Tennessee football vs. Alabama: 10 keys for Vols and Crimson Tide
3. Vols running backs and tight ends vs. injured Alabama linebackers
It’s no secret that the Alabama Crimson Tide have numerous injuries at linebacker. Terrell Lewis and Chris Allen are both out, and Mack Wilson is playing hurt. Because of these issues, Tennessee football has a clear formula to give themselves a shot at Nick Saban.
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That formula is finding the tight ends and running backs out of the flats. It’s likely Jeremy Pruitt and Tyson Helton already know this, as they’ve been doing it with the running backs for two games now. Ty Chandler is the star when that happens, but Tim Jordan has had his fair share of major plays as well.
This week, though, they need to rely on it. We already told you about the issues of Jarrett Guarantano taking hits. Well these type of plays allow him to get rid of the ball more quickly so he doesn’t have to.
On top of that, with all the injuries, they simple allow the Vols to exploit a major weakness on Alabama. In addition to Chandler, Dominick Wood-Anderson and Eli Wolf need to see lots of touches. Heck, Austin Pope could get in as well.
But Wood-Anderson was a four-star junior college tight end touted specifically for his receiving ability, and the Vols actually got him from Alabama. Meanwhile, Wolf was supposed to be the most improved player this offseason. Using those guys is going to be key to exploiting the Tide’s weaknesses, especially when every one of their SEC opponents this year has had a tight end finish second or first on the team in receiving. Tennessee football may have some mismatches here.