Tennessee at Alabama Complete Game Preview
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It may have been the quickest answer running back Derrick Henry has given since he arrived at the University of Alabama three years ago.
He didn’t even wait for the end of the question, because as soon as the reporter got out “Have you thought about the Heisman,” Henry started repeatedly saying “no.”
“We're not focusing on that,” he said. “That's not our goal. Our goal is to get a team win every Saturday and go from there. We're not worried about that.”
While it sounds like rhetoric, to a man Alabama is claiming that’s been the difference in the Crimson Tide since the team held a players-only meeting following the loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 19.
According to Jonathan Allen, among those who spoke out during the 30-minute session included Reggie Ragland, Jarran Reed, A'Shawn Robinson, Derrick Henry, Eddie Jackson and Cyrus Jones, although the defensive end added that it was more of a team thing than any individual players speaking out.
The message was simple: Stop paying attention to what everyone else was saying, set aside individual concerns and put the team first.
"Can’t worry about accolades and us being No. 1 or No. 2, none of that stuff," Ragland said. "So we just worry about ourselves and trucking along now."
Since then Alabama has knocked off two Top 10 teams on the road and has also notched a shutout. With rival Tennessee visiting on Saturday, the defense has especially been clicking and last week outscored the Texas A&M offense thanks to three interception returns for a touchdown.
"Everybody started making plays out of nowhere," Ragland added. "Everybody was doing their job and everyone really focused and zeroed in the Georgia game, on the defensive side and offensive side."
Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s game against Tennessee, a long-standing rivalry known as the "Third Saturday in October."
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET)
Place: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network, Vol Network, ESPN Radio, Sirius 84, XM 84
Spread: Alabama -15, according to OddsShark.com.
Alabama Keys to Victory
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Don’t get behind
It’s a formula that’s not only worked well for the Crimson Tide against the Vols but also this season. Only two opponents have had a lead against Alabama this season, Arkansas (3-0) and Ole Miss. The Rebels jumped out to a 30-10 advantage but then had to hold on 43-37.
Tennessee has lost eight straight against Alabama and nine of the last 10. It hasn’t had a lead in the series since it was up 3-0 in 2011.
Swarm
Alabama has picked up the defensive intensity and has already defeated two Top 10 opponents in October. Even though they have to go one more week before enjoying a bye, the Crimson Tide can’t afford any sort of letup defensively.
“If we do what we can do, nobody can beat us,” defensive end Jonathan Allen said. “When we execute to the best of our ability to play physical up front and then the back end, we feel like we’re a tough defense to score on, and if they can’t score, they can’t win. So we feel it’s always up to us. The defense needs to score all the points and stop, so be it. The offense needs to score all the points, so be it. We feel like if we do what we need to do, there’s not a team can beat us.”
Stay sharp
For the second straight week the Crimson Tide’s opponent is coming off a bye, giving it a chance to heal and recover beforehand. But one thing that’s worked to Alabama’s advantage this year is having deeper rotations and continuing to rotate in defensive players even against uptempo offenses.
“Georgia had about a 15-yard run on us when we had to put nickel in and they were in regular because we had to get dime out,” Coach Nick Saban said. “So they ran a sweep and we didn’t do a very good job on it and they ended up gaining some yards. There’s gonna be plays where maybe it’s not the most advantageous thing, but I do think it’s helped us some on third down.”
Tennessee Keys to Victory
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Win special teams
Tennessee is one of three teams in the FBS that is in the top 20 nationally in both kickoff returns and punt returns. Averaging 37.25 yards per kickoff return and 16.25 on punt returns, it ranks first and 16th, respectively.
Alabama is ranked 107th in the nation in kickoff returns, 100th in net punting and 73rd in punt returns. Also, of its six fumbles, five of which were lost, all but two were on special teams.
Turnovers
By picking off four passes and returning three for touchdowns against Texas A&M last week, Alabama leads the SEC in both categories but is still only plus-three in turnover ratio (16 gained, 13 lost).
Tennessee is also plus-three but with much lower numbers (eight gained, four lost).
Get Alabama’s defense off balance
Alabama leads the nation in forcing three-and-outs by averaging 6.86 per game (Clemson is second at 6.5) and also in passes batted down by the defensive line with 15. Individually, Dalvin Tomlinson has six, two more than anyone else in college football.
It is also first in the Southeastern Conference in total defense, rushing defense and pass-efficiency defense and second in scoring defense.
Tennessee has a lot of weapons and had extra time to get ready for this game, so expect some surprises, but opposing quarterbacks are completing just 50.8 percent of their attempts and have a passer efficiency rating of just 97.3 against the Tide.
Alabama Players to Watch
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Center Ryan Kelly
Kelly left in the second quarter of the Texas A&M game and everyone realized just what he meant to the offense when Alabama’s next four possessions resulted in just 16 yards of total offense. Kelly is expected back sometime this week after he clears the medical staff’s concussion protocol, but in the meantime the coaches have a chance to get either redshirt freshman JC Hassenauer or sophomore Bradley Bozeman ready.
“It’s tough for a guy to come into a situation like that when you can’t hear a thing,” quarterback Jake Coker said about Hassenauer filling against the Aggies. “I was trying to talk to him face to face and you could barely hear what each other was saying. For him to come in and play, during the week he’s not working with that group of guys, so everything changes a little bit with the timing of the snaps. As you could see it was a little bit different.
