The #1 Alabama Crimson Tide roll in to Knoxville to settle their differences with the #11 ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, October 15th at 3:30 p.m. ET. The grudge-match will be shown on the CBS Network. Alabama is a sizable favorite on the road for this conference game. Odds-makers have the Crimson Tide as a -12 favorite and the total set at 57.5.
The Cimson Tide jumped out to a 35 point lead last week over the Arkansas Razorbacks and finished the deal 49-30. As a result, Alabama is now 6-0 heading into Tennessee and finding way to score from a plethora of positions.
Tennessee finally seen their late-game heroics fall short in double overtime against the Texas A&M Aggies last week in College Station. Once again, the Volunteers fell down early and came on late to make a game of it. Unfortunately, they fell short and lost in a shoot-out 45-38.
#1 Alabama (6-0):
Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has done all that coach Nick Saban has asked of him and then some. Last week, he protected the ball and threw only 13 completions. Those 13 completions went for over 250 yards and two scores.
On the year, the new sensation has almost 100 completions for over 1,200 yards. Nine of those passes went for touchdowns and only two have ended up in the opposing teams hands.
Damien Harris and Joshua Jacobs continue to gash teams for huge chunks of yardage behind a talented Alabama offensive line. Both running backs are averaging over eight yards a carry. Damien Harris leads the way with 478 yards on 55 carries and a score. Jalen Hurts actually leads the Crimson Tide in carries (62), and rushing touchdowns (5).
Calvin Ridley has solidified his place as the Cimson Tide’s number one wide out. So far, Ridley has reeled in a team-high 34 balls for over 400 yards and four scores. O.J. Howard, Alabama’s talented tight end, also has 13 catches for almost 200 yards and another trip to pay-dirt.
Alabama is once again as advertised. Nick Saban has reloaded on defense to the tune of the number one unit in the nation against the run (70 ypg). Thank you Ruben Foster. In the secondary, Minkah Fitzpatrick is a play-maker to game plan around. Last week, Fitzpatrick intercepted three passes and took one back to the house. In fact, that was the Crimson Tide’s ninth touchdown with this unit on the field.
#11 Tennessee (5-1):
After numerous fumbles plagued the Volunteer offense in the first half, it took another come from behind performance from senior quarterback Josh Dobbs to give Tennessee a chance to stay undefeated. Dobbs has now completed 105 passes for over 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns but eight interceptions.
Running back Jalen Hurd needs to be back on the field if the Volunteers hope to pull off the upset against Alabama. He is listed as probable, coming back from a two game hiatus from a concussion.
This season, Hurd has rumbled for 407 yards on 101 carries and has two trips to the back of the end zone. Quarterback Josh Dobbs has upped his work-load since Hurd’s injury. Dobbs now has 82 carries for almost 325 yards and five scores.
Three receivers share the majority of the passes from Josh Dobbs. Together, they have totaled 54 catches for over 875 yards and an impressive 11 touchdown grabs. Junior Josh Malone leads the way with five of them.
The Volunteer defensive front gave up over 350 yards on the ground in last week’s game versus the Aggies. They better shore that up right now or it’s going to be a long one in Knoxville on Saturday.
That horrible performance now has the underachieving Tennessee defense ranked 86th in the country against the run. Defensive leader Jaylin-Maybin Reeves has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury. He is listed as questionable for the contest against Alabama.
Trends and Notes:
The Crimson Tide are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
The Volunteers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
The Under is 7-3 in the Crimson Tide last 10 games in October.
The Over is 4-1 in the Volunteers last 5 games overall.
The Road team is 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 meetings.
Game Prediction:
Alabama is proving to everyone that it takes a complete team to win big football games and Nick Saban has assembled just that. Their quarterback manages the game well and makes plenty of plays with his feet.
The offensive line pushes the enemy all over the field and the defensive line is number one in the country against the run. The secondary is as talented as ever and the wide receivers make big plays when needed. Special teams has never been a problem for the Crimson Tide.
Tennessee is somewhat of an enigma at the half-way point of the 2016 College Football season. They were favored to be the force to reckon with in the SEC but kept squeaking by teams week in and week out.
Their luck finally ran out last week because the same inconsistent play that has plagued them all year.The Volunteers know that a second loss is their ticket out of the College Football playoffs. A Tennessee victory propels them right back into the race.
Josh Dobbs is versatile enough to create some time for his receivers to get open down field. Jalen Hurd needs to run big just to keep Bama’ honest. Unfortunately, turnovers and slow starts have haunted the Volunteers all year long, so all of that will be for nothing if Alabama’s defense creates some.
We here at Get More Sports think they will. Turnovers create opportunities and the Crimson Tide capitalize on such things. Yes, the Volunteers will get their share of points, but the better TEAM will win on Saturday. Why pick against a double-digit home-dog if you don’t have to, take the over 57.5.
