Tennessee Vols: The Third Saturday in October

The Tennessee Vols will play in their 107th matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide, otherwise known as The Third Saturday in October.

This matchup is far different from those of recent memory. Both the Vols and the Tide have major question marks surrounding their teams. Both teams already have 1 loss, so this game could potentially close the door on a potential SEC Championship appearance for either team.

Alabama has won 16 of the last 17 matchups, but when both teams are ranked in the top-15, the Vols are 5-1 in the last 6 games. The Vols will need to be firing on all cylinders to win this game, but there are several keys to stopping this Alabama team.

KEYS TO VICTORY

Containing Milroe

A large portion of Alabama’s offense comes from Jalen Milroe’s legs. In games where Milroe has rushed for over 36 yards, the Tide are 4-0. 

The one major outlier is Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt were able to contain Milroe, and it led to Alabama not being as successful on offense as they were against Georgia.

Tennessee has one of, if not the best defensive line in College Football. The Vols have faced several mobile quarterbacks this season, but none were the level of player that Milroe is. 

The Vols have only given up 125 rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, and have defended relatively well against them. Maintaining dominant contain on Jalen Milroe is vital to shutting down the Crimson Tide offense.

Players to Watch:

James Pearce Jr., Omarr Norman-Lott, Elijah Simmons

Hitting the Deep Shots

If the Alabama defense has one major problem this season, it is giving up explosive plays (run of 10+ yards or pass of 20+ yards). Alabama has given up 40 explosive plays on defense so far this season, and 75 plays of at least 10 yards. 

The Vols have got to utilize this clear weakness of the Crimson Tide defense. This is the perfect game to finally connect on some deep passes. 

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The Vols only have completed 4 passes of 30 or more yards so far this season, something that is unheard of in a Josh Huepel offense. If the Vols want to win, and win big, they will have to be able to finally connect on some deep shots, it is literally the key to success against the Crimson Tide.Tenn

Players to Watch

Dont’e Thornton Jr., Squirrel White, Chris Brazzell II

Stopping Ryan Williams

As ESPN has made sure to let us know, Ryan Williams is a superstar at only 17 years old. Through 6 games, the freshman has 23 catches for 576 yards and 6 touchdowns. This kid is an absolute game changer.

The Vols are pretty stacked in the secondary, but no one has played better than Jermod McCoy. McCoy is off to an All-American start to his season. He has been the definition of a “shutdown corner” for Tennessee.

Through 6 games, McCoy has played 173 coverage snaps, and allowed 0 touchdowns. He also has a 84.6 Coverage Grade according to PFF.

McCoy will likely spend the majority of Saturday afternoon lined up across from Williams, and will have his hands full for sure. But with the help of other dominant players in the secondary, containing Ryan Williams should be a realistic task.

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This is not the same Alabama of old. Their team isn’t stacked with future NFL players at every position like it was under Nick Saban. Outside of Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams, the offense is rather pedestrian. 

On the defensive side, they have a major issue preventing big plays. Exposing and abusing this area of concern is vital for a Vols victory.

The Vols will need to be able to score at will, no matter where the drive starts on the field. Because no matter what the matchup looks like, this game could very well end up being a shootout.

Prediction

Vols: 34

Crimson Tide: 28

The Vols are back in action next Saturday, October 19th, against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The game is in Neyland Stadium, and kickoff is at 3:30 P.M. EST. Follow me on X (Twitter) @JacksonVols24 for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!