If you’re like most Tennessee fans, you flinch, wince and, perhaps, even gasp every time the Vols’ most important player, quarterback Nico Iamaleava, gets so much as bumped during a play. That could make the following news a bit disturbing.
Oklahoma is second in the SEC with 11 sacks per game and, most recently, was led by a potential emerging star at linebacker R Mason Thomas, who was named the Bronco Nagurski National Player of the Week last week in the Sooners’ 34-19 win over Tulane. Thomas, in just his third start, rang up three sacks in the final quarter against the Green Wave. He also forced a fumble that he recovered and registered another quarterback hurry. Talk about taking over a game.
There’s no question that Oklahoma will be the most talented team the Vols have faced this season and, most likely, the best coached. The Sooners are led by a very defensive-minded coach, Brent Venables, who helped Clemson to two national championships as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.
While Venables is known for stopping the run first and foremost, his scheme often calls for safeties and linebackers to attack. If he holds true to form, the Vols might have more difficulty running the football than throwing the ball. In other words, redshirt freshman or not, Iamaleava is going to have to deliver.
That means it’s up to Tennessee’s offensive line, tight ends and running backs to protect the cool Californian quarterback. The Vols have only given up one sack this season, but haven’t really faced a challenge against their first three foes, who were woefully overmatched.
Tennessee’s offensive line isn’t really a concern. It may be one of the best in the nation. However, the last line of defense lies at the running back position where the Vols have primarily played Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop this season. A last-second block or even a chip could be the difference between a sack and a long touchdown pass.
“They’re doing good in pass pro,” Tennessee center Cooper Mays said on The Vol Report. “…the term is ‘scratch where it itches.’ So wherever in the protection they feel like there’s weakness for somebody getting beat, they’re always super quick to step up and help clean it up for us and save us when we’re in a bad spot. They’ve done really good stuff in the past, but they’ve done extra stuff that just stays completely out of the books and nobody really realizes it. They’ve saved a couple of sacks, I’m sure, throughout the past three games.”
One would think Bishop is the bigger concern between Tennessee’s two main tailbacks. He’s just 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds. Well, he’s listed at that height and weight, but I seriously doubt he’s that big. Bishop, who is a redshirt freshman, also has far less experience than Sampson, who is listed at 5-11 and 201 pounds and a junior this season. However, Mays was quick to point out that he has been incredibly impressed by Bishop even when he was a running back at Karns (Tenn.) High School. Bishop was a local legend in the north Knoxville community as he rushed for over 8,000 yards during his high school career.
Bishop, with 8,347 yards and 102 rushing touchdowns, ranks second and first all-time in both of those categories, respectively. He won back-to-back Tennessee Titans 5A Mr. Football. Technically, he’s still a walk-on, but that’s sort of a loose term nowadays. With NIL, it’s doubtful he’s writing checks to pay for his tuition while he’s tearing up opposing defenses. In fact, the only real knock against Bishop was probably the fact that he played at Karns, which is not exactly known for being a football power. That never stopped Bishop.
“The dude’s been a dude for a minute,” Mays said. “I’ve known about him all the way since, I think, in middle school…He’s done a really, really good job for us and super, super happy for how he’s done.”
Those fans that can’t help but shudder when Iamaleava takes a hit certainly hope that is the case on Saturday in Norman, Okla., when the Vols take on the Sooners at 7:30 EST. Otherwise, it could be a long night for skittish fans and, more importantly, Iamaleava.
