TENNESSEE (3-3, 0-3 SEC) vs. No. 1 ALABAMA (7-0, 4-0)
3:30 p.m. EDT ‘ Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CBS & 106.5/97.3/99.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
The 100th football game between Tennessee and Alabama could be the Volunteers’ worst loss in series history if the Crimson Tide play like they did in consecutive weeks against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss last month. Alabama outscored those two Southeastern Conference foes by a combined score of 125-3, and there is no reason to think the Vols will be the recipients of Alabama coach Nick Saban’s mercy today. At least the Tide were kinder in wins against Texas A&M, 28-19, and Arkansas, 41-9. Tennessee enters the game without a touchdown in its past 10 quarters, and Saban-led Alabama teams haven’t typically provided confidence boosts to their opponents. It might be up to Tennessee’s defense to find enough gas in the second half to keep this one closer than the 51-0 score of the 1906 game, which stands as the Vols’ worst loss in the storied rivalry. A loss of that magnitude today, combined with a 41-0 loss to Georgia three weeks ago – their worst home loss since 1905 – would cast an even darker pall over Tennessee coach Butch Jones’ fading job security.
ONES TO WATCH
Look for Tennessee to exercise a conservative game plan on offense again with redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano making the first road start of his college career. It will be important for Guarantano and the Vols to avoid three-and-out possessions and keep the clock moving to allow Tennessee’s thin defense rest on the sideline between Alabama’s possessions. Doing so would constitute a step toward the “complementary football” Jones has been searching for. Another Jones emphasis this week was finding “big splash plays.” If Tennessee’s offense can generate one or two of them early – a tall order against an Alabama defense that routinely rotates fresh players – then an early Vols score could jolt the team enough to keep the game competitive into the second half. Tennessee’s offensive woes extend far beyond quarterback play, but Guarantano’s handling of this stage and opponent probably will be a deciding factor in whether the streak of no touchdowns continues for another week.
IN THE END
Expect cigar smoke to be emanating from a victorious Alabama locker room by about 7:15 p.m. Eastern. Tennessee nearly won in Tuscaloosa in 2009 and 2015, but this year’s injury-riddled roster will be hard-pressed to replicate those performances. Two weeks ago, Texas A&M scored late to get within 27-19 against Alabama, but the Aggies could not recover an onside kick they needed to have a chance at sending the game to overtime. It will take a series of fortunate breaks for the Vols to keep this game close into the fourth quarter. If they can, it would be a moral victory for a team that has five winnable games remaining on its schedule. If Alabama’s margin of victory gets exceptionally wide, it could expedite the end of the Jones era. If that’s the way things shake out, Saban will face his fifth Tennessee coach since arriving in Tuscaloosa when the teams meet next season.
PREDICTION: Alabama 41 Tennessee 7