Will the Tennessee football team be able to pull off an upset on Saturday night against No. 6 Alabama? That's what everyone in Knoxville is hoping for, as the No. 11 Vols are underdogs by 9.5 points, but that doesn't matter for Josh Heupel and his players.
Tennessee has 3 key issues to fix if it wants to take down Alabama
This team is fully focused on coming out on top and Tennessee is going to look to overcome what's sure to be a tough road environment provided by the Bama faithful. While this team is generally pretty darn healthy, there are still some players who have been ruled out who surely could have made a difference against the Tide:
Final injury report for Tennessee-Alabama. Ethan Davis might be in witness protection at this point. pic.twitter.com/XhRi2jR9o1
— TorresOnTennessee (@TorresontheVols) October 18, 2025
Jermod McCoy among the Tennessee stars who won't play vs. Alabama
The two names that stick out there would definitely be Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy. With McCoy in particular, the original hope was that he'd be able to get back on the field for the Arkansas tilt last week and then suit up to take on the Crimson Tide and Ty Simpson.
Unfortunately, he's still working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered last offseason. At this point, it's totally up in the air when he'll return this fall. Some fans are even worried that because of him being a projected first-round pick, he may just give his knee a break and save himself for the NFL.
The other players missing in addition to McCoy and Gibson are tight end Ethan Davis, wideout Travis Smith and receiver Radarious Jackson. As for Alabama, they're also going to be without several players, but running back Jam Miller should be good to go.
Miller has been working his way back with a concussion, but Kalen DeBoer was optimistic throughout the week that his standout RB would be cleared. Miller is going to provide the Tennessee defensive line with plenty of problems, while Simpson will look to have a field day against a struggling Tennessee defense. Will Tim Banks mix things up and cause the Bama offense some issues? That's what UT supporters are hoping for.