Below is a look at Tennessee’s national stat rankings side-by-side with the counterpart rankings for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
When the Vols have the ball
Where’s the opportunity?
Um, they appear to allow a lot of passing yards, but . . .
Where’s the danger?
. . . they pick off a lot of passes.
Gameplan for the Vols on offense
I would warn against falling prey to the promise of yards through the air, but honestly, what other options are there? It’s going to be even more difficult to run against the Tide. But the entire state of Tennessee is going to come unglued at the first interception. The Tennessee offense is just plain going to have to do a better job of finding something that works and doing that.
Here’s an idea: Pass on traditional running downs and run on traditional passing downs. It’s worth a try.
Vols on defense
Where’s the opportunity?
These guys suck at 4th down. (Yes, that is sarcastic.) The Vols might be able to hold their own against the run on defense for a bit.
Where’s the danger?
The danger is here, there, and everywhere, and it’s big, fast, ferocious, and wearing the wrong colors.
Gameplan for the Vols on defense
Stop the run and hope for the best against the passing game. Get some turnovers, and when one comes your way, score.
Special teams
Maybe there’s something there for the Vols in the punting and punt return game. If only we could get them to punt.
Turnovers and penalties
Alabama’s not much better in the penalty department than Tennessee, so there’s an opportunity for some free, hidden yards there. Take them. And turnovers are villains, but they can be fickle. Let’s hope they switch jerseys this weekend.