Tennessee football at Alabama: Five Vols to watch for against Crimson Tide

Again, this is just the best offensive player stepping up for Tennessee football. It came down to Ty Chandler or Jauan Jennings, but the fact of the matter is Chandler has the best chance of being effective in the running game and the passing game, which is why we put him on the list. But he’s finally got to live up to his offseason hype.

For the year, Chandler has 75 carries for 383 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over five yards a carry. But he only has four receptions for seven yards, and that’s where he needs to step up his game on Saturday. He could also help the Vols by coming up with a big play on special teams in returning kickoffs, as that could be something to make this a game.

Chandler needs to return to the guy who had a receiving touchdown in three straight games last year, becoming the first running back in UT history to do so, Alabama being one of the teams to allow a TD from him in that streak last year. A repeat would be a huge deal.

One person Chandler could look to is Rico Dowdle of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Dowdle was by far the best running back to perform against Bama this year, despite his team losing 47-23. He had 12 carries for 102 yards. Matching that gives Jeremy Pruitt a starting point.