Trevor Knight (9) was on the money passing in the win over the Vols. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
NORMAN, Okla. — Trevor Knight apparently has a knack for picking apart SEC defenses.
Oklahoma’s sophomore quarterback threw for 306 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as the No. 4 Sooners knocked off Tennessee 34-10 Saturday night at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Knight topped 300 yards passing for the second time in his career. The other came in Oklahoma’s upset of Alabama in January’s Sugar Bowl.
It was far from all Knight, though.
Oklahoma’s defense kept Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley scrambling all night, sacking him five times and forcing him to hurry constantly even when they didn’t bring him down.
Oklahoma (4-0) begins Big 12 play at West Virginia on Saturday. Tennessee (2-1) has the week off before opening SEC play at Georgia on Sept. 27.
Oklahoma cornerback Zack Sanchez intercepted a pass for the fourth consecutive game, going up in the end zone and wrestling the ball away from Tennessee receiver Justin Croom for a touchback.
On Tennessee’s next drive, their first of the fourth quarter, Worley once again was picked off in the end zone.
This time, though, Oklahoma cornerback Julian Wilson had space to move.
Wilson returned the interception off a tipped ball 100 yards for a touchdown to put the Sooners up 34-10.
It was Wilson’s first career touchdown and the second 100-yard interception return in school history.
Knight’s favorite target was receiver Sterling Shepard, who had five catches for 109 yards.
After Tennessee struggled to move the ball on the ground in the first half, freshman running back Jalen Hurd finished with a season-high 97 yards.
The Sooners had success moving the ball for much of the first half but struggled to finish off drives.
On their first drive of the game, the Sooners quickly moved the ball to the Tennessee 11 before the drive sputtered out and Oklahoma had to settle for a field goal.
Then late in the first quarter, Oklahoma moved the ball to the Tennessee 10 thanks in large part to a 45-yard reception by Shepard.
But once again, the Volunteers defense stood tall and held the Sooners to a field goal.
Oklahoma did find the end zone a couple of times before the half thanks to Ford.
First he scored on a 23-yard pass from Knight, where he caught the ball near the line of scrimmage and only had to beat the safety coming across from the other side to take it in for the touchdown.
Then Ford added an 11-yard touchdown run just before half, running right up the middle to put the Sooners up 20-7 at the break.
Oklahoma’s defense was suffocating for the most part in the first half, holding the Volunteers to minus-11 yards rushing before the half.
Tennessee broke through early in the second quarter on receiver Josh Smith’s 40-yard touchdown reception from Justin Worley that pulled the Volunteers to within six, 13-7.
The Sooners sacked Worley four times in the first half.
NOTES: The game was the third meeting between the teams. The other two happened in the Orange Bowl, with Tennessee winning in the 1938 game and the Sooners winning in 1968. … Oklahoma K Michael Hunnicutt has field goals in his last 20 games. … Oklahoma has outscored opponents 55-0 in the first quarter this season and 82-10 in the first half. … Oklahoma backup DE Charles Walker missed the game with a knee injury and is expected to miss next week’s Big 12 opener against West Virginia as well.
