Alabama vs. Tennessee: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

Plenty of postseason implications will be on the line when the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide meet the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. Both teams have undergone roller-coaster seasons to this point, and each is searching for a late push in an effort to strengthen its position for a potential bowl game.

Although Alabama began the season slowly, a fantastic effort in Week 8 resulted in a 59-0 drubbing of Texas A&M and vaulted the Crimson Tide up the AP Poll to No. 4 and in the mix for the College Football Playoff. While Tennessee doesn't have a shot at the CFP, it can still become bowl eligible with three more victories.

Will Blake Sims continue to make the Crimson Tide look like an SEC powerhouse, or will Tennessee's defense be problematic for the red-hot quarterback? We'll have a much better idea of where these two teams stand in the wake of this impending contest.

Searching for Offensive Balance

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Both the Crimson Tide and Volunteers must establish balanced offenses if they are to notch wins later in the year in colder weather. Alabama began to show its capability of doing just that in its huge victory over Texas A&M in Week 8.

Sims was astounding throughout the contest. He was pulled after the third quarter because the game was already well out of hand, but he managed to do plenty of damage to that point. He finished completing 16 of his 27 passing attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns while adding four carries for 54 yards and another score.

His dual-threat ability created all sorts of problems for the Aggie defense, and we should expect to see more of the same from this versatile playmaker going forward.

One big reason why Sims was so efficient was the effort from running back T.J. Yeldon. He looked better than he had all season against Texas A&M, showing good burst and the ability to gain yards after contact. Yeldon finished the game rushing for 114 yards and two scores on 13 carries.

Player	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD
T.J. Yeldon	13	114	8.8	2
Derrick Henry	10	70	7.0	1
Blake Sims	4	54	13.5	1
Tyren Jones	9	34	3.8	0
Altee Tenpenny	8	30	3.8	0
Jake Coker	1	-4	-4.0	0

The Crimson Tide found offensive balance against Texas A&M, throwing 35 times and rushing 45 times for 602 yards of offense. Keeping that trend alive will not only get this team past the Volunteers in Week 9, but will also keep it well in the mix for a CFP berth.

Tennessee didn't exactly find that same kind of balance in Week 8 against the Ole Miss Rebels. The team's offensive line imploded, and quarterback Justin Worley suffered as a direct result. The signal-caller only mustered 191 passing yards and three interceptions on the day.

Making things worse for this offense was the line's inability to block for the run. The Volunteers never gave up on their ground game, but it was not effective whatsoever, accumulating exactly zero yards on 28 carries. This team runs a balanced offense, but it needs to see far more efficiency across the board to create success.

Defensive Prowess

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Alabama is known for a stout defense. It has uncharacteristically given up more than 20 points in three of its contests this season, but it still ranks third in the nation, allowing an average of just 13.1 points per game.

Week 8 against Texas A&M may have been the best possible example of how dominant the Crimson Tide defense can be. Aggies' enigmatic quarterback Kenny Hill threw for just 136 yards and tossed one interception, while Texas A&M's ground game could only muster an average of 1.5 yards per carry—and that performance was from the nation's 21st-ranked team.

A look at the Aggies' running game in Week 8 really sums it up:

Player	Rush	Yards	Avg	TD
Brandon Williams	4	21	5.3	0
Trey Williams	3	12	4.0	0
Tra Carson	5	6	1.2	0
James White	1	4	4.0	0
Kyle Allen	1	-1	-1.0	0
Kenny Hill	10	-11	-1.1	0

Considering Tennessee's recent offensive struggles, the Crimson Tide defense should be chomping at the bit to get its hands on the Volunteers offensive line.

Tennessee really isn't much of a slouch on the defensive side of the ball, either. The Volunteers defense is only allowing an average of 21.3 points per game, and despite giving up 34 to Ole Miss in Week 8, there were plenty of positive takeaways.

The Volunteers' pass rush proved to be a nightmare for quarterback Bo Wallace. He was sacked several times and pressured on a consistent basis. That shows in his final stat line, as he was only able to complete 13 of his 28 passing attempts.

Tennessee's run defense should be commended as well. Ole Miss attempted to pound the ball for the duration of the game, totaling 47 carries; however, the Volunteers held strong, allowing 3.8 yards per carry to a talented backfield.

When: Saturday, October 25

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee

Channel: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 46.5
• Spread: Alabama -17.5

Team Injury Reports

Player	Pos.	Date	Status	Injury
Jonathan Allen	DE	10/19/2014	Probable	leg
Ronnie Clark	DB	10/16/2014	Out	Achilles
Denzel Devall	LB	10/06/2014	Out	ankle
Kenyan Drake	RB	10/05/2014	Out	ankle
Reuben Foster	LB	10/19/2014	Questionable	undisclosed
Kurt Freitag	TE	10/19/2014	Questionable	toe
Ryan Kelly	C	10/20/2014	Probable	knee
Austin Shepherd	T	10/22/2014	Questionable	ankle

Player	Pos.	Date	Status	Injury
Cody Blanc	WR	08/07/2014	Out	Achilles
Jacob Gilliam	T	09/02/2014	Out	knee
Marcus Jackson	G	10/22/2014	Questionable	undisclosed
Treyvon Paulk	RB	09/22/2014	Out	disciplinary
Josh Smith	WR	10/20/2014	Doubtful	ankle
Coleman Thomas	T	10/22/2014	Questionable	ankle
Justin Worley	QB	10/20/2014	Probable	shoulder

Injury reports per Sports Network, via USA Today.

Prediction

The Volunteers are catching the Crimson Tide at the wrong time. Alabama is red-hot after shutting down Texas A&M in Week 8, and we should expect that momentum to carry over into Saturday's contest.

Sims and Yeldon will continue to provide a balanced attack, while wide receiver Amari Cooper could prove too difficult to contain for Tennessee's secondary. The Volunteers defense won't allow the Crimson Tide to put up another 50-plus number on the scoreboard, but Worley and Co. just don't have the firepower to keep up—especially against one of the better defenses in the nation.

Another big win for Alabama is on the horizon, and Tennessee will continue searching for those elusive three wins to find itself in a bowl game.

Prediction: Alabama 38, Tennessee 16