In short, it wasn't pretty.
- You don't see much of him here, but Jalen Hurd had a decent night averaging nearly seven yards per carry. Given that the game didn't get out of reach until the fourth, its curious that Hurd only rushed 14 times. Meanwhile Worley passed 44 times for 4.6 yards per attempt.
- At about the 7:30 mark there's a nice play action and quick, deep lob into man coverage. If Tennessee stacks the box with an extra safety I could see Chris Conley winning that battle against either Justin Coleman or Cameron Sutton.
- Looks like the Tennessee defensive front was worn out before the end of the first half. Oklahoma was opening up plenty of holes for their back up the middle and beating white jerseys to the edge. I sure hope our offensive line can lean on them like that.
- Defensively, a lot of the pressure came from the Oklahoma linemen. But there was a designed blitz or two using a defensive back. It's clear that the Sooners aimed at giving the young Vol linemen plenty of looks to digest. Much more than they could handle really. Much.
- That being said, Worley never seemed to adjust and decide to deliver the ball any faster. Be interesting to see if that's something they worked on during the off week.
- Also, at about the 9:40 mark listen to how much trouble the offensive line was having with the snap count. Even the center was saying he couldn't hear.
- Now consider this quote from one of their more experienced players who's been to Athens before:
- Not so sure I believe that, especially given that the game in Norman was at night and we'll be kicking off to a second consecutive nooner. But it's food for thought for those of us venturing into the friendly stands in Sanford Stadium.
- Towards the end it's clear the Volunteer safeties are playing deep. Oklahoma has threatened them enough to be able to exploit the middle of the field with intermediate passes and well blocked runs up the middle.
- Would be nice to see someone like Isaiah McKenzie or Reggie Davis stretch the field enough to give Mason (and Gurley & Co.) that much room to work with.
So putting all that in a nutshell, I don't see any reason Gurley can't have a big afternoon. If Oklahoma's freshman running back could average 7+ yards per carry, then Georgia's stable of running backs should give ol' John Jancek a big headache.
Defensively things get a bit more complicated. But Jeebus, that offensive line is one match short of a tire fire. Worley can zip the ball in there. We just have to find a way not to make him into someone bigger than he is like we did a couple weeks ago with Dylan Thompson.
That should do for now. What are your thoughts? Especially if you happened to see the whole game.
