Tennessee football: Cedric Tillman reportedly out vs. Alabama; How Vols can adjust

It was probably the worst combination of news for Tennessee football Wednesday night. All signs now point to the Vols still being without go-to wide receiver Cedric Tillman against the Alabama Crimson Tide and Bama quarterback Bryce Young playing.

WBIR reported that Tillman, who has 17 catches for 246 yards and a touchdown, is likely to miss Saturday’s matchup against Alabama. Tillman suffered an ankle injury in the Vols’ third game against the Akron Zips and hasn’t played since, missing UT’s wins over the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers.

After that injury, it was reported during Tennessee football’s bye week that Tillman had surgery to recover more quickly. According to WBIR, a return against the Kentucky Wildcats is more realistic for Tillman. That game is set for Saturday, Oct. 29.

On the other side, Nick Saban reportedly said Wednesday that Young has been practicing a bit more everyday and that he is on a “pitch count.” Young got hurt against the Arkansas Razorbacks and missed last week’s game, as Bama barely held off the Texas A&M Aggies with Jalen Milroe starting at quarterback.

Make no mistake, this is bad news for UT. Given what the Vols did against Florida and LSU, there might be many who believe they don’t need Tillman. However, Bru McCoy could offset Tillman’s absence against LSU with the press-man coverage they play, and McCoy and Ramel Keyton would be too much for Florida’s size.

Although this isn’t a typical Alabama secondary, they are still coached by Nick Saban and much better than what LSU and Florida are dealing with right now. As a result, just physical attributes won’t cut it. The Vols need ultimate gamers, and that’s where Tillman comes in.

So with Young playing, how can Tennessee football offset this? After all, the Vols still won’t be able to run the ball effectively against Alabama. Well, there are two things. One, they’ll have to sneak in the tight ends and slot receivers. Secondly, they need big plays on defense and special teams.

Alabama had four turnovers and gave up four sacks last week. Even if Young does play, his mobility won’t be the same, so the Vols can bring an attacking pass rush that gives him a ton of trouble. A few big plays are bound to come from that.

Josh Heupel is also a brilliant play-caller, so he can design plays for Jalin Hyatt along with Princeton Fant and Jacob Warren that Alabama isn’t ready for. A few big plays here and there on offense will be huge for them if they can stop some drives.

Then they can maybe steal a possession on special teams. Last week, they had got a 10-0 lead at LSU by recovering a fumbled kickoff and then returning a punt 58 yards. This all seems cliche, but given the way things have gone recently, it’s possible.

Tillman will be missed more in this game than he has been missed in any other game. Forcing turnovers with a big pass rush, generating a certain amount of big plays with well-designed calls on offense and coming up big once on special teams can offset his injury. Tennessee football will have its hands full, though.