Oklahoma benches Arnold in loss to No. 6 Tennessee
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel won in his return to Oklahoma — the same school he quarterbacked to a national championship in 2000 and fired him as offensive coordinator after the 2014 season — as Nico Iamaleava passed for 194 yards to help the sixth-ranked Volunteers defeat the Sooners 25-15 on Saturday night.
Iamaveala took the game ball to Heupel shortly after the game ended.
Dylan Sampson ran for 92 yards and a touchdown, Dont'e Thornton Jr. had a 66-yard touchdown reception and Bru McCoy had four catches for 92 yards for the Volunteers.
Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) held No. 15 Oklahoma to 222 yards in the Sooners' first-ever SEC game.
Jovantae Barnes ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass for Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1). Michael Hawkins Jr. passed for 132 yards in relief of starter Jackson Arnold for the Sooners, who was pulled after completing 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards and an interception.
Oklahoma defensive back Kendel Dolby was carted off in the second quarter after a gruesome injury to his lower right leg.
Oklahoma actually recovered fumbles by Iamaleava twice in the second quarter, only to have Arnold fumble the ball back to Tennessee on the next play both times. Arnold was benched late in the second quarter after completing 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards and an interception.
Oklahoma gained minus-20 yards in the second quarter as Tennessee took a 19-3 lead at the break.
Tennessee led 22-3 when Hawkins led the Sooners down the field and found Barnes for a 2-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed after a personal foul penalty turned it into a 35-yard kick. That ended Tennessee's run of 19 consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown, dating back to last season.
Tennessee: The offense was solid, despite struggling with injuries to starting offensive tackles Lance Heard and John Campbell Jr. Heard didn't play and Campbell suffered a leg injury early in the game and was limited. The Volunteers didn't put up the crazy numbers they had in their first three games — they were averaging 63.7 points — but they did enough.
Oklahoma: The Sooners could not block the Volunteers, so their quarterbacks were under duress all night. Add in-game injuries to receiver Nic Anderson and running back Taylor Tatum, and it all snowballed.
Tennessee: Visits Arkansas on Oct. 5.
Oklahoma: Visits Auburn on Saturday.
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