Knoxville, TN (Best E Casino) - The second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are still undefeated, and they will attempt to knock off the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC clash this weekend in Knoxville.
Alabama did not play well in the second half of last Saturday's home game against Ole Miss, but the Tide were able to hold on for a 24-20 victory. That win enabled the squad to move to 7-0, and Nick Saban is now 7-0 to start a season for the first time ever as a collegiate coach. With the exception of a road test against LSU in a few weeks, the remaining schedule for 'Bama is quite favorable.
As for Tennessee, it picked up its first SEC victory last Saturday by a score of 34-3 over Mississippi State. Still, the Vols are just 3-4 overall and 1-3 in conference, not exactly what fans of the program were expecting heading into the campaign. Coach Phillip Fulmer has been the target of great criticism, but he can certainly earn back some confidence among Vols' supporters if his team can score the upset this weekend.
Alabama owns a 45-38-8 series lead over Tennessee, including a 41-17 romp over the Vols last season.
Alabama is averaging 32.3 total ypg and 371.1 total ypg this season, thanks to tremendous offensive balance. John Parker Wilson runs the offense from the quarterback position, and he has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions. His top receiver is freshman Julio Jones, who has made 22 catches for 341 yards and four touchdowns. The ground attack is paced by Glen Coffee, who has rushed for 760 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 7.0 ypc. Mark Ingram is second on the roster 419 rushing yards, and he is tops with six scores.
Alabama played outstanding offensively in the first half of last week's narrow win over Ole Miss, as Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns while Ingram reached the end zone on a short run. "We came out and were able to execute," said Wilson. "We worked really hard in practice and put it together in the game." Unfortunately, the Tide were held scoreless over the final 30 minutes, nearly costing them the game. Wilson finished 16-of-25 for 219 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception.
Opponents are only scoring 14.4 ppg against Alabama, which is yielding 276.0 total ypg. Of the 10 offensive touchdowns that foes have scored against the Tide, only one has been of the rushing variety. The Tide has been stellar against the run, yielding a mere 66.1 ypg on 2.7 ypc. The pass defense has been strong as well, posting 10 interceptions while limiting opponents to 9.9 yards per completion. A major positive for the defense is that it has been able to limit the opposition to 26 percent success on third down conversion attempts. Rolando McClain leads 'Bama with 48 total tackles, while Justin Woodall has four interceptions.
Against Ole Miss last weekend, Alabama surrendered 17 points in the second half to put the game in jeopardy, but the Rebels did have tremendous field position to work with. The Tide came up with three takeaways in the tilt and limited Ole Miss to 2-of-14 success on third down.
"It's almost indescribable the difference between winning and losing," said coach Fulmer after his Vols crushed Mississippi State last weekend. It wasn't as if the offense set the world on fire, posting only two touchdowns and 275 total yards. Even the two scores were the culmination of short drives, as the Vols had to work hard for every yard they earned. Lennon Creer rushed for 68 yards and one touchdown, while Nick Stephens completed 10-of-20 passes for 136 yards. Arian Foster, who was expected to be one of the nation's better backs heading into this season, was once again a non-factor.
Overall this season, Tennessee is only averaging 19.7 ppg and 296.0 total ypg, as there has been a glaring lack of offensive production. Foster is getting about 11 carries per contest, and Stephens has completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes. Considering all of the great offensive players who have passed through Knoxville, such as Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Jason Witten, it is hard to believe how far things have fallen.
The Tennessee defense was outstanding in last weekend's win over Mississippi State, as two interceptions were returned for touchdowns. Eric Berry took a pick back 72 yards for a score, and he is now the SEC's all-time leader in interception return yardage, breaking a record that stood for six decades. "I don't know if I've ever seen anybody like Eric Berry," said Fulmer. "It's amazing what he does when he has a football in his hands and the spirit that he brings to the team." The Vols yielded only 189 total yards to the Bulldogs and came up with three big interceptions. They limited MSU to 2.3 yards per rushing attempt as well.
Opponents are generating just 16.0 ppg and 267.0 total ypg against the outstanding Tennessee defense, which has only yielded seven touchdowns to opposing offenses in seven games. The run defense is limiting foes to 2.8 ypc, while the pass defense has come up with 14 interceptions already.
