College Football Playoff implications are high inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
Two two-loss SEC squads square off in Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) and Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2), with the loser all but eliminated from contention. A win keeps national championship aspirations alive.
The Vols enter with a shootout win over Kentucky a week ago, where Joey Aguilar put together his best performance with Tennessee football — slinging the pigskin 396 yards for three touchdowns. Oklahoma, instead, had a blemish a week ago when it lost to Ole Miss on home grass.
Follow along for live updates from The Daily Beacon.
Live updates
FINAL: Oklahoma 33, Tennessee 27
:47 4Q: SCORE Max Gilbert drills a 48-yard field goal.
7 plays, 45 yards, :57
Oklahoma 33, Tennessee 27
1:44 4Q: TOUCHDOWN John Mateer takes it in himself.
2 plays, 44 yards, :15
Oklahoma 33, Tennessee 24
1:55 4Q: Oklahoma recovers the onside kick at the 44-yard line.
1:56 4Q: TOUCHDOWN Aguilar threads the needle to Mike Matthews for a 15-yard score.
6 plays, 55 yards, 2:22
Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 24
TWO-MINUTE TIMEOUT: Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 17
4:18 4Q: Edwin Spillman picks off the pass off a deflection from Ty Redmond. He returns it to the Tennessee 45-yard line.
8:07 4Q: Joey Aguilar hits Jack Van Dorselaer in the face mask on fourth-and-one. Turnover on downs.
11:05 4Q: SCORE Tate Sardell drills his second 55-yard field goal today.
9 plays, 38 yards, 4:46
Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 17
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Oklahoma 23, Tennessee 17
:57 3Q: Tennessee’s offense goes three-and-out.
2:03 3Q: TOUCHDOWN Xavier Robinson scurries for a 4-yard touchdown.
5 plays, 52 yards, 2:48
Oklahoma 23, Tennessee 17
4:51 3Q: Tennessee cannot do anything with the turnover. Jackson Ross punts it to the Oklahoma 48-yard line.
6:47 3Q: Edrees Farooq forces a fumble as Oklahoma drives deep in Tennessee territory, and he lands on it to give the Vols the ball at the 10-yard line.
11:52 3Q: TOUCHDOWN Braylon Staley catches a contested pass near the marker, and takes it 54 yards for the score.
5 plays, 83 yards, 1:18
Tennessee 17, Oklahoma 16
13:37 3Q: John Mateer takes a sack on third down, and the Sooners will punt.
HALFTIME: Oklahoma 16, Tennessee 10
0:00 2Q: SCORE Tate Sandell puts a 40-yard field goal through.
3 plays, 6 yards, :16
Oklahoma 16, Tennessee 10
:16 2Q: Joey Aguilar lobs a pass to an Oklahoma defender. His second interception of the game and second in the last two drives.
1:08 2Q: SCORE Tate Sandell sneaks in a 51-yarder.
7 plays, 26 yards, 2:33
Oklahoma 13, Tennessee 10
TWO-MINUTE TIMEOUT: Tennessee 10, Oklahoma 10
3:41 2Q: Joey Aguilar throws a pick near the goal line, and the Sooners bring it to their own 41-yard line.
7:36 2Q: SCORE Tate Sandell splits the uprights on a 55-yard field goal.
8 plays, 43 yards, 3:38
Tennessee 10, Oklahoma 10
11:14 2Q: Max Gilbert misses the 37-yarder, and a surrender cobra ensues. Tennessee had a chance to step on the throat, but walks away with 0 points.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Tennessee 10, Oklahoma 7
:54 1Q: Oklahoma punts it away. Tennessee will take over at its own 20-yard line.
1:51 1Q: Oklahoma calls its second timeout of the half to prevent a delay of game penalty.
3:30 1Q: SCORE Max Gilbert drills a 45-yard field goal.
11 plays, 48 yards, 4:31
Tennessee 10, Oklahoma 7
4:33 1Q: Right tackle David Sanders Jr. is down after the sack. He makes his way off the field with a limp.
8:01 1Q: TOUCHDOWN Aguilar is strip-sacked and R Mason Thomas returns it 71 yards for a score.
Tennessee 7, Oklahoma 7
8:52 1Q: Joey Aguilar places a beautiful ball in the catching pocket of Ethan Davis. Forty-yard gain to Oklahoma territory. Unleashing it downfield often.
9:38 2Q: Tennessee gets pressure on John Mateer on third down, and he throws an incompletion. The Sooners are on to punt.
11:17 1Q: TOUCHDOWN Joey Aguilar lobs the pass to a leaping Braylon Staley for the score.
9 plays, 75 yards, 3:43
Tennessee 7, Oklahoma 0
13:14 1Q: Mike Matthews takes the pass from behind the line of scrimmage and goes 37 yards to move into the red zone.
13:27 1Q: Oklahoma has called a timeout after Joey Aguilar connects with Chris Brazzell II for a 17-yard gain to move close to midfield.
13:53 1Q: Tennessee gets bailed on third-and-long with a pass interference call.
15:00 1Q: Peyton Lewis calls for a fair catch and Tennessee will begin at its own 25-yard line.
COIN TOSS: Oklahoma wins the coin toss and defers to the second half.
Injury report
Oklahoma
OUT
RB Jovantae Barnes
RB Taylor Tatum
WR Keontez Lewis
DB Kendel Dolby
OL Troy Everett
OL Derek Simmons
OL Jacob Sexton
OL Jake Taylor
Game-time decision
LB Kobie McKinzie
Tennessee
OUT
DB Rickey Gibson III
WR Travis Smith Jr.
DB Jermod McCoy
Game-time decision
LB Arion Carter
How to watch Tennessee football
The Vols and Sooners take center stage on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. They get the luxury of college football’s best with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call.
Unfortunately, if you are a YouTube TV subscriber, you will need to find an alternative way to watch the game. Disney is in an active dispute with the streaming company — which leaves subscribers without access to channels like ESPN and ABC.
Mike Keith will handle radio broadcast duties on the local Vol Network Affiliate. He will be joined by analyst Ramon Foster, alongside co-host Jayson Swain, while Brent Hubbs reports from the sideline.
If you’re looking for a Spanish broadcast, you can follow along with Carlos Lopez on WNML AM 990, or the Sports Animal App, as well as the Tennessee Athletics app. A stream can also be found on UTSports.com.
Trench warfare
Two of the SEC’s most physical defensive lines play in the same stadium this weekend.
Tennessee’s 27 sacks on the season rank fourth in the conference, while Oklahoma’s 29 puts the Sooners in second. It’s been a battle at the top between the two schools, but the Vols’ one sack over the last two games has stopped them from pacing the lead.
Dom Bailey leads the way with 4.5 sacks on the year, and then Joshua Josephs and Tyre West follow closely behind with four apiece for Tennessee.
Oklahoma is led by star lineman R Mason Thomas, who has 5.5 sacks on the year. Tennessee native and Nolensville grad Taylor Wein has leaped in his sophomore season, tallying 3.5 sacks this year.
Dark Mode
Tennessee’s black uniforms have been a staple during the Heupel era, and they have brought a bulk of success.
After abandoning them for most of the 2010s, Tennessee brought them back for yearly use in 2021. Ever since, the Vols are 4-1 with three straight wins. Their only loss came to Georgia when they elected to wear them twice in 2021.
