Oklahoma coach Brent Venables on Tennessee: 'They're gonna win a lot of game'
Josh Heupel knew better than to expect Brent Venables to put something expected on the field with his Oklahoma defense Saturday night at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Heupel had coached against Venables enough to know better.
“Structure changed from them, which (I) anticipated a little bit,” Heupel said late Saturday night, after Tennessee’s 25-15 win in Norman. “Didn’t know exactly what the structure would look like. Gone against (Venables) enough in my career, kind of expect the unexpected.
“But we adjusted, got some things going in in the first half and we put some points up and then second half played pretty tight, just the way it game was unfolding.”
Up Next: No. 5 Tennessee at Arkansas, October 5
Tennessee (4-0) got 194 yards passing from Nico Iamaleava and rushed 52 times as a team for 152 yards and another score on the ground in the win.
The Vols took the air out of the ball in the second half, relying on a dominant defense that generated three sacks, 11 tackles for loss, forced three turnovers and seven punts and came up with a safety for a second straight week.
“Just thought our defense controlled the line of scrimmage,” Heupel said. “Played relentless. Really tight coverage early and did a great job getting off the field. Changed the way the game was played.
“You can tell in the second half, offensively, our game plan changed as far as possessions (and) time. Different than it has probably ever been in my career.”
Vols ranked No. 2 in scoring offense, No. 5 in scoring defense
It’s the defense that has made this Tennessee team different, giving a new look to the usually offensive-minded Vols.
“They got a really good team and they’ve got (an) excellent defense,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said after the game, “and (an) excellent offense and really good in the kicking game. So they’re gonna win a lot of games.”
Tennessee is ranked fifth in scoring defense, giving up just 7.0 points per game. The Vols are No. 2 against the run (50.7 yards per game), 11th against the pass (125.3) and No. 1 in total defense (176.0).
Offensively, Tennessee is No. 2 in scoring (54.0 in points per game), sixth in rushing (290.0), 33rd in passing (275.8) and fourth in total offense (565.8).
“Josh is a great coach,” Venables said. “We know that. He’s been successful wherever he’s been. I don’t think that’s ever been in question and proud of all the success that he’s had.”
