Oklahoma running back Alex Ross (28) can't get to a pass thrown by Trevor Knight in their game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (34) defends at left.NORMAN, Okla. - Jim Mallicote and his three friends were part of the thousands of Tennessee fans who trekked west to Oklahoma to see the Volunteers play the fourth-ranked team in the country.
And like many of his fellow fans, the Johnson City native and his friends came with high hopes and realistic expectations.
"A win," Mallicote said with a laugh when asked late Saturday morning what he wanted to see when the Vols played the Sooners that night.
"We're not expecting to win. Nobody's expecting us to win, but you never know."
Tennessee and Oklahoma are two of just eight programs with more than 800 wins, but the eighth- and sixth-winningest programs in college football never met in the regular season before Saturday night.
The Vols and Sooners, who will visit Knoxville next season, split a pair of Orange Bowls in 1939 and 1968.
"With Oklahoma coming up," said John Sievers, Mallicote's friend and fellow Johnson City native, "we thought, 'You know, most of us have never been to Oklahoma and will never have a reason to come again.' We thought why not. Let's go out there and have a good time."
Mallicote and Sievers said they typically go to a couple of road games each season, and as it did at Oregon last year, Tennessee sold out of its allotment of tickets -- believed to be in the 6,000 range -- quickly for the game at Oklahoma.
The Vols, who have played 22 true freshmen this season, were 21-point underdogs against the Sooners, a seasoned and talented national-title contender.
"I think the defense is going to be OK," Sievers said. "My worry is that the offense is going to have quite a few three-and-outs, and the defense, in the second half, they're just going to get winded. If the offense can stay on the field for seven- or eight-minute drives and give the defense a break, we might be in this thing going into the fourth quarter."
Even if that doesn't happen, both Tennessee fans are confident that second-year coach Butch Jones has the program moving in the right direction.
"We're happy in general with how Butch Jones has taken the team. I am," Mallicote said. "I just think the morale's going to be up. I'm not going to say it's going to be close, but you just never know who shows up. They've got good momentum going.
"Even if we get beat, I think he's right for the job. I think he's leading them in the right direction. Recruiting-wise, discipline -- all that was gone."
Sievers believes Jones has "fired up" and "re-energized" the Vols' rabid fan base, and he understands why Tennessee's coach was asking for patience throughout the offseason.
"If you know football, you know he didn't walk into a great situation," he said. "He didn't have a lot of talent; he didn't have any depth. If you're thinking he's going to walk in there and win the SEC, you're delusional.
"I think he's doing great in recruiting. The defense seems to be a whole lot faster. Players are where they need to be. He just needs to get a few more playmakers down there and get a little bit more depth down there, and a little bit more experienced and a little bit stronger."