Alabama at Tennessee: Final preview and prediction
Eli’s Preview:
One of College football’s biggest weeks has arrived, and it’s headlined by one of its oldest rivalries, The Third Saturday in October between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Two of the SEC’s most historically successful football programs come together every year on the third Saturday of October to settle their differences. Fans of both teams despise each other so much to the point of hate, as they have seen each other ruin seasons for over a hundred years. This season has been much of the same as both stand at 5-1 with aspirations of reaching the newly expanded College Football Playoff, and this game could decide who goes on to play in it. Alabama is coming off a close win at home last week versus the South Carolina Gamecocks, a game they struggled in just a week after their heartbreaking upset loss at Vanderbilt just after taking down the number one team in the nation the week prior. Bama has had its struggles, no doubt, but they look to make a very formidable opponent for the Volunteers this week. Tennessee, like Bama, is coming off a close win to an inferior opponent just a week after a disappointing loss. Both teams will be looking to make a statement, and who better to do it against?
Alabama Offense
The Alabama Offense has, times times,at looked like one of the nation’s most electric and fun
to watch this season. At other times, it has looked abysmal, unable to hold on to the ball for
long and sustain long drives. The offense is led by one of the nation’s best Quarterbacks, senior
Jalen Milroe, who has found himself in the Heisman Race.
No doubt the Tide has talent all over the field, but they have found a gem in the young
Freshman WR Ryan Williams, who has taken the nation by storm, continuously making huge
plays for them week in and week out. Milroe has also found a reliable target in Junior transfer
Germie Bernard, who followed Head Coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington.
Alabama has a nice running attack as well, with a pair of running backs that complement each
other well, consisting of Junior Jam Miller and Sophomore Justice Haynes. Milroe himself adds
to the run game in his own right, being able to afford to run the ball often behind a good
offensive line that has proven to be up there with the best in the SEC.
Alabama Defense
While the Crimson Tides offense has found success, the Bama defense has looked horrible at
times this season, struggling to stop the run, allowing for explosive plays in the passing game as
well. With Jihad Campbell and Deonte Lawson, who are two of the better linebackers the Vols
will face this season, the Tide look to make strides in holding the run.
With those two comes a pair of safeties that impress Keon Sabb and Malachi Moore, topping
off a young and inexperienced secondary that the Tennessee offense can and will try to take
the top of. The front, on the other hand, for the first time in a while, is underwhelming by
Alabama standards, being slightly undersized compared to years past, although some are great
pass rushers, being fast and twitchy.
Defensive Keys to Victory
Contain Milroe
Jalen Milroe is one of the best Quarterbacks in the country when it comes to using his legs.
Hitting him and keeping him from escaping the pocket takes out a huge part of the Alabama
offensive game. With Tennessee Linebacker Keenan Pili going down, the young guys at
linebacker will need to step up in a big way come Saturday.
Win the third/fourth down battle.
A big part of winning games is converting on more third and fourth downs than your opponent,
as momentum rests on whether a third/fourth down is converted or not. This goes the same
way for our offense continuing drives keep the momentum high for your squad.
Use the crowd’s energy.
It’s no secret that Neyland will be rocking, as they are just as hungry to prove that we can beat
Bama consistently. The defense should play into that and carry that energy into the game,
knowing that the crowd is behind you.
Offensive Keys to Victory
Establish the run
Tennessee has found its identity in the run game this season as running back Dylan Sampson
has bloomed into a huge star. Along with this, Bama has struggled when the opposing
quarterback has expressed the ability to escape and run the ball themselves. Nico and Sampson
must show why they are a dangerous running threat in the backfield.
Take what you’re given.
No doubt Tennessee will have to throw the ball, and with the way the Offense has been
struggling, Tennessee needs to take advantage of what the Alabama defense is giving them,
whether that is hitting on your deep shots or your simple open routes.
Find a rhythm
Taking what you are given can lead to the offense finding a rhythm where, at times, they have
had it, and other times, they have looked so off-beat, which has led to many three-and-outs.
The offense needs a wake-up call, and finding a rhythm will for sure help with that.
Prediction
Tennessee has looked suspect this year, but so has Alabama with this being potentially a playoff
elimination game, it is time to put up or shut up. While the offense has looked stagnant this
season, the defense has proven to be elite, and I think the offense will wake up in some fashion,
give me the Vols a 35-27 victory, winning their second consecutive home game against Alabama
at home for the first time in 20 years.
Colton’s Preview:
This is what we live for.
There’s always that one time of year that brings out the best of college football fans.
Whether it’s opening week, a major top-five matchup, or the annual in-state rivalry, there’s
always been that one matchup that each fan has circled every single year. For Vol Nation that
time is The Third Saturday In October. Coming into the 107th all-time matchup between the #11
Volunteers (5-1) and #7 Crimson Tide (5-1) the Big Orange look to restart a tradition commonly
found in this rivalry, a home winning streak. Before the surreal experience that was the 2022
game the Volunteers had suffered through the longest (and most miserable) losing streak against
the Tide having lost fifteen in a row to the team from Tuscaloosa. However, if history has taught
us one thing it’s that these two commonly go on streaks against each other. Prior to the dreadful
stretch of 2007 to 2021 it was the Volunteers who had dominated the series with seven straight
victories over Alabama from 1995 to 2001 and ten out of twelve from 1995 to 2006. Now as the
present day comes into view, the opportunity for Josh Heupel and co. to establish Tennessee as a
year-in-and-year-out championship contender has arrived as the Crimson Tide come into
Knoxville this Saturday.
