All for Tennessee
Fansided

Five reasons Tennessee football will shock Alabama if healthy

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee leaves the locker room before a game Tennessee and Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.Kns Tennessee Missouri Football
Tennessee leaves the locker room before a game Tennessee and Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.Kns Tennessee Missouri Football /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Aug 7, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a yellow penalty flag on the field during the Arizona Cardinals Red and White training camp practice at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a yellow penalty flag on the field during the Arizona Cardinals Red and White training camp practice at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Alabama is penalty prone, and Vols are not.

Early in the season, Tennessee football had a massive problem with penalties. However, as the year has progressed, the Vols have gotten significantly better. Over the last three weeks combined, they have committed 10 penalties and surrendered just 98 yards. Last week, it went back up, as they had six penalties and surrendered 48 yards.

However, Alabama is one of the worst teams when it comes to limiting penalties. They surrender 72.43 penalty yards on nearly eight penalties a game. This was a huge reason for their loss to Texas A&M, as they surrendered 104 yards on 12 penalties a game.

What makes this worse for them is the fact that the Vols’ tempo-based offense forces opponents to commit more penalties. UT leads the SEC in opponent penalties and is No. 10 in the nation, forcing them to surrender 73.6 yards on over eight and a half penalties a game.

Taking that into account, the Vols should have the major penalty advantage over the weekend. Sure, they are No. 69 nationally in fewest penalty yards per game, surrendering 56.71 yards on just under six penalties a game. However, they have been significantly below that average for each of the last three weeks, so they’re getting better at it. Alabama isn’t.

Home/Vols Football