Hello and Roll Tide!

It is the Third Saturday in October which means that the Alabama Crimson Tide will face off against their bitter rivals the Tennessee Volunteers. Alabama will travel to Knoxville where Tennessee has a 2-game winning streak against the Tide. This will be the 109th matchup between the two schools dating back to 1901. Alabama leads the all-time series 61-39-8. Kalen DeBoer lost at Neyland Stadium in his first season with Alabama but now has experience with SEC road games. Neyland is considered the loudest stadium in the SEC so the Tide offense has been practicing all week with loud speakers surrounding them. With Ryan Coleman-Williams OUT, not one single offensive starter played any snaps in the 2024 loss. This will be a difficult test as the Tide look to bounce back from their home loss to Georgia. Below are Injury updates, a Tennessee preview, and week 7 storylines. Let’s go!

Injury Updates:

  • Ryan Coleman-Williams is OUT
  • Dez Zulu remains OUT
  • Terrance Green is OUT
  • Starting center Racin Delgatty is DOUBTFUL
  • Justin Hill is PROBABLE
  • DB Jordan Edmonds is available to play this week

Week 7 Preview: Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee enters week 7 with a record of 5-1 (2-1) and is the AP ranked #14 team in the country. Their head coach Josh Heupel is in his 6th season with Tennessee and his 70% win percentage (45-20) is the best since legendary coach Phillip Fulmer retired in 2008 (74%). He broke the curse in 2022, snapping an Alabama 15-game series winning streak against the Vols. Tennessee’s offense ranks 45th in the country averaging 34.7 points per game and 54th in total yards per game with 414.8. Much of this production came with true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon at the helm. Brandon was a 5-star prospect and the #3 QB of the 2026 class. He won the starting job in fall camp, but was injured in week 5 against Auburn. Faizon missed the Arkansas game and is QUESTIONABLE for this weekend’s matchup. Tennessee announced that second year quarterback George MacIntyre will start against Alabama. MacIntyre played high school football at Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, TN. He comes from a family of coaches: his grandfather (and namesake) George MacIntyre was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 1979-1985; his uncle Mike MacIntyre is currently the defensive coordinator at Oregon State. While he does not have much experience in the SEC, MacIntyre’s coaching ties make him an intelligent quarterback. Tennessee’s top receiving targets this season are Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley who both eclipsed 800 yards a season ago. Tennessee has been playing a lot of 12 personnel (1 running back; 2 tight ends) as they have multiple pass catching options at the position. DaSaahn Brame leads the group with 9 catches for 130 yards. Trent Thomas and Ethan Davis combine for an additional 9 catches, 88 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davis is listed as OUT for the Vols in week 7. 12 personnel is a different look for Tennessee who typically plays the spread offense. The increase in tight end activity has sparked the run game with additional blockers. Running backs DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris are both averaging over 6 yards per carry. Bishop has 678 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, both tied for 2nd best in the SEC. While they may be missing their starting quarterback, Tennessee’s rushing attack is explosive. Georgia was able to exploit Alabama’s defense on the ground last week, so expect Tennessee to lean heavily on the run-game to start this match. Tennessee’s defense is stout. They allow only 15.5 points per game (19th nationally) and 293.7 total yards (25th nationally). The Vols operate a 4-2-5 swarm defense, similar to Alabama. Rather than the 4th defensive lineman being a linebacker, Tennessee stays big up front with traditional defensive ends. Tennessee leads the SEC with 25 sacks and it starts with their monsters up front. Defensive linemen Xavier Gilliam has 5 sacks, Tyree Weathersby has 4.5, Mariyon Dye has 4, and Jordan Norman has 2. These four are also responsible for 24 tackles for a loss (TFLs). Behind them, linebackers Arion Carter and Amare Campell lead Tennessee with 38 tackles a piece. This duo also adds 3 sacks and 8.5 TFLs making this one of the most prolific front-7’s in all of college football. Behind them is a secondary that is allowing only 161.3 yards per game. This is an impressive stat, though they haven’t exactly been tested from a coverage standpoint. Their safeties TJ Metcalf and Dejuan Lane have shown great instincts in the run game recording 32 and 23 tackles respectively. Lane is a ball-hawk, recording 2 interceptions so far this season. Defense is the strength of this Tennessee team. If their offense can pull their weight, this defense is poised to keep Tennessee within striking distance.

Week 7 Storylines:

Play Clean/No Dirty Laundry – Alabama’s two most penalized games in the last five seasons have both been at Tennessee: in 2022 Alabama committed 17 penalties for 130 yards; in 2024 Alabama committed 15 penalties for 115 yards. This is a testament to the ruckus crowd in Neyland Stadium and also a sign of nerves in a big rivalry game. This much penalty yardage can change the outcome of a game, especially since both losses were one-score games. Tennessee’s defense is very talented; it will be important to avoid procedural penalties on offense to avoid getting into 2nd or 3rd and long situations.

Be more physical in the trenches - Prior to the Georgia game, Alabama’s defensive line was effective at pressuring the quarterback rushing only 4. Injuries to Dez Zulu, Justin Hill, and Terrance Green didn’t help that, but they have plenty of depth that should be able to push the pocket. Tennessee will look to attack Alabama vertically, so Alabama would like to drop defenders into coverage. If they are unable to pressure the QB with 4 or have a difficult time stopping the run, Alabama will have to stack the box, leaving the secondary vulnerable. Kane needs to dial up the pressure on Tennessee’s inexperienced quarterback to get Alabama into advantageous situations.

Keep Keelon Safe – As mentioned, Tennessee is the best in the SEC at rushing the quarterback. The defensive line has had a lot of success with only 4 pass rushers, allowing the defense to sit back in coverage. Without starting center Racin Delgatty, can Alabama hold on up front? Grubb uses tight ends to block in both the pass and run game, and that may be necessary to give Keelon time to go through his progressions. Keelon is very athletic and often escapes the pocket with ease. Still, forcing Tennessee to blitz can create matchup advantages that an accurate quarterback line Keelon can exploit.

Crimson vs. Big Orange – For the first time since 1970, Alabama and Tennessee will both be wearing their home jerseys in Neyland Stadium. The clash of orange and crimson jerseys is a sight that many Alabama fans have never seen. This is a fun wrinkle to add to an already exciting Rivalry weekend.

What is your score prediction? Who will be the Offensive and Defensive MVPs for Alabama? As always, reach out with any questions or comments that you have. If you know of anyone interested in joining the newsletter, send their info my way.

Roll Tide -Jake