Alabama vs. Tennessee: Vol's RB Tauren Poole Can Run with Tide Defense

Tauren Poole is not a name you see on elite running back lists.  He doesn't have the speed of LaMichael James, nor the power of Trent Richardson, but he has the heart of both.  

On the third Saturday in October in 2010, Tauren Poole snapped Alabama's streak of not allowing a single rusher to run for 100 yards.  He is the only rusher to do so against Alabama in their past 53 games, and he did it during an Alabama blowout win.  

Can he do it again?

Odds are, no.  He did it last year, but by his own confessions, this defense is better.  When Alabama beat writer Izzy Gould asked, "Is this the best 'Bama team you've faced?" Poole responded with this:

"

Yes sir, by far. This is best defense. They are a great overall team. They are great in all facets of the game special teams, offense, defense, coaching, whatever way you want to put it. They are definitely the best team in the country to me. We are going to have to bring our best.

"

Poole has played well this year against weaker out-of-conference opponents, but in three SEC games, he has only rushed for a total of 95 yards.  

Against LSU, however, he had a fairly good day, and the Tide's defense is only rivaled by that of LSU. On 19 carries he rushed for 70 yards.  That may only be 3.7 yards per carry, but those are better numbers than any other running back has put up against Alabama this year.  

Alabama's titanic nose tackle, Josh Chapman, said this of Poole and Tennessee:

"

He's a great running back. They have a lot of great runners over there, a great offensive line. They're a great team. The running backs are one of their strengths. We've just got to go play our game.

"

Can Tauren Poole win this game for Tennessee?  The answer is most certainly, no.  He can, at the very least, prove that someone can run with the Tide defense, and he will put everything he can into it.

Poole is in his senior year, and his second year as a starter.  This the last game he will play a team ranked No. 2 in the nation, and he just might have saved his best for the biggest stage.  

From a fan's perspective, Tauren Poole's running attack may seem negligible.  Nick Saban, however, said of the Vols', "We have a lot of respect for this team and what they can do. We certainly need to take care of our business so we can take care of business."

Tennessee and Tauren Poole will give it their all, but in the end Alabama will win this game, and will do so in a respectful fashion.