Griffin Sports Analyst Toby Rowland Weighs In As Fans Prep For OU-Tennessee Matchup

As the University of Oklahoma prepares for its first weekend of SEC football, Sooner fans are getting a taste of what to expect deeper into the 2024 season.

Toby Rowland, voice of the Sooners and Griffin Sports analyst, joined News 9 on Thursday to talk about the Sooners Saturday matchup against Tennessee, who's favored to win and what to look for after kickoff.

Rowland said the wait is finally over after three years of waiting since OU's announced departure from the Big 12, and now the Sooners are welcoming their new fellow conference members to Norman.

"We've been counting down to this for three years now, since we found out OU's going to the SEC," Rowland said. "I think I've heard the Tennessee Volunteers fans are starting to roll into town. They got all their RVs and their flags, so it's going to be an incredible atmosphere Saturday."

Although the Volunteers are favored to win, Rowland said he expects the Sooners can adapt to the challenge with a few key adjustments.

"You got to win the turnover battle, there's not a lot of margin for error in this game for Oklahoma, so they can't give it away more than they take away," Rowland said. "I think number two, they got to get pressure on [Tennessee quarterback] Nico Iamaleava, they got to force Tennessee into some obvious passing situations."

Rowland said pressuring the offense is something OU head coach Brent Venables thrives at, and doing so against Tennessee would be a game changer.

Additionally, Rowland said the ability to make big plays, as well as an energetic crowd of Sooner fans, could turn things in Oklahoma's favor.