Sunseris to be on opposite sides of field tonight

No. 1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) at Tennessee (3-3, 0-3) 7 p.m. * Neyland Stadium in Knoxville * ESPN/106.5 FMThe matchupAs broad as it may be, Tennessee’s offense, fourth in the SEC in scoring (38 points per game) and third in yards (482.3), faces Alabama’s top-ranked defense. The Crimson Tide have allowed more than 20 points just once in its past 20 games, when Georgia Southern scored 21 with the help of a kickoff return touchdown. The Vols scored 17 points or less in all but one game against Alabama (the 2003 five-overtime thriller in Tuscaloosa) since a 35-24 win in 2001.Since Nick Saban became Alabama’s coach in 2007, the Tide have held Tennessee to just 52 total points in their five-game win streak.”We feel like we’re pretty good on offense, and that’s the best defense in college football,” Vols coach Derek Dooley said. “I think all our guys are really excited about seeing if we can go toe-to-toe with them. If we can go out there and play to our capacity for 60 minutes, we can find ourselves right in that position we’ve been in every week, and I believe that.”One to watchBehind one of the nation’s top offensive lines and a stable of four- and five-star recruits at tailback, Alabama’s bruising run game is averaging 217 yards per game. Yet it’s quarterback A.J. McCarron who could give Tennessee’s ailing defense its most concerns. The junior leads the SEC in passing efficiency and has yet to throw an interception this season. Moreover, when Tennessee played Alabama to a 6-6 halftime tie in Tuscaloosa last season, the Tide came out throwing early in the second half of a 37-6 runaway win.McCarron finished with a career-best 284 yards passing, and the Vols defense, ranked 13th in the SEC in yards allowed, must be wary when picking its poison with Alabama’s efficient offense.”We don’t want to bow down to these boys,” Vols cornerback Justin Coleman said. “We want to go out there and play our best.”In the endThe fan unrest and chatter about Dooley’s future have been unable to keep Tennessee’s spirits down in practice this week, as the Vols have been energized in anticipation of hosting the country’s No. 1 team and a rival on their field in primetime. That could get zapped pretty quickly if Tennessee digs itself another early hole against an Alabama team that simply doesn’t beat itself with turnovers and mistakes while suffocating their opponent’s hopes. The Tide program right now simply is a machine built on talent, size and speed of its players.Even if the Vols, who likely will be without starting tailback and leading rusher Rajion Neal (ankle) can move the ball consistently on Alabama, its defense has allowed 43 points and 522 yards per game to three SEC opponents. Should the Tide maintain their 40.5-point average, it’ll be the first time in the program’s long history the Vols have allowed 40 points in three consecutive games.PredictionAlabama 41, Tennessee 21