Alabama Football: Nick Saban's 7 Goals Against Tennessee

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Many people have Tennessee in the loss column before the whistle even blows, but Nick Saban knows anything can happen after remembering the last time the Vols came into Bryant-Denny Stadium a huge underdog.

Were it not for a pair of blocked Vol field goals, the Tide would have not played for or won the national championship that year in all likelihood.

Still, Tennessee is without Tyler Bray, the starting quarterback, and the backup, Matt Simms, has said that his performance last week, six completions out of 6-of-20 attempts with two interceptions and just 128 yards was "terrible".

Few including his coach disagreed.

Combining that with the fact they've given up over 30 points to every ranked team they've played so far this season, and they they just doesn't look anything like the team that took Alabama to the wire two years ago and you see an impending blowout.

In fact, Alabama stomped them 41-10 last year with a healthy Bray.

But there are still seven goals that Nick Saban wants to accomplish with this game, some that many may not think of at first.

Let's see what they are.

No. 1: Get the Obvious out of the Way, Win the Game

Of course he wants to win the game and do it in an obviously clear manner that the Tide is consistent with all their opponents and just how badly they beat them.

So of course, winning is job one, but doing it with the same flair and dominance is just as important.

Though Nick Saban obviously couldn't care less about how the win affects his status in the polls, he is concerned that the team stays consistent in how they approach each game and how much they want to dominate every opponent.

That is what he wants to see in the win.

No. 2: More Big and Explosive Plays from the Offense

Nick Saban defines big plays as a run of 16-plus yards or a pass of 21-plus yards. An explosive play is a run of 13-plus yards or a pass of 17 yards or more.

In Saban's ideal game, he wants to have at least seven big plays or nine explosive plays each game.

Against Tennessee that should be possible.

It's a habit he wants his team to not just do now and again, but be consistent in completing each game.

No. 3: Stay Healthy

With the biggest games of the year yet to come, no coach wants to lose a star player against a team that you would have easily beaten without playing him.

So look for lots of substitutions so that key players aren't in the game at a point late in the game when tempers are sure to be flaring from the opponent from the likely stomping they'll get.

No. 4: Get A.J. McCarron Comfortable Passing the Ball Deep

McCarron has completed some deep throws, but last week's blowout win would have made Saban and Alabama look like jerks for still trying deep throws against a pitiful SEC opponent who was getting killed.

So look for Saban to try this early this week, before the game gets too far out of hand.

Saban wants the deep ball well exercised and ready to fire by the LSU game coming up soon.

No. 5: Play for 60 Minutes with No Mental Lapses

Last week, the Tide played 58 minutes of heads-up, no-mistake football.

The first two minutes once again let Saban down, and the opposing team scored by torching the secondary on a long pass play.

He would like that stopped this week and see them put forth the effort they end games on in the beginning as well.

No. 6: Fix the Kickoff Coverage

If Saban is listening to the fans and media, he knows that they're as frustrated with the Tide's miserable kickoff coverage team and the results that they've been posting as he is.

Emphasis this week was given to staying in lane assignments and using more mental than physical focus in running down the field.

He wants to see that this is making a difference in results.

No. 7: Make All Red Zone Opportunities Be Touchdown Results

Saban said at a press conference I was at once that, "It doesn't matter if you move the ball for 80 yards every drive if you can't get seven points out of it. You won't win most games kicking field goals."

So he wants to see red zone opportunities resulting in touchdowns, not field goals.

So while the game is not in doubt, Saban knows that he needs to make scoring touchdowns a habit once the team hits the red zone.

(Larry Burton is a syndicated writer whose work appears online and in print. If you'd like to keep up with all his articles, follow him on Twitter and sign up as a fan on his Bio Page.)