Forget Lane Kiffin, Alabama's Defense Is the True Storyline to Watch vs. Vols

To be clear, "forgetting" Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is no easy task. He is, by nature, unforgettable. People seem to either love or hate him—but mostly just hate him.

Tennessee fans certainly haven't forgotten Kiffin's one-and-done departure from the program following the 2009 season.

Therefore, Alabama's trip to Tennessee on Saturday is as much, if not more so, about the buildup of Kiffin returning to Knoxville as anything else.

What will the fan reaction be to Kiffin? AL.com's Michael Casagrande reports he is expected to call plays from the sideline rather than the press box. In an interview with Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com, Kiffin's mother says she worries for her son's safety:

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It's under this backdrop that Kiffin visits Knoxville for what figures to be a hostile return Saturday night. Kiffin's three kids are staying home out of concern that the environment won't be appropriate for them, according to Kiffin's mother and sister. They remember how uneasy the family felt leaving Knoxville in 2010.

"I'm scared to death for his safety," Robin Kiffin said of Saturday's game. "Some people were visiting us last weekend from Tennessee and they said they better not let him on the sideline (where Kiffin coaches at Alabama), they should put him in the press box. I want him to be in the press box."

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Lots of former coaches return to their old stomping grounds with another team. Then again, Kiffin isn't like other coaches. He has an uncanny ability to charge others emotionally, for better or worse—usually worse.

However, barring an instance where Tennessee pulls off the upset and rushes the field, Kiffin's safety probably isn't an issue.

In fact, once the game kicks off, Kiffin's presence ceases to become a distraction. Will there be verbal jabs flung his way from the stands? You can bet on that, but you can also bet that Kiffin and Alabama won't care.

In the end, the only thing Tennessee and its fans should care about is ending the team's conference losing streak, regardless of who is on the opposing sideline.

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If Tennessee is going to pull off the upset, it needs score a lot of points. In two of their three conference losses—to Georgia and Ole Miss—the Vols have given up at least 30 points. Only a 10-9 loss against Florida was low-scoring.

Thanks to Kiffin, Alabama can light up a scoreboard. The Tide are putting up 36.9 points and 514.6 yards per game, the latter being about 60 more yards per game than a year ago.

Kiffin's offense has been explosive, too, ranking second in the SEC in plays of longer than 10 yards.

Given the way SEC games have gone for Tennessee, Saturday seems less likely to be a defensive game. Offense is going to be important for the Vols.

That brings up a consistent problem for Tennessee: having the time to allow plays to develop. The Vols are one of the worst teams in the nation at giving up tackles for loss and sacks.

Much, if not all, of that has to do with a rotating door at offensive line. As Aaron Suttles of the Tuscaloosa News points out, 18 of Tennessee's 30 total sacks have come in the last three games.

Meanwhile, Alabama averages just under three sacks a game and had an effective pass rush with six sacks in a 59-0 blowout over Texas A&M in Week 8.

Suttles discussed this performance:

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Alabama’s improved pass rush was never more evident than against the Aggies with Dickson and outside linebackers Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams sustaining good pass rushes.

That’s not including Jonathan Allen, A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, among others, who’ve helped establish the line of scrimmage while also getting a good push.

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If Tennessee gets behind on second and third downs, that's an open invitation for Alabama to bring pressure.

Kiffin is going to get the headlines and pregame attention. If Tennessee beats Alabama, the story will be about the Vols beating Kiffin. If the game comes down to the wire, it'll be about Tennessee almost beating Kiffin.

However, if the Tide's defense does its job and handles the Vols up front, things may get out of hand early. In that case, very little will be about Kiffin's return to Knoxville.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.