NORMAN, Okla. — The glitz of the University of Tennessee’s big-play offense — Nico Iamaleava’s spirals hitting receivers in stride or Dylan Sampson spinning and sprinting past defenders — is fun and all, but the next step in the growth of the UT football program needed to be its grit.
How do you respond when those big splash plays are limited? Or worse, when things go disastrously wrong? Especially on the road in a hostile and rowdy Southeastern Conference environment.
When last year’s UT team faced adversity on the road for the first time, it wilted in Florida’s Swamp, limping home from Gainesville with another loss that showed enough cracks to realize those Vols were not ready for prime time. Even worse, they followed that frustration by getting rolled at Alabama, which scored 27 unanswered points, then were blistered for 33 straight at Missouri — which remains the program’s most recent loss.
Saturday night, when faced with every reason to shrink — injuries to both starting offensive tackles, turnovers that should have shifted momentum squarely in No. 15 Oklahoma’s favor — the Vols instead had someone different step up each time.
And suddenly, after it came sweepin’ down the plains with Saturday’s 25-15 win at Owen Field — the program’s first road win over a top-15 team in The Associated Press poll since beating No. 10 Georgia in 2006 — sixth-ranked Tennessee earned itself some much-needed wiggle room when it comes to battling for one of 12 spots in the College Football Playoff.