The Third Saturday in October comes with real weight this time around. Alabama and Tennessee both walk in with one loss, which means the margin for error is gone and the loser will be clinging to its College Football Playoff hopes. For Tennessee, it also feels like a proving ground after too many slow offensive starts and too much pressure placed on a defense that has kept the Vols alive.
The biggest Tennessee question is the simplest one: can the offense score enough to beat Alabama? That burden falls on George MacIntyre, an inconsistent offensive front and DeSean Bishop.
Josh Heupel said Tennessee has to be better up front this week, and that sounds less like a talking point than a requirement. Waiting until the second half to get the run game moving won’t cut it against this kind of opponent.
“Us defensively, a massive test, and them defensively, big, strong, physical up front. Second level, very active.
They’ve made it difficult to run the football and not giving up a ton of explosives. They’ve gotten their hands on a bunch of balls, created turnovers as well.”
Alabama comes in ranking 24th nationally against the run, allowing just under 100 yards per game, so Tennessee won’t find easy answers on the ground. If the Vols want to keep pace, the offense has to show up early and avoid playing catch-up all night.
On the other side, Tennessee’s defense has been the reason this team sits at 5-1. Big performances against Auburn, Texas and Arkansas have repeatedly given the Vols a way to stay in games and finish them. The challenge now is whether that formula still travels against Alabama.
The injury report could matter here. Tennessee won’t have Ryan Coleman-Williams, who has reemerged as a big-play threat this season.
Alabama also will be without starting center Racin Delgatti. That loss should matter, but the Tide still have plenty of bodies to lean on.
This sets up a compelling matchup between Jim Knowles and the combination of Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer.
“They are much more efficient, effective running the football. The quarterback’s a dynamic player. He’s throwing extremely efficiently for a bunch of yards, but extends and makes plays with his feet - scramble to run, but also throw the football down the field if you’re not matching things out.”
That quarterback is Keelon Russell, and he’s the kind of problem Tennessee has to solve fast. He can beat you inside the pocket, outside it and after the play breaks down.
He’s thrown for just under 1,600 yards, with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions, and he’s added 225 yards rushing. That combination makes him one of the most dangerous players in the country, and Tennessee’s defense will have to keep him from turning broken plays into backbreaking ones.
One player who could tilt the game is Xavier Gilliam. The defensive tackle has been building momentum since the spring, and he’s backed it up with five sacks already.
Now he gets a backup center across from him, which opens the door for Tennessee to create real damage up the middle. If Gilliam can collapse the pocket and force Russell into trouble, that would go a long way toward helping the Vols.
There’s also the stadium factor, and it’s hard to ignore. No Alabama offensive player has ever played in Neyland Stadium, which says more about the modern era than anything else, but it’s still a striking detail. The last two Alabama-Tennessee games in Knoxville produced two of the loudest, most electric settings this sport has seen, and this one should be no different.
A Tennessee win would change the feel of the rest of the schedule in a hurry. South Carolina and Kentucky may be tougher than expected, but Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt all look more manageable.
If Tennessee splits the rest in the way that seems plausible, 10-2 is right there. That would keep the Vols on the playoff bubble.
But if Alabama wins, Tennessee’s road gets a lot steeper.
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