Sooner Report: Bring on The Vols

Sanchez Ready For Action

Last Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma fans across the nation held their collective breath as sophomore cornerback Zack Sanchez injured his shoulder making a tackle against the Golden Hurricane. While head coach Bob Stoops indicated on Monday that the Ft. Worth, Texas, native was cleared to practice and play, it was even a more encouraging sign to see him smiling after practice on Tuesday.

“Zach practiced today and we expect him to be 100 percent,” said defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. “That was just a little love tap.”

Sooners Welcome the Vols to Town

On Saturday, the No. 4 Sooners welcome the SEC's Tennessee Volunteers to Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for a marquee matchup in front of a national television audience on ABC, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT.

The meeting will be the first of the regular season for the Sooners and Vols and starts a home-and-home series, as OU will travel to Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2015. All time, the two programs are 1-1 against each other. Tennessee won in the OU's first-ever bowl appearance, the 1939 Orange Bowl, and the Sooners claimed the 1968 Orange Bowl.

Against current SEC teams, OU head coach Bob Stoops holds a 12-0 home record. Overall, he is 23-7 (.767) against current squads in the conference. Oklahoma is 106-46-8 (.688) all-time against current SEC members.

Stoops shared he has great respect for Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and his staff, who are in their second season with the program.

“Butch and his staff are doing a fantastic job,” Stoops said. “I know they've recruited really well. You can tell when you turn on the film, you see a lot of really big, physical, good looking athletes, with excellent speed and quickness.

“Being their second year in the program, watching their tape here in the first couple of games, you can see they're more comfortable in everything that they're doing,” Stoops continued. “That's natural, now that they're in their second year, with all their schemes and what they're trying to do. They look like they're really playing well.”

Senior linebacker Geneo Grissom said that even though this game is an opportunity to make a mark, it is important for the Sooners to just be prepared and play their game.

“It's huge to make an impression,” Grissom explained. “Coach Mike (Stoops) says it all the time, it's not really about who we are playing, it's about us, and we have to keep that in mind throughout every game. Prepare the same way, prepare with the same intensity every week and just make sure that we are always prepared when the game comes.”

Quarterback Trevor Knight echoed this idea, saying that he is trying to approach the Tennessee game as he would any other, although he recognizes the significance of the matchup.

“I try to take the same approach to every game and obviously with bigger games there comes a little bit more morale and everything,” Knight said. “You come into the locker room and everyone's talking about it. I try not to listen to that stuff too much, but it is a big game for us, one, because it is the next one. I know that's the big answer but also because it's Tennessee, an SEC team coming to town. They're a great squad. They are going to be the best group up front that we've seen so far this year, so we're excited about playing them.”

Stripe Stadium

Stripe the Stadium

Thanks to tremendous fan feedback and participation, it's time for the third annual “Stripe the Stadium” game on Saturday. Fans in odd numbered sections are asked to wear White, and fans in even numbered sections should wear Crimson. Those in the general admission student section should also wear Crimson to the contest. Let's Stripe the Stadium and show America why There's Only One Oklahoma!

For a map of sections for Stripe the Stadium, click here: http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209637697

OU/Tennessee Storylines Run Deep

The Sooners and Volunteers meet on the turf this weekend, but the two storied programs have a history that runs even deeper through many of their sports.

The most recent high-profile matchup came on the diamond, as the OU softball team swept Tennessee in a best-of-three series to claim the 2013 WCWS crown. Game 1 saw the Sooners win in dramatic fashion as Lauren Chamberlain sent a two-run home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure a 5-3 win for OU. A year later, the Sooners defeated the Lady Vols in the Super Regional to advance to their fourth-straight and ninth overall WCWS.

The programs also have a notable meeting on the baseball diamond, as the Sooners' first national title came as they topped Tennessee, 3-2, to take the 1951 College World Series in their first appearance at the event in Omaha, Neb.

In February 2009, Courtney Paris and the OU women's basketball team defeated the Lady Vols, leaving legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt at 999 wins for another game. The same contest saw Paris' NCAA-record 112 straight comes with a double-double come to an end.

OU's women's soccer team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003, where it faced Tennessee in a first-round matchup. In 2014, the OU rowing team beat Tennessee to win the C-USA championship, and in 2015, the Vols will join the Big 12 in the sport.

To learn more about these memorable moments between OU and Tennessee, watch Sooner Sports TV's “Featured” series on FOX Sports Oklahoma. Future air times for the show are as follows:

FSOKLAHOMA

9/11 – 5:30 p.m.

9/12 – 6:00 p.m.

9/13 – 2:30 p.m.

FSSOUTHWEST

9/11 – 2:30 p.m.

FCS CENTRAL

9/9 – 11:30 p.m.

9/11 – 10:00 a.m.

9/12 – 6:30 a.m.

9/12 – 12:30 p.m.

9/13 – 3:00 a.m.

The Origins of the Term, “Riverside”

The game of football involves a rich lingo, including terms such as “Hail Mary,” “Shotgun” and “Audible.” One common term often heard at football practices that originated at Tennessee is “Riverside.” A coach yells this when he wants the offense to switch sides with the defense on the field, or to go in the direction of the “river side.”

General Bob Neyland, who was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956, is credited with coining the term. The Vols practice field was adjacent to the Tennessee river and when he wanted to flip flop the direction of the practice he simply said “riverside” and everybody moved to the opposite side. Great piece of football history!

Sooners Gigapixel Set for Tennessee

As part of the OU-Tennessee festivities, an ultra-high resolution 360-degree photo will be taken at the game. Fans will need to make sure they dress to impress and show up at or before game time to ensure they're in the photo.

The Interactive Photo - powered by Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas and Fancam - will allow fans to find and tag themselves, share with friends, enter to win amazing prizes and celebrate the Oklahoma vs. Tennessee game in incredible detail. The image will be over 26 billion pixels in size. To be alerted when the Interactive Photo is available, sign up at pano.ly/sooners.

OU Alumni/Former RufNek a Part of the Pre-game Flyover

A fly-over is scheduled for pregame this weekend, and one of the pilots is an OU alumni and RufNek. Col. Doug Hayworth will fly a C-47 as part of the fly-over as he is a member of the WWII demonstration team that operates the aircraft.

Hayworth attended OU from 1977-1981 and drove the Schooner in his time as a RufNek. Currently, he is an active member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. His daughter Susanna Roberts is a National Guard KC-135 pilot and a C-47 trainee.

The A-Team

Saturday's contest will be broadcast nationally by ABC. Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Heather Cox (sideline reporter) are scheduled to call the action.

Sanchez Ready For Action

Stripe the Stadium

OU/Tennessee Storylines Run Deep

The Origins of the Term, “Riverside”

Sooners Gigapixel Set for Tennessee

OU Alumni/Former RufNek a Part of the Pre-game Flyover

The A-Team

Players Mentioned

Geneo Grissom

Trevor Knight

Zack Sanchez

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics