Alabama vs Tennessee: What 2 Watch 4

Game plans have been installed. The players know their assignments and have had several practices in preparation for the weekend showdown.

Articles and comments have been posted regarding the great tradition behind this rivalry and many great memories have been rehashed. Now it's time to look at the current teams involved and evaluate what they bring to the gridiron for the clash on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

If you are not an analyst, this article is not for you. If you are into the details, prepare to be informed. If you find a mistake, congratulations, you are extremely knowledgeable (grammar doesn't count). Send me a comment, I will make up for it and correct any misrepresentin' in this piece.

If you want a summary, skip to the last page.

Mid Season Records

Just one game past the mid-season mark, the Alabama Crimson Tide has posted a record of 7-0. They have wins against one quality out of conference opponent and four conference opponents. 

The Tennessee Volunteers have one quality win against the University of Georgia. Wins against Western Kentucky and Ohio were posted in week one and week four.

UT Losses to UCLA (19-15), UF (23-13) and Auburn (26-22) have set their mid-season mark at 3-3. In each of the losses, the Volunteers had opportunities to change the outcome in their favor but fell short of the goal.

The victory against UGA was convincing, just two weeks ago. The Vols have been scheming for this game going on two weeks, having the benefit of a bye-week in preparation. The Alabama team is in stride for their eighth consecutive game.

Offense by the Numbers

Alabama

Five games into the season, the Alabama offense showed nearly perfect balance in production from the running and passing phase of the game plan. Through seven games, the Tide has rushed for 1,605 yard and passed for 1,419 yards in 485 plays yielding 17 touchdowns, a slight lean toward rushing.

In the last two games, a star has risen from the backfield of the Crimson Tide. Mark Ingram has asserted himself as a game changer. Ingram is the leader in the backfield for the Tide, having accumulated a total of 905 yards.

His production has steadily increased in each week, reaching a pinnacle of 246 yards against the most recent opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Backup running backs for Alabama have accumulated 672 yards on 126 carries. True freshman Trent Richardson leads with 66 carries for 359 yards, his longest a 50 yd scamper against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Richardson, Grant and Upchurch have each carried the ball for more than 20 plays and gained more than 150 yards for the Crimson Tide. The back ups have scored a total of 8 touchdowns.

Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy has an efficiency rating of 137.6. He has completed 103 passes of 173 attempts for 1,325 yards, 9 TD against three interceptions. His back-up, Star Jackson has little to show in the way of game experience and at this point is considered an untested liability.

Eight players on the Alabama team have 7 catches or more, four of those players have more than 10 receptions. Marquis Maze has 14 receptions for 216 yd, averaging 18.6 yd/catch. TE Colin Peek leads the group with the most receptions (19), rambling for 213 yards (11.2 yd/catch) and one touchdown.

Tennessee

The Tennessee offense also demonstrates good balance between the running and passing phases of the offensive scheme. To date, the UT offense has ran 407 plays, netting 1,102 yd rushing and 1,254 yd passing for 10 touchdowns.

The rushing attack is lead by senior Montario Hardesty. On the year, Hardesty has 125 touches for 672 yards and six touchdowns. His best game to date was in the opener against W. Kentucky, gaining 160 yards on 18 carries. He has one touchdown in each of the first six games.

Second in line is true freshman, Bryce Brown. Brown has 55 carries for 250 yards and two touchdowns on the season. His best game was also against the Hilltoppers, rushing for 104 yards and one touchdown. He has averaged less than 40 yards in the five games following the opener, peaking at 56 yards on 13 carries versus Ohio.

Backups Tauren Poole and Nu'Keese Richardson have impressive statistics but little to show in the way of playing time. Poole averages 10.0 yards per carry and Richardson, 11.8 yards per carry yet neither have been given the nod for more action. Both backs have less than 10 carries.

Senior Jonathan Crompton leads the Volunteer offense from the quarterback position. On the year, he has completed 102 passes of 177 attempts for 1,210 yard, 13 TD and 9 INT. His pass efficiency rating is 129.1.

Back up Nick Stephens has thrown four completions on four attempts for 44 yards. He, like Star Jackson, would be considered a liability to the offense if he was needed for play against the Crimson Tide.

The Vols have a bevy of receivers with more than 10 catches. Six receivers have gained more than 100 yards on the year. The leader of the Vol receiving corps is Gerald Jones, pulling in 15 receptions for 209 yards, 2 TD, yielding and average of 13.9 yards per catch.

Quinton Hancock has 17 receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown. Denarius Moore has reined in 12 receptions for 168 yards while Luke Stocker has caught 10 passes for 147 yards. Both Moore and Stocker have scored two touchdowns.

Eight different players have scored touchdowns in the UT aerial attack, totaling 13 scores on the year. Crompton has connected with thirteen different players for completions.

Defense by the Numbers

Alabama

The Crimson Tide defense ranks first in the SEC in Total Defense . Seven games in the books, the defense has yielded an average of less than 230 yards of total offense to the opposition. The defense has given up seven touchdown on the year, two were scored in the opener by Virginia Tech.

Neither Ole Miss nor South Carolina scored a touchdown against the Tide. The Defense has gone eight quarters allowing only three field goals. The Tide defense has yet to shut out an opponent on the season.

Rolando McClain leads the defense from the middle linebacker position. He has 32 solo tackles on the year, 17 assists and 2 sacks. He ranks 7th in the conference in tackles for loss (TFL) with six take-downs behind the line of scrimmage.

Terrence Cody anchors the defensive front and has four solo TFL and two assists. DE Marcel Dareus has five tackles behind the line of scrimmage and one assist. As a unit, the defensive line weights over 950 lb, nose tackle Cody sits at 354 lb when dehydrated to a chip.

The Alabama linebackers and secondary lead the league in interceptions, snatching ten balls from the opposition offenses. The defense has 224 yd in returns and one touchdown.

Multiple blitz packages and coverages from the Tide defense has stymied the output of future pro prospects Jevan Snead and Ryan Mallett. The Mississippi and Arkansas quarterbacks combined for only one touchdown against the Tide.

Safety Mark Barron (21 tackles, 19 assists) and CB Javier Arenas (22 tackles, 9 assists) have combined for 70 stops on defense. In addition, Arenas has three sacks from the cornerback position. Arenas is tied with the linebacker Eryk Anders (3 sacks, 2 assists) and DE Marcel Dareus (3 sacks, 1 assist).

In Saban's third year, the Alabama Crimson Tide has more depth and talent on the defensive side of the ball since the championship seasons of 1992 and 1996. The 2009 defense is tied for first in the league in turnover margin at plus seven.

Tennessee

In Total Defense, Tennessee sits at third in the league behind Alabama and Florida. This is the best defense Alabama will have faced for the season. The Vols ranks third in rushing defense and fifth in pass defense in the SEC.

The Tennessee defense has only five interceptions in six games and holds a turnover margin of minus two. They rank 5th in pass defense efficiency and are tied with Mississippi State, next to last, in quarterback sacks (10).

The Volunteer defense is led by senior linebacker Rico McCoy (29 tackles, 24 assists) and junior DB Eric Berry (35 tackles, 15 assists). Together they combine for a whopping 103 tackles and assists in the first six games.

Defensive end Chris Walker has recorded four sacks in six games. He leads the defensive front in quarterback pressures and takedowns and is tied for third in the league. He also ranks 11th in the league in TFL, with five solo and one assist.

Remarkably, Walker leads the Vols with two interceptions, only one behind league leader Mark Barron (UA). Monte Kiffin moves this man-child around the field from the DE position much like an NFL defender. He has responded to the great teacher.

As a unit, the Kiffin taught defenders have held the opposition to an average of less than 275 yards of combined offense per game. Against their toughest opponent in the first half of the season, they held the No. 1 Florida Gators to 208 yd rushing and 115 yd passing. The Gators were held scoreless in the 4th quarter.

Penalties, Time of Possession and Special Teams

The Volunteers rate first in penalties against. They are the least penalized team in the conference having the yellow flag thrown their way only 25 time in six games for 191 penalty yards (32.8 yd/game).

The Crimson Tide has been penalized 46 times for 413 yards in seven games (59 penalty yards/game). They rank 7th in the league.

The Alabama offense ranks first in time of possession, holding the ball on average of 33:17 minutes per game. The Tennessee offense is sixth in the league with TOP at an average of 30:11 minutes per game.

