Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Tyler Bray (8) and the offense he leads were given strong compliments Monday by Alabama coach Nick Saban and a veteran Crimson Tide defensive back.
Nick SabanTIDE, TAKE THREE
Three tidbits regarding top-ranked Alabama entering this week’s game at Tennessee:1. Nick Saban is 5-0 against the Volunteers as the Crimson Tide coach. Predecessors Mike Shula, Dennis Franchione and Mike DuBose were a combined 2-8 versus Tennessee.2. Alabama has held three of its six opponents this season to less than 50 first-half yards, including Missouri this past Saturday.3. Senior Jeremy Shelley is among just four kickers in the Bowl Subdivision who have yet to miss a field goal or an extra point. Shelley is 7-for-7 on field-goal attempts and 30-for-30 on PATs.
Alabama’s Nick Saban is the first football coach ever to defeat Tennessee by 30 or more points in consecutive seasons, yet his dominance of the Volunteers has included very little Tyler Bray.
Bray had a broken thumb midway through last season and sat out Tennessee’s 37-6 loss in Tuscaloosa. Matt Simms got the start at quarterback in last year’s game and in the 41-10 loss to the Crimson Tide in 2010, when Bray came off the bench in Knoxville to play half of the second quarter and the entire fourth quarter.
Entering his inaugural “Third Saturday in October” start at Neyland Stadium, Bray heads an offense that ranks among the top 25 nationally in yards (482.3) and points (38) per game.
“Tyler Bray is doing an excellent job of throwing the ball, and they are a double threat from passing and running,” Alabama senior safety Robert Lester said Monday. “We are going to trust that our defensive line will do its job. We are going to help out our defense as much as we can, and if that means covering their receivers a few seconds longer, then we are ready to do it.”