FREE THOUGHT FRIDAY
WHAT VOL FANS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ALABAMA
OFFENSE:
Alabama leads the SEC in scoring offense (44.8 ppg)
Alabama is 85-4 (.955) since the start of the 2008 season when rushing for at least 140 yards
Jalen Hurts (Passing-97-152; 63.8%; 1242 yds; 9 TDs; 2 INTs) (Rushing- 62 att; 4.8 ypc; 5 TDs) is the first true freshman to start at QB for Alabama since Vince Sutton in 1984
RBs Damien Harris (55-487; 8.7 ypc; 79.7 ypg; 1 TD) and Josh Jacobs (37-309; 8.3; 51.2; 3 TDs) both are averaging over 8 ypc on the season for the Tide
The Tide have four receivers (WR/TE) with at least 1,000 career receiving yards and 75 career receptions.
-Soph Calvin Ridley (123 rec. 1,457 yds, 11.8 ypc, 11 TDs)
-R-Jr ArDarius Stewart (93 rec.1,174 yds, 7 TDs)
-Graduate transfer Gehrig Dieter (137 rec, 1,669 yds, 12 TDs)
-TE O.J. Howard (82 rec, 1,317 yds, 16.1 ypc, 5 TDs)
DEFENSE
Nationally the Tide ranks 11th in scoring defense (15.8 ppg)
Bama’s defense has limited its opponents to 415 total yards on the ground (69.2 ypg; No. 1 in the FBS)
Alabama’s defense has totaled 40 three-and-outs through six games
Of 10 opponent Red Zone scores (13 attempts), only 4 have been TDs
DE Jonathan Allen has recorded 10 sacks in his last 12 games dating back to 2015
SLB Ryan Anderson has 23 tackles along with 7.5 tfl, 4.5 sacks (both team-highs), three QB hurries, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles
MLB Shaun Dion Hamilton ranks second on the team in tackles with 34 and has 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
WLB Reuben Foster (being evaluated for concussion) leads the Tide in total tackles (37) and solo tackles (19) this season to go with 2.5 tackles for loss
STAR Minkah Fitzpatrick set a career high with three interceptions, returning one 100 yards for a TD, and recorded five tack. and two pbus vs Arkansas
SS Eddie Jackson has nine career interception returns for 303 return yards, & four fumble returns for 51 yards
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jr P JK Scott is averaging 46.5 ypp (8th in Nation). He has placed 64 punts inside the 20 and booted 55 punts of 50 yards or more in 34 career games.
Sr PK Adam Griffith now has 57 points in 2016 (8 FGs and 33 PAT) to give him 285 career points (44 FG, 153 PAT)
Eddie Jackson has five punt returns for 124 yards.
Xavian Marks’ (75-yds vs Kent State) and Jackson (85-yds vs Ole Miss) both have returned punts for TDs this season.
Jonathan Allen’s block of a Western Kentucky FG attempt was Bama’s 12th blocked kick/punt since 2013
ODDS & ENDS
Alabama and Tennessee will meet for the 99th time in a series that the Crimson Tide leads, 52-38-7
Alabama has played 65 games as the nation’s top-ranked team since the inception of the AP poll in 1936. In those games the Crimson Tide boasts a 55-10 (.846) record
Minkah Fitzpatrick’s 100-yd interception return along with Tim Williams’ 23-yard fumble recovery last weekend marked the 54th and 55th non-offensive touchdowns of the Nick Saban era and the eighth and ninth for the Crimson Tide this season
Alabama’s defense and special teams has outscored the Crimson Tide’s opponent in three of six games this season
In its past 115 games (dating back to Sept. 6, 2008), Alabama has turned the ball over only 135 times (76 fumbles, 59 interceptions) for 1.17 turnovers per game
The Crimson Tide owns a 23-13-2 record over the Volunteers in televised games.
