Alabama Crimson Tide Look Vulnerable vs. Tennessee Vols

By Caleb Calhoun | Oct 19, 2015

The Tennessee Volunteers football team is facing an Alabama Crimson Tide team under Nick Saban that could be very vulnerable Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Going into Tuscaloosa Saturday, the Vols are getting no respect facing the Alabama Crimson Tide. But quite honestly, that is a huge mistake.

Tennessee has led by two scores in every game it has played this year, and despite a 3-3 record through the toughest opening stretch of any team, we all know them to be much better than their record indicates.

But this game is not about the Vols. It is about Alabama.

Let’s call it what it is. The Texas A&M Aggies gave away that football game to the Tide, the same way the Tide gave the game away to Ole Miss.

Yes, a 41-23 win over a Top 10 team on the road is impressive. Yes, Derrick Henry deserves credit for rushing for 236 yards. And yes, the Tide did a great job on Tra Carson and holding Kyle Allen to a 50 percent completion rate.

But in spite of all of that, Allen gave Alabama that game with three interceptions returned for touchdowns, and Alabama had four interceptions altogether.

By the way, let’s not pretend these were interceptions in garbage time either. They were game-changers. The first one was the first score of the game. The second one came with the Aggies driving down 21-6 but inside the Alabama 30 on a first down. Had they scored there, they would have had all the momentum going into the half.

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Let’s not forget that they cut it to 28-20 in the second half and had the ball twice with a chance to tie it, and Kyler Murray was brought in and threw an interception that set up an Alabama field goal.

Then, down 34-20, Texas A&M was approaching midfield before Kyle Allen threw his third Pick-Six. Again, Kevin Sumlin’s team gave this game away.

So are we supposed to believe that after that performance, a Tennessee team that lost by one point to Florida, who then blew out an Ole Miss team that beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, would have no chance against that same Tide team?

On top of that, consider the magnitude of this game.

Alabama is not going to be taking Tennessee seriously. It is a trap game for them, hosting an unranked team between beating Texas A&M on the road and getting ready to host LSU in a game to decide the probable SEC Champion. How are they supposed to get up for the Vols?

The Aggies showed they could move the ball on the Tide despite no mobility at quarterback. What do you think Joshua Dobbs, who gave Alabama hell in the second half of last year’s game, is going to be able to do, especially if Butch Jones and Mike DeBord turn him loose?

This defense has already struggled once this year vs. a mobile quarterback.

And at the same time, Jacob Coker had the most meaningless stats ever in a game Saturday. His Total QBR was only 50.9. He showed against the Rebels he is pathetic if you get pressure on him, just like Greyson Lambert was. Despite two significant injuries, the Vols have an amazing pass rush.

I am not picking this game yet, but I would bet on Tennessee to cover the spread as 14.5-point underdogs. Alabama is being overhyped for blowing out an overrated Georgia team and then beating a Texas A&M team that literally handed them the game. In between those two games, they played the Razorbacks, and while they won that game after Arkansas beat the Vols the week before, they honestly did not look that much better than the Vols against Bret Bielema’s squad.

Now, as they host Tennessee, who had a week off to prepare and is riding a wave of momentum after beating that same Georgia team, they had better take the Vols seriously. Otherwise, Nick Saban could be coaching a regular season with two losses for the first time since 2010.

Next: All for Tennessee Week 7 Game Picks in Review

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