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Tennessee football vs. Alabama: 10 keys for Vols and Crimson Tide

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shake hands after the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shake hands after the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright (72) can’t contain Kentucky linebacker Jamar Watson (22) as Watson sacks Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) during a SEC conference football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, October 17, 2020.Kns Ut Football Kentucky Bp
Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright (72) can’t contain Kentucky linebacker Jamar Watson (22) as Watson sacks Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) during a SEC conference football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats held at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, October 17, 2020.Kns Ut Football Kentucky Bp /

3. Discipline from Vols’ edge blockers

Let’s be honest. Edge blocking has been atrocious for Tennessee football the past two weeks. Against the Georgia Bulldogs, Wanya Morris, Darnell Wright and Cade Mays were lining up at offensive tackle at different times, and they committed penalty after penalty while missing block after block, which resulted in Jarrett Guarantano’s three second-half turnovers.

It was worse against the Kentucky Wildcats. Mays moved inside, but Wright killed the opening drive by allowing a sack that knocked the Vols out of field goal range. Morris had a chop-block that set up J.T. Shrout’s desperation interception throw, which led to another Kentucky field goal. A missed block by Morris killed a second-half drive with the Vols still in it.

Other guys struggled too. Princeton Fant was in on that Morris chop-block, and after Morris allowed that sack, K’Rojhn Calbert came in and missed a block, forcing Guarantano to throw a dump-off pass. Mistakes by the exterior line have been critical, and they were superb the first two weeks. Which unit shows up against the Alabama Crimson Tide?

Nick Saban’s team is in the bottom half of the SEC in sacks with just seven. They haven’t been bringing pressure like they used to in recent years. Can UT’s edge blockers have enough discipline to take advantage of that and allow Guarantano some time to make plays? Will they be able to avoid killing drives? That will be key to this game. Cutting down on penalties would be a boost.

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