Much like the Florida game the two sides enter this matchup with many questions still
left to be answered. Both sides have their individual strengths and glaring weaknesses, and
neither were able to silence them based off individual performances in their previous games.
However, if one thing has been certain it’s been that no game in the SEC is an automatic victory
this season. With the heart of the conference schedule now here the time has come to put up or
shut up as they say, with the Volunteers having their chance to stamp themselves as a playoff
contender this Saturday.
Alabama (5-1) enters the Third Saturday in October with one of the best wins of
the season against Georgia and arguably the worst as well with their stunning 40-35 loss to
Vanderbilt just two short weeks ago. Off that loss the Tide would respond, but not convincingly
unlike in years past as they would barely scrape by South Carolina at home by a final score of
27-25. In many ways, Alabama’s season has been the telltale image of the college football season.
Stellar victories, stunning upsets, near upsets, and inconsistent play across the board. If one thing
is for sure, however, it’s that the coaching style of the Crimson Tide is recognizably different.
Without Nick Saban on the sideline, Alabama has lost a touch of its composure and that all-gas,
no-breaks mindset. This has been made apparent since the second half of the classic against
Georgia. From the beginning of the third quarter of that game to now the Tide has given up 92
points with quarterback Jalen Milroe throwing an interception in each of those games. While a
loss to Vanderbilt will always be mocked, the overall performance from the Tide over the past few
weeks has been confusing, to say the least. What might be the most concerning issue for Alabama
however is their secondary. Even under Saban near the end of his tenure, the secondary had
become susceptible to deep plays and just flat out being burnt by opposing offenses. Even with
all of these issues Alabama is still Alabama. From unreal talent in Ryan Williams to the overall
improved play of Jalen Milroe, the Tide will always find a way to remain a stout and infamous
opponent, especially when it comes to the Third Saturday in October.
On the west sideline of Shields-Watkins Field the Big Orange (5-1) enter much like
Alabama with numerous questions surrounding the team. Unlike the Crimson Tide, however, the
concerns lie on what was the projected strength of Team 133, the offense. While the result
against Florida is one that all in Vol Nation will love (any win against Florida is great) the overall
performance of the offense still left the concern and frustration levels at a near breaking point.
Even with all of the negatives of the offense, there was once again a lone bright spot. Isn’t Dylan Sampson amazing or what? His continued grit, hustle, and determination has been what has
given this offense a jolt when they needed it the most and if the Big Orange is going to deliver
another glorious smoke show above Neyland on Saturday night they’re going to need him to
deliver his best performance yet. Along with Sampson, if there has ever been a greater
opportunity for quarterback Nico Iamaleava to break out of his recent shakiness, that time would
be now. Basic coaching and analysis would tell you that a strong run game would open up the
pass game, while that is true, it’s yet to mesh for the Volunteers in conference play. Even
with this stacked wide receiving core everybody is still waiting for that one breakthrough
where it’s all going to click. As mentioned earlier this Alabama secondary is vulnerable to big
plays and what better way to break out of a slump than to tear apart your arch-nemesis on home
soil? A note to be aware of for Heupel and crew is Alabama’s fourth-down defense. Coming into
the Third Saturday in October the Tide ranked 119th in the nation on fourth down. Against
Florida, Heupel rolled the dice and went for it on fourth and one inside his own 20-yard line. If
the Volunteers get in a fourth and short situation near the forty-to-fifty-yard line don’t be
surprised if the offense simply makes a statement by staying on the field for the majority of those
drives and simply making it clear that here’s the kitchen sink, try and stop it. For the Big Orange,
this vaunted defense has yet another chance to stake their claim as arguably the best in not just
the SEC, but in the country. The loss of star linebacker Keenan Pili will loom for the
remainder of this season. However, what waits behind Pili in sophomore Jeremiah Telander is
nothing but untapped and legitimate potential. Along with Telander, sophomore Arion Carter will
also have an increased role, and if the Florida game is any sign of what awaits Carter’s
remaining season and future in orange and white, then there is plenty to be excited about. If the
Big Orange are going to reach 6-1 on the season those two will have to rise to the occasion along
with a rejuvenated boost from the offense.
What more can you ask for with this rivalry? Two of the most storied and iconic brands
in the sport facing off in one of the great cathedrals of the sport on a Saturday afternoon with
major season implications, need I say more? Not to mention, revenge is on the mind in
Knoxville. After the misery that was that fifteen-year stretch, this rivalry regained its pageantry
since Josh Heupel became the head man of the Volunteers. That fateful night in 2022 will forever
be etched into the hearts of every Volunteer but this is 2024 and the mission is still the same as it
was back then. As if they didn’t need more motivation already, the Volunteers have all the fuel
they need with national pundits across the board taking the Tide to pull out a victory, citing the
inconsistency of the offense and loss of Keenan Pili as the x-factor. What these pundits fail to
remember is the effect this crowd has on an opponent, something that Jalen Milroe will face for
the first time in his career on Saturday afternoon. If Tennessee is going to be considered a threat
for the College Football Playoff, they must take the first massive step in defeating the Crimson
Tide in back-to-back games in Neyland for the first time since 2004 and 2006. The stage is set.
The time to turn the tide in this rivalry has come and what better way to do it than on a Tennessee Saturday night.
