The Crimson Tide took care of business last time out, slowing down a Missouri side that can be free scoring and holding them to just ten points. Next up is Tennessee, a team that is rebuilding under head coach Jeremy Pruitt and who picked up a massive win over Auburn in Auburn last Saturday.
By Steve Wright
Here are the three keys:
Don’t turn the ball over
The last time Tennessee beat Alabama was 11 years ago. The Crimson Tide has owned the Vols for the last decade – they have owned unranked teams too for that matter – and Alabama is without doubt the better football team of the two in 2018.
One way to lose a game when the better team, however, is to turn the ball over. While turning the Vols over would be nice, Alabama has way too much offensive firepower for Tennessee to deal with if the turnover battle stays at 0-0. The Alabama defense doesn’t have to take risks against Tennessee, while the Vols go into the game knowing that a turnover (or three) will be crucial to their chances of knocking off the No. 1 team in the country.
Tua Tagovailoa still hasn’t thrown an interception yet this year. Until he does, Alabama will be too good for the pack.
Be aware of the Pruitt factor
Last year Pruitt was the defensive coordinator at Alabama. That means that he has firsthand experience of what the Alabama offense – and specifically Tagovailoa – can do. In some cases this would be a major cause for concern, but saying that Nick Saban fares well against his former assistants doesn’t get close to underscoring the Alabama coach’s dominance in such matchups.
Saban is literally perfect against his protégées. This will be the 15th time Saban squares off against someone that he has once employed as a coach, with Alabama being 14-0 in such games. That includes wins over names such as Jimbo Fisher, Jim McElwain, and Will Muschamp.
As much as these coaches know about Saban, Saban knows more about them. His ability to game plan – and surprise – his former assistants is one of the most notable aspects of his time with the Crimson Tide.
End the game early
Alabama has been outstanding in 2018 at throttling opponents before they have a chance to get going. It is why Tagovailoa has barely played in the second half of multiple games this season and why the defense has been able to take entire quarters of football off with the Tide up by multiple scores.
There is some question as to the health of Tagovailoa’s knee. The best way to make this a non-factor is for Alabama to get a couple of scores early – the offense is just a big play waiting to happen this season – giving a limited Tennessee squad way too much to do to get back into the contest.
Alabama will win this unless the Crimson Tide has the mother of all off days and the Vols do every single thing right.
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