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Joshua Dobbs of Tennessee Vols Will be Toughest Quarterback Alabama Crimson Tide Have Faced All Year

By Caleb Calhoun

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Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs will be the toughest test the Alabama Crimson Tide have had all year when the teams play in Saturday’s game.

Through the first seven games of the year en route to their 6-1 record, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Nick Saban have been fortunate to get away with something they usually don’t get away with.

They have pretty much avoided facing any dual-threat quarterbacks. That changes on Saturday.

The Tide will face the 3-3 Vols, who appeared to finally find their offensive groove behind Joshua Dobbs with three minutes left in the first half. Perhaps it was him feeding off momentum.

Perhaps it was receivers coming through for him.

But the most likely scenario is, down 24-3 to Georgia at the time, the coaches finally turned him loose and let him bail the team out. After that, he was unstoppable running and passing, and the backfield trio of him, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara makes him even harder to account for.

That made the Vols go into the bye week with a 3-3 record and a ton of momentum, and now they will have had two weeks to prepare for Alabama when the two teams square off in Tuscaloosa. And considering Saban’s history of struggling with dual-threat quarterbacks, this is going to be the toughest test yet for the Tide.

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Alabama has gone back to looking like Alabama after that Ole Miss debacle, their one loss of the year. It’s worth noting that Chad Kelly, while a pro-style passer, does have mobility and is the only mobile quarterback they have faced. While they did contribute to their own downfall in that game, it is clear they struggled with Kelly as a result.

Kelly beat them for touchdowns twice while rolling out and throwing.

Don’t pretend Dobbs cannot do the same thing. He can scare you by rolling out, and he can even run north and south, which is dangerous against Alabama’s 3-4 defense.

Against Georgia, we are over-selling how great Alabama looked. Greyson Lambert’s style of play went right into their hands.

Despite the greatness of Kyle Allen, he also has no real mobility, so he and Kevin Sumlin played right into their hands as well.

This week, they are back to facing their kryptonite. But whether or not Tennessee can exploit it will depend on the coaching staff.

Butch Jones and Mike DeBord have to turn Dobbs loose. A few quick passes and quick runs are always necessary. But letting him drop back in the pocket and decide to run or throw downfield to one of his elite receivers is clearly the way to go with him.

He is a true leader and can play great when you turn him loose. They need to turn him loose Saturday, and just maybe, the Vols could pull off biggest victory in Jones’s career.

Next: All for Tennessee Official Week 8 SEC Power Rankings

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