Oklahoma, Brent Venables Embracing Challenges of Playing at Neyland Stadium

The Sooners will play in the third-largest SEC stadium on Saturday when they battle the Volunteers on the road.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Between his four years as Oklahoma’s head coach and his previous defensive coordinator stints at Clemson and OU, Brent Venables has coached in plenty of raucous atmospheres.

Saturday will be his first trip to Neyland Stadium, though.

Oklahoma will battle Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. The Volunteers play at Neyland Stadium, which is the third-largest venue in the Southeastern Conference with a capacity of 101,915.

“It’s going to be incredibly challenging,” Venables said on the SEC’s weekly teleconference on Wednesday. “But as somebody that has great respect and appreciation for college football, the history, the coaches, the teams, the moments, this is something that I’m looking forward to seeing, experiencing what it’s all about.”

Neyland is the second-largest stadium that Venables will have coached at since becoming the Sooners’ head coach.

Last year, OU faced LSU at Tiger Stadium — the SEC’s second-largest venue — in its regular-season finale. The Tigers won 37-17 a week after the Sooners took down No. 7 Alabama at home to clinch bowl eligibility.

Venables expects Knoxville to be similarly daunting for his team.

“Obviously playing in an incredibly hostile environment this weekend,” Venables said. “Gonna be a lot of excitement around the game.”

Tennessee comes into Saturday’s game 6-2, and their losses came to Georgia and Alabama, both of which are currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll. Most recently, the Volunteers beat Kentucky 56-34 on the road.

The Volunteers have one of college football’s most explosive offenses. Tennessee is second nationally in scoring offense (45.6 points per game) and third in total offense (510.1 yards per game).

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OU, on the other hand, comes in slumping. The Sooners have dropped two of their last three contests after starting the year 5-0 with wins over Michigan and Auburn.

Despite the Sooners’ recent skid and the challenge that comes with playing on the road in the SEC, OU quarterback John Mateer treasures the opportunity to play in notable games like Saturday’s.

“It's gonna be awesome,” Venables said. “They're gonna be in their cool jerseys, night game… This is something every kid dreams about playing in — this game on this date. It's going to be awesome.”

Oklahoma’s game at Tennessee will be the Sooners’ third true road game of the 2025 season. OU is 2-0 so far on the road, collecting wins against Temple and South Carolina earlier in the year.

Whether his team plays at a massive venue like Neyland Stadium or a smaller one, Venables always treasures the opportunity to take the Sooners on the road.

“It’s all part of the experience, traveling, taking your team to a new environment,” Venables said. “Certainly for me, myself, something I’m looking forward to.”