KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 14/14 Tennessee fell behind by nine in the fourth quarter and rallied with a late score to cut the gap to two before dropping a 33-27 decision to No. 18/18 Oklahoma on Saturday night with a sellout crowd of 101,915 looking on at Neyland Stadium.
The Volunteers (6-3, 3-3 SEC), donning their “Dark Mode” uniforms, out-gained the Sooners (7-2, 3-2 SEC), 456-351 in total offense, but were hampered by three first-half turnovers, including two inside OU territory that ended scoring threats.
UT jumped on top on the game’s opening possession, getting a five-yard pass from quarterback Joey Aguilar to wide receiver Braylon Staley in the back of the end zone to grab a 7-0 lead with just 3:43 gone. The Vols looked to be moving into position for more points on their second drive when the Sooners’ R. Mason Thomas returned a strip- sack fumble 71 yards to even the score at seven with 8:01 left in the first.
Max Gilbert’s 45-yard field goal pushed the Big Orange back in front, 10-7, with 3:30 remaining in the first frame. Kicks of 55, 51 and 40 yards by Tate Sandell in the second stanza, though, sent the Sooners into the locker room at the half with a 16-10 lead despite the Vols out-producing the visitors offensively, 255-99.
After forcing OU to punt on its opening possession of the second half, Tennessee surged in front 17-16 when Staley hauled in a short pass from Aguilar and raced 54 yards down the right sideline to the checkerboard. The Vol defense preserved the lead on the next possession with the Sooners driving into the red zone. Safety Edrees Farooq forced a Xavier Robinson fumble and recovered at the 10 yard-line to end the threat. OU, though, forced UT to punt, and Robinson redeemed himself with a four-yard run that boosted his team back in front, 23-17, with 2:03 left in the third.
A 55-yarder off the left foot of Sandell made it a two-possession game, 26-17, with 11:05 remaining. Later, with OU trying to put the game away, an Edwin Spillman interception of Sooners quarterback John Mateer and a return to the UT 45 gave Tennessee hope with 4:18 to go. Six plays later, Aguilar found wide receiver Mike Matthews in the end zone for a 15-yard score to pull the Vols within two, 26-24, with 1:56 to go. Sandell’s two 55-yarders tied a Neyland Stadium record.
Tennessee attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Oklahoma recovered. The Sooners tacked on a one-yard Mateer keeper to extend the margin to nine again, 33-24. A 48-yard field goal by Max Gilbert trimmed the deficit to six, 33-27, with 47 ticks on the clock, and that’s how the game would end.
Aguilar finished 29 of 45 for 393 yards and three touchdowns, directing five balls to Staley for 75 yards and two scores and three to Matthews for 76 and a TD. Defensively, Farooq paced the Vols with a career-high 10 tackles and two forced fumbles, and Spillman added nine stops along with an interception and pass break-up.
UP NEXT
The Volunteers will be back in Neyland Stadium in two weeks for Homecoming on Nov. 15, facing New Mexico State at 4:15 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
