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

In typical Nick Saban fashion, the Alabama Crimson Tide have a ton of new faces across the board this year, and it’s as if they didn’t miss a beat. Okay, they do have one loss, and they also struggled to put away the Florida Gators, so maybe they slightly missed a beat. However, it doesn’t seem like enough for them to slip up against Tennessee football on Saturday.

As we get set to break down the key Alabama players the Vols will have to watch out for if they want to have any chance of winning this game, our focus will be on a lot of standard weapons. However, Saban’s program in recent years has been all about a few standout, elite players.

This season, Alabama continues the offensive onslaught it has been doing since Saban switched up his coaching style in the mid-2010s, but that doesn’t mean the defense doesn’t have its share of weapons. Let’s take a look at who will be key on both sides of the ball when Tennessee football visits Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. this weekend.

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The Vols have actually been pretty good at stopping running backs this year. That’s why Alabama’s top producer in yards from scrimmage is last on this list. Still, Brian Robinson Jr. is a threat to Rocky Top, as he is one of the more dynamic backs Saban has had in recent years, and he’s running behind an elite line.

Robinson has 116 carries for 599 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns on the year. He also has 14 receptions for 145 yards and two more touchdowns, giving him 744 total yards and 10 total touchdowns from scrimmage through seven games.

His worst game of the year on the ground came last week against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but it was his best receiving game. In fact, his three most productive weeks have been the last three weeks. As a result, Tennessee football has to watch out for him in every way. He’s averaging 130 rushing yards and nearly 43 receiving yards a game the past three weeks.