Nick Saban didn’t need much time to send a message about Neyland Stadium. He knows the place. He’s been through the noise, the chaos and the kind of crowd that can make a night in Knoxville feel like a trap.
And with No. 1 Texas heading to town to face No. 14 Tennessee, Saban made it clear the Longhorns are walking into one of the toughest road settings in the SEC.
“This was one of the most difficult places to play in the SEC,” Saban said about Neyland Stadium. “I always thought LSU, A&M, and Tennessee were the most difficult places to play.
Especially if the game is a game and the fans can stay in the game. I mean, it really gets difficult.”
That’s the challenge hanging over this matchup: Tennessee fans have to make their presence felt from the first snap to the last. Saban’s point was simple - if the crowd stays locked in, it can absolutely change how this one unfolds.
That matters even more with Arch Manning on the other side. The attention around this game has already centered on the Heisman contender going up against Faizon Brandon, the 5-star freshman who is preparing for just his fourth college start. Tennessee’s defense will need Jim Knowles to bring steady pressure on Manning, while the crowd tries to make every snap uncomfortable.
Brandon won’t be carrying the load alone, though. DeSean Bishop is expected to be available despite dealing with a hip injury, and he isn’t on the injury report.
That’s a major piece for Josh Heupel and the Vols. A healthy Bishop gives Brandon a real weapon and takes pressure off the freshman quarterback.
“The one thing that Tennessee does, and they've had a tremendous amount of success with everyone talking about the young quarterback (Brandon), but they haven't put a lot on the guy,” Saban said. “They have run the ball so effectively, and this spread offense that they run where you're so spread out, it's really hard to disguise what you're doing on defense. Heupel is a master of taking advantage of whatever he sees out there.”
That’s where Tennessee’s formula gets dangerous. If Bishop is rolling and Brandon can settle in, the Vols can make life miserable for the top-ranked team in the country. And with the energy already building around campus, the expectation is that Neyland will be ready to answer Saban’s warning the way it usually does.
Sarkisian knows the place, too. So does Saban. And both know exactly what Tennessee fans can do when the stadium is rocking.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Loved What One College GameDay Kick Meant In Knoxville
Week 4 in Knoxville had the full College GameDay buzz, but the moment that really lit up Tennessee fans came when Pat McAfee put a student on the spot with a chance at $1 million by drilling a 33-yard field goal. The first try missed, which only raised the tension in front of the home crowd before the second attempt found its way through the uprights and turned a loud campus scene into something bigger than a football gimmick.
McAfee followed through with a $500,000 donation to the Pat Summitt Foundation, the nonprofit focused on fighting Alzheimers disease, and that gave the kick a meaning well beyond the stage show of Saturday morning television. For Volunteers fans, it was the kind of Knoxville moment that felt both pure college football and deeply tied to the programs history, with the spotlight on a cause that still resonates throughout Tennessee. [Read more 🡒]
Marshall Manning Just Gave Tennessee Fans Another Manning Storyline To Watch
Marshall Mannings name was already going to carry weight in Tennessee circles, and now theres a little more substance behind it. Peyton Mannings son got his first extended action at quarterback for Baylor High School in a game against Montgomery Bell Academy, and he made the most of the opportunity by completing all four of his passes for 42 yards in the fourth quarter.
It was only his second appearance of the season after a brief debut in the opener, but it gave Volunteers fans another Manning storyline to keep an eye on. Through those two outings, he is now five-for-five for 48 yards, a small sample that does little on its own but is enough to keep the family name in the conversation as his high school role starts to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Suddenly Has A Backfield Problem Before Its Biggest Test
Javin Gordons leg injury has arrived at an inconvenient time for Tennessee, just as the Volunteers are trying to sort out their backfield ahead of a massive showdown with No. 1 Texas. Gordon did not play against Kennesaw, and his absence leaves the staff with one fewer option behind the top running backs as the game plan gets sharpened for a far tougher opponent.
Nathan Robinson adds another layer of uncertainty, with the starting defensive lineman listed as a game-time decision and set to be evaluated before kickoff. For Tennessee, the concern is not just one injury here or there, but how the roster holds up when depth is suddenly being tested on both sides of the ball, forcing other players into bigger roles at precisely the wrong moment. [Read more 🡒]