4. Display of Maturity
This was an incredibly mature performance from head coach Josh Heupel and the Tennessee program. Nico Iamaleava was, by no means, terrific. He was only 13-for-21 for 194 yards with one touchdown, and he did have a pair of fumbles, but Heupel recognized very early that his defense had this game in hand, and all they needed to do was avoid screwing it up with turnovers. With injuries on the offensive line and his defense dominating, Heupel was content to win comfortably instead of trying to put up 40 points on the Sooners. The defense gave up only two explosive plays, and the Vols had six tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a safety (in the first half alone). While the game was still in the balance, the Sooners had -19 yards in the second quarter as Tennessee took control.
