UT Vols set for toughness test at Oklahoma

photo Tennessee coach Butch Jones has his team 2-0 but traveling this week to fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

KNOXVILLE - As Tennessee football coach Butch Jones watched Oklahoma dismantle Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in January, he probably tried not to think about the trip to Norman the rebuilding Volunteers were taking nine months later.

He all but admitted that Monday.

"At that time I just said focus on the process and finishing recruiting strong," Jones said with a slight grin during his weekly news conference, five days before the young Vols take their first road trip to fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

"I don't know what else to tell you other than the results that they've had speak for themselves. They back it up. The results speak for themselves."

Knocking off Oklahoma would be the loudest statement Tennessee has made in years, but the Sooners are 21-point favorites for any number of reasons.

Under 16th-year coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma is an absurd 88-5 in Norman. Tennessee, meanwhile is on a 19-game losing streak against ranked teams on the road, dating back to a 51-33 rout of Georgia in Athens in 2006. The Vols' last road win against a top-five team was the crazy comeback at LSU on a Monday night in 2005.

In its first season under Jones in 2013, Tennessee took some confidence from a 2-0 start across the country to No. 2 Oregon and was blasted 59-14.

"We're a better team and more confident," linebacker A.J. Johnson said.

"It can be a good measuring point just by the way we play," he added. "We haven't been successful with beating top-ranked teams lately, but we've got another opportunity and another chance to get a win. We're going to be ready for that."

The biggest question facing the Vols heading into Saturday's showdown, aside from whether its inexperienced linemen can hold up against Oklahoma at the line of scrimmage, is how all the freshmen and other newcomers handle their first road trip and the adversity that's sure to meet them there.

"Over half of our football team will be going on their first road trip, but I'm looking forward to it," Jones said. "I think it's going to be a great challenge for these youngsters. I think it's needed in our evolution and our maturity as a football team."

Tennessee's toughness is certain to be tested by the Sooners, who routed Louisiana Tech and Tulsa by a combined score of 100-23 and piled up 1,016 yards of offense in the first two games of the season.

Cornerback Cam Sutton, one of the budding stars on Tennessee's defense, believes the Vols have developed toughness through their practice habits and constant emphasis from the coaching staff.

"We're just a group of guys that want it really bad, and we're going to go out there and play our hearts out," Sutton said.

"I don't doubt our toughness at all. We're definitely a tough group, physically and mentally, and we're just prepared to take on any adversity there is."

Said Jones: "You try to prepare, but you really don't know until you're really faced with that adversity face to face."

In that bowl win against the Crimson Tide, Oklahoma's defense sacked Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron seven times and forced five turnovers while quarterback Trevor Knight threw for 348 yards and tossed four touchdowns passes as the Sooners won 45-31.

"I was thrilled about [the opportunity]," Johnson admitted. "I like playing the top and I like playing the best. From watching that game, we know they've got a good offense. We're going to have to prepare and do the right stuff to stop it."

Tennessee's defense passed its first two tests against Utah State and Arkansas State, two smaller programs with winning pedigrees, but Oklahoma is a different animal.

Tailbacks Keith Ford and Alex Ross both average better than 7 yards per carry and combined for seven rushing touchdowns in Oklahoma's first two games, and receiver Sterling Shepard broke out with an eight-catch, 177-yard performance in the 52-7 rout of Tulsa on Saturday.

"We have handled adversity so far this year throughout the first two games [after] giving up points here and there," Sutton said. "We know we're going to have sudden-change throughout the game. The offense is going to get their plays here and there, and our job is just to limit those plays and get the ball back to our offense."

Jones believes his team and his program are making progress, and Saturday night's game will be a checkpoint of how far the Vols have come and how far they have left to go.

"It's all about competing, and we preach that every day," Sutton said. "We just have to go out there and give our all and play with a lot of passion and a lot of energy. When we're clicking on all cylinders, we're a tough team to beat."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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