TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 21, 2024 | Norman, Okla. | Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 6/7 Tennessee 25, No. 15/13 Oklahoma 15
General Notes
- Saturday’s attendance at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium: 84,701 (sold out)
- Tennessee’s all-time on-field record improved to 880-414-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 869-414-53).
- Josh Heupel returned to Norman and defeated his alma mater for the first time as a head coach. The 2001 OU graduate led the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000 and finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up that season. Heupel also spent 11 years as an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2003-14.
- The win marked Heupel’s 10th victory over a ranked opponent as head coach of the Vols and second of the 2024 campaign.
- It was Tennessee’s first road win over a top-15 foe in the AP Top 25 since beating No. 10 Georgia in Athens on Oct. 7, 2006.
- Note: Tennessee defeated Pitt – who was ranked 17th in the AP poll and 14th in the AFCA coaches poll – on the road in overtime, 34-27, on Sept. 10, 2022.
- The win represented Tennessee’s fourth ranked victory on the road under Heupel. Previous road triumphs included wins at No. 18 Kentucky in 2021 and at No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 25 LSU in 2022.
- Saturday’s meeting marked the fifth matchup in the Tennessee-Oklahoma series and first as Southeastern Conference opponents.
- The Vols earned their second win all-time over the Sooners and first since a 17-0 victory in the 1939 Orange Bowl which capped Tennessee’s first of six national championship seasons.
Vol Captains/Coin Toss
- Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game: OL Cooper Mays, LB Keenan Pili, LS Matthew Salansky, RB Dylan Sampson, DL Omari Thomas
- Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Oklahoma received the opening kickoff and Tennessee defended the south end zone.
Team Offensive Notes
- The Vols outgained the Sooners 345-222 on Saturday, eclipsing 300 yards of total offense for the 41st time in 43 games of the Josh Heupel era.
- Tennessee led Oklahoma 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Vols have outscored opponents 78-3 in the opening stanza this season and 519-172 since 2021 under Heupel.
Individual Offensive Notes
- Senior WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. capped the first quarter with a 66-yard touchdown reception from QB Nico Iamaleava, equaling the longest catch of his career.
- Thornton’s previous 66-yard catch came during his freshman season at Oregon, also for a touchdown against Oklahoma in the 2021 Alamo Bowl.
- It was also the longest completion of Iamaleava’s career.
- Junior RB Dylan Sampson notched his 10th rushing touchdown with 1:40 left in the first half, plunging in from one yard out to give the Vols a 19-3 edge.
- Sampson becomes the third Tennessee running back in the last three seasons to score double-digit rushing TDs in a single campaign – joining Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright who had 13 and 10 in 2022, respectively.
Team Defensive Notes
- Dating back to the 2024 Citrus Bowl vs. Iowa on Jan. 1, Tennessee went 19 consecutive quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown before Oklahoma crossed the goal line with 8:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the second-longest streak in program history, longest in the FBS in the last 20 years and longest for Tennessee since shutting out 15-straight opponents from Nov. 5, 1938 to Dec. 9, 1939.
- Tennessee limited the Sooners to a season-low 36 yards rushing. It was the fewest rushing yards allowed by Tennessee against an SEC opponent since giving up 19 against Florida during the 2020 season.
- UT has held opponents below 100 yards rushing 21 times under defensive coordinator Tim Banks, including every game this season. UT has won 15 consecutive games when accomplishing that feat.
- Ten players combined for 11 tackles for loss in Norman, marking the second time in three weeks UT registered double-digit TFLs. UT had 13 vs. NC State on Sept. 7 in Charlotte.
- Tennessee has racked up 328.0 tackles for loss under Banks (7.63 per game) since the start of the 2021 season.
Individual Defensive Notes
- DB Jermod McCoy recorded his first interception as a Vol and the third of his career to stall Oklahoma’s third drive of the game. McCoy had two interceptions as a true freshman for Oregon State in 2023.
- Facing first-and-goal after an untimely turnover, DL Joshua Josephs got the ball back for the Big Orange with a forced fumble and recovery at the UT 6-yard line early in the second quarter. It was Josephs’ first career forced fumble and second fumble recovery of the season.
- After a false start backed Oklahoma to its own 2-yard line, DL Jayson Jenkins wrapped up the Sooner running back in the end zone for a safety to put the Vols ahead 12-3 with 9:12 left in the second quarter. The play marked Jenkins’ second career TFL.
- It marked the second-straight week Tennessee logged a safety after a bad snap by Kent State was recovered in the end zone on Sept. 14.
- Tennessee forced its third takeaway of the first half with 5:27 remaining in the second quarter when a lateral pass bounced on the turf and was recovered by DB Jakobe Thomas. It was his second career fumble recovery and first as a Vol.
- DL Jaxson Moi led the Vols with two TFLs on the night, matching his career-high. He also posted a sack, his first as a Vol, in the fourth quarter.
Special Teams Notes
- P Jackson Ross had a career day after not seeing much action through the first three weeks of the season – booming a career-high eight punts for 387 yards (48.4 avg.), which included three punts of 50-plus yards and two downed inside the 20.
- PK Max Gilbert was perfect from the kicking spot, nailing three field goals of 27, 41 and 32 yards and converting both of his extra-point attempts.
Career Highs
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
- RB DeSean Bishop
- 16 rushing attempts
- QB Nico Iamaleava
- 66-yard long pass
- WR Dont’e Thornton Jr.
- 66-yard long reception
Defense/Special Teams
- LB Arion Carter
- 6 tackles
- 1 pass defended (ties career high)
- DB Christian Charles
- 1 tackle for loss (ties career high)
- DB Christian Harrison
- 5 tackles
- DL Jayson Jenkins
- 1.5 tackles for loss
- 0.5 sacks
- DL Joshua Josephs
- 2 forced fumbles
- 1 fumble recovery (ties career high)
- DB Jermod McCoy
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 2 passes defended (ties career high)
- DL Jaxson Moi
- 2 tackles for loss (ties career high)
- 1 sackl
- LB Keenan Pili
- 2 QB hurries
- DL Elijah Simmons
- 1 tackle for loss (ties career high)
- DB Andre Turrentine
- 5 tackles
- P Jackson Ross
- 3 50-plus yard punts
