Why Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton is ‘Confident’ After Gritty Win Over Tennessee

Even without R Mason Thomas, the Sooners' defense played exceptionally against the Volunteers, holding them to their second-lowest point total of 2025.

Oklahoma defensive lineman Gracen Halton | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — After R Mason Thomas suffered a game-ending injury in the first quarter against Tennessee, it was up to the Sooners’ 10 other starters and all of their reserves to step up.

Thomas exited OU’s 33-27 win over the Volunteers after returning a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown on Saturday. Even without the star edge rusher, Oklahoma’s defense played exceptionally, helping the Sooners earn their six-point road win.

Going forward, that gives Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton great confidence.

“(OU coach Brent Venables), he harps on just being ready when the moment happens,” Halton said.

The Sooners forced two more takeaways after Thomas’ scoop-and-score touchdown. Safety Peyton Bowen intercepted Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar midway through the second quarter, and safety Robert Spears-Jennings picked Aguilar off in the final minute of the first half.

And after allowing 255 total yards in the first half, the Sooners tightened up. They held the Volunteers to a 1-of-5 clip on third downs in the second half and gave up 201 yards.

Oklahoma registered eight tackles for loss and four sacks as a team. But perhaps more notably, the Sooners held Tennessee to its second-lowest point total of the 2025 season — and they did this without their star edge rusher.

“We had to step up,” Halton said. “One of our guys, one of our soldiers is down, another has to step up and make plays.”

The Sooners’ defense stepped up to the plate against one of college football’s best offenses and also did so at Neyland Stadium.

Halton attributes the strong defensive performance against Tennessee to quality mental preparation.

“Going in there and keeping your head straight, knowing why we were there and knowing we had to win, that was our mindset,” Halton said.

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OU’s game against Tennessee isn’t the Sooners’ final test, though.

The Sooners will battle Alabama on Nov. 15 after their bye week. As always, the Crimson Tide will be a formidable foe, headlined this year by quarterback Ty Simpson, who is currently third in the Heisman Trophy odds, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

It’s also unclear whether or not Thomas will be able to play against Alabama. In the SEC’s weekly teleconference on Wednesday, Venables revealed that he didn’t have any new information about Thomas. After the Tennessee game, though, Venables said he was optimistic that Thomas wouldn’t be forced to miss extended time.

Whether Thomas is back for Alabama or not, Halton believes OU’s defense is up for any test after how it performed in Knoxville.

“(Venables), he stresses getting better every day, better by the week, no matter if we have a game or not,” Halton said. “So that’s our mindset: Getting better every day. When we’re on the field, we just want to get better.”