Alabama’s trip to Knoxville on Saturday comes with all the weight you’d expect from this kind of rivalry game. Both teams already have a loss in SEC play, Alabama sits at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the league, and Tennessee is 5-1 with a 2-1 SEC mark. With College Football Playoff hopes in the mix, the loser isn’t just taking a hit - that second loss would push them into bubble territory.
For Alabama, the path to a win starts on the ground. Tennessee’s defense has been solid enough overall, but the Volunteers are giving up 132.5 rushing yards per game, a number that lands outside the top 50 nationally and ranks tenth in the SEC.
That opens the door for Alabama’s backs, and Trae'shawn Brown has been trending up at the perfect time. He’s topped 60 rushing yards in three of Alabama’s last four games and ran for 90 yards on only nine carries last week against Georgia.
EJ Crowell and Daniel Hill give the Tide more depth there, too. Auburn also had success against Tennessee on the ground two weeks ago, piling up 186 rushing yards, including more than 100 from Byrum Brown, which could hint at room for Keelon Russell to use his legs as well.
That said, Tennessee has its own hammer in the run game, and DeSean Bishop is the guy Alabama has to account for. He’s been central to the Vols’ offense, with 678 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 107 carries in six games.
Bishop was a 1,000-yard rusher last season and gashed Alabama for 123 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s Third Saturday in October. Alabama’s task gets harder with nose tackle Terrance Green out, and if the Tide come up short, Bishop could be the reason.
The quarterback situation on Tennessee’s side also gives Alabama a lane to capitalize. George MacIntyre appears set to start, but whether it’s been MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon, the Vols haven’t gotten the production they want from that spot.
Tennessee is averaging less than 200 passing yards per game, and over its last three games the Volunteers’ quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times and turned it over four times. That gives Alabama’s front seven a chance to hunt plays behind the line and force mistakes.
But the matchup up front cuts both ways. Tennessee’s Xavier Gilliam is a problem in the middle, and Alabama could be in a vulnerable spot if starting center Racin Delgatty is questionable.
Gilliam has been one of the most disruptive defenders in college football this season, with 22 tackles, 10 TFL, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. That’s bad news for any offense, and even more so if the guy snapping the ball isn’t at full strength.
Kalen DeBoer’s track record after losses gives Alabama another reason to feel good. At Alabama, he is 6-1 coming off a loss, and his only loss in that situation came with an offseason in between - the loss to Michigan in Alabama’s 2024 bowl game and then the loss to Florida State in the 2025 season opener.
Across his FBS head coaching career, DeBoer is 12-3 after a loss and 10-2 when the previous loss was not the final game of the prior season. He has only dropped back-to-back games in a season twice as an FBS head coach.
Still, Neyland Stadium has been a rough place for Alabama lately. The Tide have lost their last two games there, falling 24-17 in 2024 and 52-49 in 2022, which also snapped Alabama’s 15-game winning streak in the series.
This will be the toughest crowd Keelon Russell has faced so far, and the situation gets trickier if Alabama is working with a backup center and without Ryan Coleman-Williams. Alabama has also committed 32 penalties combined in its last two trips to Knoxville, and none of the offensive players who will be on the field in this game have ever played in Neyland before, with Coleman-Williams out.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Backed Alabama But His GameDay Warning Stood Out
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of its pregame spotlight laying out the weekend board, with Pat McAfee, Steve Young, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit each making their official picks and weighing the strengths and concerns around several marquee matchups. The discussion ranged from BYU over Notre Dame, a choice McAfee and Young both backed, to the SEC showcase in Knoxville, where Alabama was the preferred pick for most of the panel.
Saban did stick with the Crimson Tide in that one, but his commentary carried a different kind of edge than a simple pick sheet endorsement. As the crew worked through the game, the former Alabama coachs warning about what could decide the outcome stood out, a reminder that even when he believes in his old team, he is still quick to point out the sort of challenge that can turn a big Saturday into a stressful one. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees One Real Threat In Alabama's Trip To Neyland
The build-up to Alabamas trip to Neyland Stadium has plenty of familiar edge, but Nick Saban pointed to one area that could matter most when the No. 6 Crimson Tide meet No. 16 Tennessee in Week 7. On College GameDay, the former Alabama coach broke down the Volunteers defensive strengths and highlighted a unit that can limit scoring, defend the pass and get after the quarterback, all traits that can disrupt an offenses rhythm in a hurry.
For Alabama, that means the usual SEC road-game questions are suddenly about more than noise and history. If Tennessee can force the Tide into longer drives and tougher third-down situations, the game could turn into a far tighter battle over possessions than rankings suggest, with the Volunteer defense shaping the kind of afternoon Alabama gets at one of the conferences most demanding venues. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Knows Whats Threatening Alabama In Knoxville
At halftime in Knoxville, Alabama finds itself locked in a tight, physical game with Tennessee, trailing 12-10 despite a first-half showing that has kept the Crimson Tide within reach on the road. The difference has been small but meaningful, with kicker Cooper Ranvier accounting for four field goals for the Vols while Alabama has had to lean on a defense that has bent without fully breaking.
Kalen DeBoer pointed to the same issues that have shaped the half for both sides: turnovers on offense and the pressure of a game being played with very little room for error. Keelon Russell has had his struggles with the ball, even as he provided Alabamas only touchdown, and the Tide defense has managed to force Tennessee into field goals rather than seven points while still being outgained overall. [Read more 🡒]