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Alabama and Tennessee square off on Saturday at Neyland Stadium with Alabama entering the game as the favorite. Does Tennessee hold advantages at key positions? How is Alabama the better team? Let’s look at it:
When Alabama has the ball
Jalen Hurts vs. Tennessee pass defense: Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett has 5 sacks after a Second-Team All-SEC season last year and should put greater pressure on Hurts.
He had two quarterback hurries and a sack last week against Texas A&M. That said, Tennessee had just one sack for the game. It takes more than one sack to disrupt a quarterback, especially a seemingly unflappable player like Hurts. His 13-for-17 efficiency against Arkansas won over more supporters.
EDGE: Hurts
Damien Harris vs. Tennessee run defense: The Tennessee run defense hasn’t been as good as the secondary. Tennessee is allowing 183 yards per game, ranking them 86th in the nation in rushing defense. That is three spots lower than Arkansas, and Harris rushed for 122 yards against the Razorbacks. Tennessee will miss defensive tackle Danny O’Brien’s nasty streak and the run-stopping capabilities of Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
EDGE: Harris
Alabama wide receivers vs. Tennessee defensive backs: Alabama has plenty of depth at wide receiver, while Tennessee has been racked by injuries. Cameron Sutton is the biggest loss. Sutton was one of the most talented players on Tennessee — period, never mind in the secondary. Safety Evan Berry also won’t play and plenty of others are playing at less than 100 percent. Safety Todd Kelly leads the team with two interceptions and is probably the best remaining player in the secondary. Look for Alabama to flat out bully true freshman Baylen Buchanan, who is expected to start at corner. If he is matched up against Calvin Ridley, it could be a long day for Tennessee.
EDGE: Alabama receivers
When Tennessee has the ball
Joshua Dobbs vs. Alabama pass defense: Dobbs is a much tougher test for the Alabama pass rush. The team was able to get after Kentucky’s Stephen Johnson, although the team had just four sacks against Johnson compared to the seven it tallied against pocket passer Austin Allen.
However, the fact that Dobbs has thrown the most interceptions in the conference and taken the highest number of sacks (14) is troubling. Ryan Anderson has 4.5 sacks, while Jonathan Allen (4.0) and Tim Williams (3.5) have also had success.
EDGE: Alabama pass defense
Alvin Kamara vs. Alabama run defense: Alabama has the best run defense in the nation. However, Kamara gets the edge here because — whether you believe he is the best back in the SEC, he’s certainly up in the top five — Kamara is the toughest back Alabama has faced so far this season. It’s difficult to know whether his numbers in combination with Jalen Hurd will be enough to make this game competitive, but this is Tennessee’s best shot.
EDGE: Kamara
Tennessee receivers vs. Alabama secondary: Tennessee doesn’t have the same set of receivers as Ole Miss or even Arkansas. The Volunteers have Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings. However, Malone is one of the most explosive receivers in the conference right now, and Alabama has looked vulnerable against Ole Miss and Arkansas. So while Tennessee doesn’t have a lot of depth at receiver, it does have talent. As of right now, the Alabama secondary is the team’s biggest weakness.
EDGE: Tennessee receivers
Special teams
Tennessee kicker Aaron Medley missed three field goals in last season’s game, while Alabama kicker Adam Griffith was 2-for-2. Medley is actually very accurate if kicking 39 yards or closer. Put him 40 yards out or farther and choose to kick it at your own risk. All three of his misses in last season’s loss were 40 yards or longer.
There is more bad news for Vols fans: The team has dynamic kickoff and punt returners, but punt returner Cam Sutton is out, and SEC special teams player of the year Evan Berry got his bell rung last week. Micah Abernathy, the top returner for Tennessee, if Berry can’t play, also played through an injury last week.
Eddie Jackson has served well as Alabama’s punt returner, while Trevon Diggs has excelled on kickoff returns. Both JK Scott and Trevor Daniel have performed well as punters.
EDGE: Alabama