WHAT VOLS MUST DO VERSUS BAMA
FLIP THE SCRIPT: As is now seared into our minds the Vols turned the ball over 7 times versus Texas A&M. That is only one less turnover than the Tide has committed in six games. Alabama feasts on other team’s turnovers with 16 total takeaways and thus far the Vols have laid out a banquet for their opponents. Combine that with the Tide defense’s miserly 15.8 ppg allowed and every possession becomes “critical”. In order to have any chance to end the current 9-game series losing streak Tennessee must be no worse than -1 in turnover margin for the day.
LET THE CREW CALL THEIR NAME NOT OURS: One of the few areas where Alabama has been at a statistical disadvantage on the season is penalties. The Tide has been flagged 38 times for 314 yards to their opponents 22 for 202. If the Vols keep up their seasonal pace of 40 for 358 the officiating crew will have the game’s leading rusher and probably require rotator cuff surgery at season’s end.
KEEP IT CONVENTIONAL: As seen above if Alabama’s offense had failed to show up they would still be 3-3 based on defensive and special teams scores alone. When facing an opponent that statistics suggests are superior in every category you cannot surrender non-offensive TDs. The team’s offensive stats are not glaringly different (Total Offense Bama-489; Tenn-432) with the exception of points-per-game (Bama-44.8; Tenn-33.8). If you remove Bama’s 63 non-offensive points and the Vols 7 that makes the team’s points/game outputs a much-more even 34-33.
SUBTRACT THE SACKS: Alabama has put most everyone on their schedule in scramble-mode in more ways than one. With opponents forced into catchup mode their QBs have been vulnerable enough for the Tide to register 28 sacks. The Vols must stay close enough and protect enough to assure that Josh Dobbs spends as little time on his back as possible.
MAKE THE TIDE A LITTLE LESS RED: In a literal sense this would seem to be the Vols greatest challenge of the day but I’m not talking about
that, I’m referring to scoring in the Red Zone. Alabama has scored on 25 of 27 trips inside the 20 with 19 of those being TDs. The Vols need to assure that Bama PK Adam Griffith’s appearances are more about FGs than PATs.
PLAY THIS SEASON’S BAMA TEAM: The Vols challenge is large enough without worrying about anything other than this week’s opponent. Tennessee only needs to be better than the Alabama team that shows up Saturday not the one of the season’s first six weeks or especially the one of the previous nine seasons.
WHAT WE WILL LEARN IN WEEK 7
FROM TOP-10 TO SLOP-10: After starring in a couple of Red Apple Ale commercials when they got beaned in the head by Washington and Washington State by a combined score of 86-22, Stanford will limp into South Bend still motion-sick from bungee jumping without a cord from the Top-10 to completely off the sports page. Notre Dame on the other hand has beaten Nevada and Syracuse and lost to anyone with a pulse to cobble together a 2-4 record. In the preseason this had all the signs of a Top-10 matchup but now is a game that looks more suited for Wednesday night. If series history is any indicator the Irish’ misery will be extended since the Cardinal has won five of the last seven.
BADGER BATTERING CONTINUES: While SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey continues to ponder a sex change the Big-10 resumes one of the great schedule hosings in the history of sports. Wisconsin for the third straight game will take on a monster inter-division foe when they host #2 Ohio State. Prior to an open date last weekend, the Badgers had traveled on consecutive Saturdays to perennial West stalwarts Michigan State and Michigan. The Badgers came out of that grind 1-1 and currently sit in third place in the East trailing Nebraska (2-0) and total pretender Iowa at 2-1. The eye test strongly suggests Wisconsin is better than both but the Big-10 scheduler put them at such a huge disadvantage that sweeping both the Huskers and Hawkeyes may not be enough to secure a trip to Indianapolis for the Big-10 Championship Game. Nebraska -in comparison- will travel to Indiana and Ohio State and host Maryland from the East while Iowa beat a dreadful Rutgers team and will travel to Penn State and host Michigan. Tennessee may well miss out on a trip to Atlanta due to a natural disaster and Jeremy Foley using it to the Gators advantage. Wisconsin’s chances on the other hand were probably washed away the day the schedule was released.
FINAL FRIDAY THOUGHT: BEAT BAMA