklin Alderman Greg Caesar said.
Starting July 1, only those 16 years and older will be legally allowed to ride Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach speeds of 28 miles per hour. The new law changes the age of those allowed to operate Class 3 e-bikes and does not affect the motor scooter classification that applied in this case.
Franklin city leaders are debating changes to local e-bike laws. Alderman Greg Caesar described it as a nuanced problem but said educating parents should start now.
“It needs to be considered, as some of these e-bikes and riders can do real and significant damage,” Caesar said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Students help relaunch donation drive for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Young or old, we all love to play board and card games! Those games become even more important when you are indoors and don’t have the ability to get outside, like patients in a hospital. Austin Pollack shares the story of students in a Nashville family who have helped re-launch the Red Wagon project to collect games for patients at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
– Lelan Statom
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