Joshua Dobbs Is Tennessee's Key to Upsetting Alabama

When Tennessee hits the road after last week's bye to take on the eighth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, will it be the same old song and dance?

The Vols have lost eight straight to the Crimson Tide, having been outscored 283-95 in the process. 

But this year could be different.

For the first time over that streak, Tennessee has an established dual-threat-quarterback who can stress the Crimson Tide defense with his legs as well as his arm.

Dobbs has 368 rushing yards and five touchdowns this year, in addition to his 1,101 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions through the air.

"Joshua Dobbs, the quarterback, is a very diverse guy playing the position with his running and passing abilities," Alabama head coach Nick Saban, said according to the school's official site. "They have created a lot of issues, a lot of problems for the opposition that allowed them to score a lot of points this year."

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Alabama's defense has been a force this year. The Crimson Tide have given up just 271.9 yards per game—sixth best in the the nation—have given up touchdowns in just 46.67 percent of their opponents' red-zone trips—fifth in the SEC—and have one of the most feared front sevens in the entire country.

That group includes quick-twitch linemen like Jonathan Allen, a monster "Jack" linebacker in Denzel Devall and versatile linebackers Reuben Foster and Dillon Lee who can line up in various spots in the lineup based on matchups.

This Alabama defense is better equipped to deal with mobile quarterbacks than those of past years, but the only real running threat they've faced this year was Ole Miss' Chad Kelly—who led his Rebels to a 43-37 win over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Kelly didn't exactly light up the Crimson Tide defense that night. He had eight carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. But the threat of a running quarterback has been Saban's kryptonite over the last few years.

All of Alabama's losses since 2010 have been to teams with quarterbacks who pose a threat with their legs. Stephen Garcia, Jordan Jefferson, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Nick Marshall, Trevor Knight, Bo Wallace and Cardale Jones didn't necessarily light up Bama's defense with their legs, but had to be accounted for because of what they could do on the ground.

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"For Dobbs and Tennessee, to truly stress Bama the quarterback has to be both a threat to run and capable of pushing the ball vertically down the field," said Michael Felder, national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report.

That's important, because while Tennessee head coach Butch Jones was reluctant to unleash Dobbs through the air early this year, he was forced to when the Vols were buried in a 21-point hole against Georgia. The result was fantastic. Dobbs completed 25 of his 42 passes against the Bulldogs for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, and led his team to a stunning comeback two weeks ago.

Finding a happy medium for Jones that features Dobbs on the ground and through the air is the sweet spot if Tennessee—a 15-point underdog, according to OddsShark.com—is going to spring the upset.

"Obviously Dobbs has shown an aptitude for both, the key is finding balance," Felder said. "Too many shots down the field and the team has empty drives that give the Tide back the ball. Too much focus on the quarterback run and it becomes the LSU-Alabama BCS title game. Dobbs' ability to scramble, but still push the ball down the field will have to be fully operational if Tennessee wants to pull off this upset."

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Plus, Dobbs isn't going to be shocked by what he sees from Alabama. He has played against the Crimson Tide in each of the last two seasons despite not being the full-time starter until 2015, and racked up 192 passing yards and 75 rushing yards in his first action of the 2014 season against Alabama last year.

"I remember a lot," he said in quotes emailed by Tennessee. "Second half came in and played a little bit. I did some good things and needed to improve on some other things. It was a learning experience, and obviously I've matured a lot over the past two years."

It's a long shot for Tennessee to spring the upset. 

But it's not a "no shot."

As long as Jones doesn't coach scared, gives Dobbs the full playbook rather than one that's heavily skewed toward a multidimensional running game and allows him to produce that balance needed to keep Bama's defense guessing, the Vols have a puncher's chance in Tuscaloosa.

Dobbs is the key for the Vols. 

If he can move the ball with his legs—particularly in the red zone where the Crimson Tide defense has proven to play at its best—he has a shot to spring the upset.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com. 

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.