Who's Up and Who's Down in the OU Stock Report After Oklahoma's Huge Victory at Tennessee?

Oklahoma and Tennessee in Knoxville just begs for a classic football game.

The Sooners and Volunteers battled in a good one on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, and Oklahoma scored twice late and recovered two onside kicks to hang on to a 33-27 victory.

OU improved to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play — more conference wins than they had all of last year — while the Vols fell to 6-3 and 3-3.

It was OU’s first time over 30 points in an SEC game.

Riding the long-distance foot of kicker Tate Sandell and the powerful rushing legs of Xavier Robinson and quarterback John Mateer, No. 18-ranked OU led 26-17 and was driving for another score to put the game away when offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle asked Mateer to throw the ball.

Mateer’s throw hit Jer’Michael Carter in the hands but deflected into the air and was intercepted, giving the Vols life.

Tennessee summarily drove the length of the field and cashed in with Joey Aguilar’s third touchdown pass of the night to cut it to 26-24.

After Robert Spears-Jennings grabbed the onside kick, Robinson broke a 43-yard run untouched up the middle. He took a knee inside the 1-yard line with 1:43 left, and then Mateer kept the football for a touchdown run on the next play, rebuilding OU’s lead to 33-24.

Even then, Tennessee quickly drove for a field goal to cut it to 33-27 with 47 seconds left.

Three Takeaways From Oklahoma's Victory Over Tennessee

The Vols’ second onside kick was scooped up by Ivan Carreon to clinch it.

Aguilar and his talented receiver tormented the Sooner secondary for 393 yards passing, as Tennessee, fueled by a lop-sided first half, outgained OU by more than 100 yards (456-353).

The win was reminiscent of Baker Mayfield’s coming out party at Neyland in 2015, when he rallied OU from a two-touchdown deficit for a thrilling win in double overtime.

Oklahoma came into Saturday having lost two of its last three games following defeats at the hand of Texas and Ole Miss.

And after Aguilar took the Vols easily down the field for a 7-0 lead and the UT defense came up with a quick three-and-out, it seemed the 5 1/2-point favorites would roll to a home victory in front of their 101,915 fans.

But R Mason Thomas’ 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown set a school record and changed the tenor of the game.

Peyton Bowen’s interception in the end zone just before halftime set up Sandell’s third of four field goals.

Sandell booted kicks of 55, 52, 40 and 55 yards to give the Sooners plenty of distance for the upset victory.

“Man, he’s just an absolute stud,” Venables told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. “He has ice in his veins. … Tate’s big-time man.”

The Sooners are off next week before a finishing stretch at Alabama and two home games against Missouri and LSU.

Here is the OU stock report from Saturday’s game in Knoxville.

WAY, WAY UP: PK Tate Sandell

Sandell drilled three field goals in the first half alone, a 55-yard bomb, a 52-yarder to tie it, and a 40-yarder that put the Sooners up 16-10 at halftime, then added another 55-yarder early in the fourth quarter to put OU up 26-17.

It extended Sandell’s streak to 19 consecutive field goals, tying Gabe Brkic’s school record, and allowed him to set a single-season school record with 10 (now 14) field goals of at least 40 yards. The 55-yarders also tied for the longest field goals in the long, colorful history of Neyland Stadium.

DOWN, then UP: QB John Mateer

Mateer started slow, completing just 7-of-13 passes for 44 yards, but had 36 rushing yards on five carries.

Just before halftime, however, Mateer showed signs of life with a nice escape and perfect throw to Isaiah Sategna for 14 yards on third-and-14. That helped set up a field goal that put OU in front just before halftime.

Mateer then hit 9-of-12 passes for 87 yards in the third quarter, and contributed big play after big play in the run game with gains of 21, 4 and 10 yards. One long drive was ended on Xavier Robinson’s fumble at the Tennessee 10-yard line, and the next one ended with Robinson’s 4-yard TD smash.

Mateer kept it going in the fourth quarter with runs of 9, 2 and 2 yards, and completion of 12, 11 and 8 yards.

He had the Sooners nearing the red zone again, but a perfefct throw to Jer’Michael Carter deflected off Carter’s hands and was intercepted.

It was a curious call by Arbuckle, as the Sooners were nearing the red zone again with a nine-point lead and the game clock at just over four minutes.

Mateer finished with 159 yards on 19-of-29 passing and added 80 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

LB Owen Heinecke

The former walk-on and one-time Ohio State lacrosse player replaced senior captain Kobie McKinzie and had 12 tackles — in the first half alone.

He also forced the fumble from QB Joey Aguilar that R Mason Thomas scooped up and returned for a touchdown — the longest fumble return in OU history.

The previous long was a 70-yard runback by Nik Bonitto in 2020 against Kansas State.

The previous second-longest fumble return? A 69-yarder by Heinecke’s uncle, Cory Heinecke, against Air Force in 2011.

UP, then DOWN: DE R Mason Thomas

Set an OU record with his 71-yard fumble return, which sounds big enough one its own. But he stiff-armed a Vols tight end for probably 25 yards, then tip-toed the sideline to stay inbounds for the Sooners’ first touchdown that changed the game.

HE PUT THE TEAM ON HIS BACK THO 🤯@OU_Football x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/r3L74Ndi4K
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 2, 2025

However, Thomas appeared to injure his right hamstring and did not return to the game.

DOWN: DT David Stone

David Stone, arguably Oklahoma's best defensive tackle in the first two months of the season, made a big mental mistake early when he committed a crucial late-hit penalty on which he swiped hard on Aguilar’s helmet and facemask. That 15-yarder led to a Vols score.

VOLATILE: FS Peyton Bowen

Peyton Bowen made a great play to range over and help his little brother Eli in coverage on a deep throw to the goal line by Aguilar. Bowen came away with an interception and a 37-yard return that set up a long field goal just before halftime.

But in the third quarter, Bowen missed a chance to either make a play on the ball or make a solid tackle — and Braylon Staley went 54 yards for a touchdown that gave Tennessee a 17-16 lead.

DOWN: CB Courtland Guillory

Courtland Guillory was mostly solid in coverage when the ball was thrown his way as he was credited with one pass defensed but realistically had two more.

But he lost his man twice in the first half for big gains, and his whiff on a tackle of Staley left Staley upright for a 54-yard touchdown.

Then he showed poor technique when he committed a costly pass interference penalty on third-and-long on a Aguilar prayer that was not going to be caught anyway.

UP, then DOWN: WR Jer’Michael Carter

Grabbed his second reception of the year, a 14-yard pickup on first down late in the third quarter. But then had a perfect pass from Mateer deflect off his hands and into the air for an interception that kept the Vols in the game late in the fourth quarter.

DOWN, then UP: RB Xavier Robinson

Robinson got off to a slow start (19 yards on six carries in the first half), and then in the third quarter lost a fumble in the red zone.

But he surged to life on the ensuing offensive possession, plowing through the Vol defense on runs of 5, 8, 14 and 4 yards — the last one a touchdown run into the heart of Tennessee’s D.

He finished with a career-high 115 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (he probably should have had 116 and two TDs, but he took a knee at the 1 at the end of a 43-yard run in the final minutes).