When was the last time a game in Norman felt this significant?

The Sooners are hosting their first-ever SEC game. Tennessee, ranked sixth in the country, has only been to Owen Field once before in 2014. And Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is returning to Norman for the first time since 2014 and for the first time as a visitor. ESPN's College Gameday is also making its first appearance since 2020 and only the second time since 2011.

And, this marks just the first time the Sooners are a touchdown underdog at home since 1998.

The storylines are endless, making this one of the most important games in Norman in quite some time. But ultimately, what matters is everything on the field. Here's a few things to watch for Oklahoma on Saturday:

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

TV: ABC (ESPN+)

Radio: 107.7 FM

1. Can the Sooners pressure Nico lamaleava?

The Vols have been one of the most explosive offenses in the country, particularly through the air. They rank 10th in yards per attempt (10.3) and 12th in yards per completion (15.5), and 81st in yards per play (8.1).

A big reason for their success has been the lack of pressure on lamaleava. The Vols offensive line has given up just one sack this season, and lamaleava has only been pressured on eight of his 73 passing attempts, per Pro Football Focus.

The numbers show the Sooners can slow down lamaleava and the Vols — IF if they can get generate a pass rush.

When lamaleava has been kept clean, lamaleava has completed 45 of 59 (76.3%) of his passes for 663 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception on 11.3 yards per attempt. When lamaleava has been pressured — which is rare — he's completed three of eight passes (37.5%) for 35 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception on 4.4 yards per attempt.

That puts the focus on players like R Mason Thomas to make an impact. Thomas has been the team's most effective pass rusher — he leads the team in sacks (3) and has pass rush win rate of 54.5%, logging a pass rush grade of 90.1. As a whole, the Sooners have 10 sacks and 30 quarterback hurries, both marks far higher than any of Tennessee's opponents so far.

Most importantly, the Sooners have 10 takeaways, which is tied for the most in the country. They're going to need to pressure lamaleava, force chaos and makes things easier on their offense.

2. The Sooners need to run the ball, and do it well

This game could be over before it starts if the running game doesn't find a rhythm.

It's been a bit up and down for OU's running game to start the season. The Sooners are 67th in rushing offense (159 yards per game) and 4.3 yards per carry, which ranks 61st nationally. But they averaged just 2.6 yards per carry against Houston and 4.0 yards per carry against Tulane. Jackson Arnold has had some success in the quarterback-run game — he leads the team in carries and yards — but it's been a slow start for the running backs. Jovantae Barnes is averaging 4.0 yards per carry, while starting running back Gavin Sawchuk has turned 16 carries into just 35 yards (2.2 yards per carry).

It's not going to be easy against a Tennessee defense that ranks in the top five nationally stopping the run, allowing just 55 yards per game, allowing just 1.76 yards per carry. One thing that helps is that Branson Hickman and Troy Everett, both listed as "probable," are likely to return from injury which should help the offensive line, but Jake Taylor is questionable.

But the Sooners have to find a way to help Arnold, who's making just his fourth career start. Getting the running game going could really help open things in the passing game.

The running back rotation should also be something to monitor. Sawchuk has started all three games but has only logged 60 snaps, and he barely played after the first quarter against Tulane. Barnes leads the running backs in snaps (104), while Taylor Tatum has been the team's most efficient running back (6.8 yards per carry) and is the only RB who has scored. He also out-snapped Sawchuk last week. OU coach Brent Venables said the Sooners will need all three running backs in conference play, but there's hope that one of them will emerge as "the guy." This is a perfect opportunity for that to happen."

3. Can Arnold and the receivers threaten Tennessee down the field?

There just hasn't been much explosiveness to OU's offense. The Sooners are averaging 4.6 yards per play, which ranks 98th nationally. The passing offense has been even more limited, ranking 112th in yards per pass attempt (5.5).

With Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson and Andrel Anthony out, the Sooners have lacked downfield options. Arnold is just two of 13 on passes with a target depth of 20 yards or more, and one of those was a 47-yard pass to Farooq, who broke his foot early against Temple.

It's not going to get much easier against Tennessee, which is allowing just 4.3 yards per pass attempt to opposing offenses.

The good news is that Anderson and Anthony are likely to return this weekend, and both should give an immediate jolt to the offense. Anderson averaged 21 yards per reception last season and had a 63-yard reception, the longest on the team. Anthony averaged 16 yards per reception last season and was the primary deep threat before he suffered a season-ending injury.

The Sooners don't have to force the issue. The immediate goal is moving the ball consistently. But if Tennessee's offense starts to score points, the OU offense is going to have to keep up. Plus, if the Sooners can generate explosiveness in the passing game, it'll likely open up things in the running game, too.

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