Punter P. J. Fitzgerald is second in the league averaging better that 42 yards per kick. UT kicker Chad Cunningham is close at 5th place, averaging 41.8 yards per kick. Both players are experienced and savvy, often changing field position to benefit their team.

Kicker Leigh Tiffin is the SEC leading scorer, hitting on 24 of 26 PAT and 16-19 field goals, yielding 72 point in seven games for the Crimson Tide. If he continues on this pace, by year end he will surpass Philip Doyle for the highest point total in the history of the storied program.

UT Daniel Lincoln is 22-23 on PAT and 8-10 in field goals. He is tied for fourth in league scoring for kickers.

On Review of Statistics and Team Production

On paper, Alabama is a lock to compete and come out as a winner in this contest. They have dominated their opponents on defense in every game and have shown marked improvement from the season opener to the last opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Offensively, the Tide is at a season low point. Opposition coaches have found ways to confuse the first year starter with complex coverage packages and pressured with blitzes.

In his last outing, McElroy was at his worst, completing 10-20 for 92 yards and two interceptions. Interceptions could have been higher, he repeated forced the ball to Julio Jones despite double and at times triple coverage.

As a combined unit, they have put together an unblemished record. Each win has demonstrated growth and maturity as the season has progressed. When the defense was slow to start, the offense scored. As the offense began to sputter, the defense held ground and began to slow offensive production by the opponent.

The Alabama team has lost two key players on defense to injury. Defensive end Damien Square and Linebacker Dont'a Hightower. They have no key losses on offense.

Monte Kiffin will have his defense prepared. If McElroy is not alert, DE Chris Walker may drop into coverage on the favored TE target, Colin Peek and grab his third interception on the year.

If the Volunteer secondary can move around like Kiffin would like for them to do, McElroy will be in for a long day. As of week seven, no opponent has been able to lock down the production from the Alabama tailbacks. That will be the real challenge for the Volunteer defense.

On the other side, Crompton absolutely must have a career game. He must be able to read the Alabama defense like they were the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. He must sharpen his pre-snap reads and get rid of the ball faster that Peyton Manning.

The running backs have got to provide support in this game like they have in no other game this season. If Hardesty and Brown can't combine for more than 150 yards then the offense will be stagnant and they will be faced with third and long, repeatedly. That will not play well for the Big Orange Machine.

Turnovers will be a key component if they are available to be had. Much like the 2005 contest, the better team may find themselves lacking a win if they lose the ball deep in their own territory and yield an easy score. Turnovers in the red zone will be demoralizing in a game of this magnitude.

It's time to get your game on Alabama and Tennessee. The stats have been reviewed and now they can be thrown out with the bathwater. The team that comes ready to play on Saturday will be the victor. You cannot come out flat in a game like this and expect to recover. It just won't happen.

Prediction: Alabama 38 Tennessee 17

May the best team win. In all honesty, I have no idea which team that will be on Saturday. My expectations are biased.

Regardless of who wins, after the victory, let's hope the fans treat each other with dignity and respect. If you're willing to dish out a little trash talk before the game, eat your crow without grumbling.

If your team is the victor, consider this: show respect.

Fans from all around this great conference travel hundreds of miles to see their team compete. When they experience a defeat of their beloved team, it is damage enough. Comment if you will how great their team played. Offer them a handshake and a kind gesture. If you can't be dignified, just leave them alone.

Don't gloat like a toad. You did nothing to achieve the victory that was won on the gridiron. Show passion for your team during the game, make the stadium rock and have as much fun as you can shouting at a fever pitch.

But let out all the passion while there is great play on the field. Let it go when the victory is at hand. Sing your teams' victory song while in the stadium, enjoy the spoils with everyone else, while it's appropriate.

Don't go looking to rub someone's nose in the mud afterwards, it is not justified and the SEC as a whole get's the black eye when crap like that is magnified by the national media.

This is a great game and the greatest conference in the land. This is one of the most storied rivalries is all of college football, God's favorite sport.

Roll Tide Roll, MF (my friend). 

P.S.

I will flatten some big fat oranges on the way into Tuscaloosa. So you Vol fans, when you see them, you will know that I have been on the path before you, awaiting your arrival. Give us your best shot. Safe travels to and from your homes.

Feel free to leave your comments and predictions.