"It wasn’t his fault some of those false starts or anything, but it just took some time to get used to him being in the game. As soon as we did, everything picked up.”
Linebacker Reggie Ragland
The linebacker credits losing a little weight doing the offseason for his better range this season, but Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs is probably the most mobile quarterback Alabama has faced this season. That means a contain-first approach, which the Crimson Tide got a little work at when facing Texas A&M's Kyler Murray last week.
Last year Ragland had a big game against Tennessee with nine tackles, 1.5 for a loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.
Quarterback Jake Coker
Coker’s ability to run with the ball is gaining more attention with each game, but it went to a new level when he dropped his shoulder on a Texas A&M defender last week. Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland disclosed to reporters that one of the nicknames subsequently going around the locker room is “Baby Roethlisberger.”
"He's a tough guy,” coach Nick Saban said. “Sometimes I wish he wouldn't take the hits, but I kind of like to see the other team's reaction when he does that.”
Coker said he’s a “little sore” after playing seven straight weeks, but so far his recovery process hasn’t had to include anything extra.
“I went fishing yesterday, so that helps a lot, just sitting on a boat,” he said on Monday. “I feel a lot better after that.”
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Tennessee Players to Watch
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Quarterback Joshua Dobbs
This is the third time Dobbs will face the Crimson Tide but the first time that Alabama will actually prepare for him. In 2013 he made his collegiate debut against Alabama, completing five of 12 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Last season Justin Worley and Nathan Peterman were initially the only Tennessee quarterbacks to play, and Dobbs was expected to redshirt. After Alabama jumped out to a quick lead, he entered the game and completed 19 of 32 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns. He also had 75 rushing yards.
“Joshua Dobbs at quarterback is a very diverse guy playing the position, running and passing,” coach Nick Saban said. “They've created a lot of issues and a lot of problems, scored a lot of points this year.”
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Tennessee, which is ranked ninth in the SEC against the run, runs a 4-3 base defense in which neither starting defensive tackle weighs more than 300 pounds and both interior linebackers are smaller than Alabama running back Derrick Henry (6'3", 242 lbs).
However, at weak-side linebacker Reeves-Maybin is the Vols’ leading tackler. His average of 9.3 tackles per game is fifth in the SEC and 23rd in FBS, and he’s been credited with eight tackles for a loss. He had a career-high 21 tackles earlier this season against Oklahoma but just five during last year’s game with Alabama.
Running back Alvin Kamara
The former Alabama running back returns to finally play in Bryant-Denny Stadium, only he’ll be on the visiting sideline. While Jalen Hurd is Tennessee’s leading rusher with 126 carries for 572 yards, Kamara has 45 carries for 255 rushing yards.
He’s also been a receiving threat, with 15 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns, so look for some wheel routes out of the backfield.
What They’re Saying
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Nick Saban on facing Tennessee:
“[Tennessee] could arguably be undefeated or a one-loss team very easily this year. Two teams came back and beat them late in games, and they came back and beat somebody when they were behind 24-3 that's a pretty good team. They've got good players.
“Offensively, they're very, very good. The quarterback does a good job. The offensive line does a good job. They're nationally ranked in a lot of categories. They've got two really good running backs. Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara have both done a great job for them.
“Joshua Dobbs at quarterback is a very diverse guy playing the position, running and passing. They've created a lot of issues and a lot of problems, scored a lot of points this year.
“Defensively, I know they've got a couple of guys that have been nicked up, but they play hard, they're physical, and for the most part they've been hard to score on. That's something that I feel, when we can control the ball it's going to be key for us in the game. It's really important to how we play and what we do against this team.
“This team is very sound and solid with their specialists and on special teams. I think Butch Jones has done a really good job. They've gotten better and better every year. This is the best team they've had for a while.”
Butch Jones on facing Alabama, per his Monday press conference:
"They are very, very talented. They are as talented of a football team that we have faced so far, when you look at the number of NFL draft choices that are in their program. When NFL scouts come through, I always ask them about our opponents. How many prospects does each program have? [Alabama] has been at the pinnacle of that.
"There are a number of individuals on both sides of the ball that will have long and productive years in the National Football League. That's a byproduct of recruiting and development and standing the test of time over a long period of time. They have done a great job with that."
Prediction
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Tennessee hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2003 in the five-overtime game—4,382 days ago.
The Vols haven’t beaten a team ranked in the Top 10 since defeating No. 10 Georgia, 51-33, in Athens on Oct. 7, 2006—3,304 days ago.
That was also the last time they defeated a ranked team on the road, having lost 22 consecutive games.
That adds up to a lot of extra motivation for Tennessee, but all this week Alabama players have been asked why they’ve played better on the road this season.
“I've talked about friendly fire before, but I look at our team and I'm like, we play different when it’s 28-6 than we do when it's 0-0,” Saban said. “Well, there's not supposed to be a scoreboard. You're supposed to have enough killer instinct to keep playing at a high level and execute and do your job.
“It can't be the scoreboard. It can't be playing at home. It can't be the fans. All those things should be positive things that enhance your chances of competition [and] affects the other team. Something that we've just got to continue to address and try to get the players to focus better and do a better job.”
Look for Alabama to light up cigars for the ninth straight year.
Prediction: Alabama 27, Tennessee 17
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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