What Nick Saban had to say leading up to Alabama vs. Tennessee

Notes from Nick Saban’s weekly press conference!

No. 4 Alabama is set to host the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Alabama vs. Tennessee matchup is one that fans across the country always look forward to. The history between the two programs has created one of the most heated rivalries in college football.

On Wednesday afternoon head football coach Nick Saban spoke to the media leading up to Alabama’s contest against the Volunteers.

Here are a few of the head coach’s comments.

  • On injured players, coach Saban mentioned that they were hopeful that Byron Young would be able to contribute this week. Drew Sanders remains doubtful for the third straight contest. He also mentioned that DeMarcco Hellems is dealing with a lingering ankle injury that he suffered in fall camp so his reps have been limited.
  • Coach Saban mentioned that Tennessee’s run game is tough to defend because they go fast and they have great runners, including their quarterback.
  • On Henry To’oTo’o, Saban spoke of his ability to communicate and help everyone around him have a better understanding of the defense.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire as we offer continuous coverage on the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

 

Alabama vs Tennessee Prediction, Game Preview

Alabama vs Tennessee prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 23

Alabama vs Tennessee prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 23


Alabama vs Tennessee How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 23
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Alabama (6-1), Tennessee (4-3)
Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

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Alabama vs Tennessee Game Preview


Why Tennessee Will Win

The offense keeps on rolling.

It took a while to get going, and then … kaboom.

The Vols ran for close to 460 yards against Missouri, it was well balanced in the win over South Carolina, and the 467 yards in the wild, crazy, and problematic in the close loss to Ole Miss.

They’ve hit 200 yards rushing and passing in four of the last five games, and they’re going to need to be as versatile – and as fearless – as possible against a Tide defense that figured out the running game after getting cranked by Florida a month ago.

Combine the offensive speed and quickness with a devastating pass rush that should hurry Bryce Young, and the Vols might just have the formula to make this interesting.

Alabama allowed over 300 yards twice this year. Once was in the close call against Florida, and second was in the loss to Texas A&M. Tennessee has yet to come up with fewer than 374.

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Why Alabama Will Win

Who’s the Tennessee quarterback?

Hendon Hooker makes this offense fly, but he’s hurt and iffy at best. Joe Milton has all the tools and upside, but he’s not all that accurate and he’s way too inconsistent.

Either way, Tennessee – despite the hurry-up style that tries to gas opposing defenses – is awful at keeping the quarterback from getting popped. Part of that is because Hooker and Milton move, but it’s also because the O line – while fantastic for the running game – simply allows a whole lot of sacks.

Alabama will have no problems getting into a shootout.

Texas A&M posed a strange problem for the Tide with it’s somewhat controlled style – which wasn’t totally on display in the win, but it was able to grind the game out a bit. That’s really, really not Tennessee.

Alabama is perfectly equipped to get into a back-and-forth fight, with Bryce Young playing at a Heisman level, Brian Robinson rising up as one of the better backs in college football, and the offense averaging close to 550 yards over the last four games.

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What’s Going To Happen

Bama has won 14 straight going back to 2006, and the 12-10 victory in 2009 was the only close battle. At least this year’s Tennessee team seems like it has  more ammunition to bring.

Just how sharply focused is Alabama? It got everything back to normal against Mississippi State, and it was almost flawless early on against Ole Miss to put the game away with a 35-0 start.

Can Tennessee withstand the early punch? No, and it’ll cause a whole slew of problems.

The Vols will score enough to at least make the Tide keep pushing, but the interceptions and turnovers will come – Bama leads the SEC in turnover margin – just as the running game takes over full-time.

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Alabama vs Tennessee Prediction, Line

Alabama 41, Tennessee 17
Line: Alabama -25.5, o/u: 67
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 4

5: Succession
1: Dancing with the Stars: Grease Night

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Alabama opens as massive 24.5 point favorites over Tennessee

Alabama opens as a big favorite for Saturday’s game against Tennessee.

Welcome to the “Third” Saturday in October. One of college football’s greatest rivalries is set to kick off again on Saturday, as Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 4 Alabama.

The past week could not have been more different for each program.

Alabama has spent the past few days getting back on track after losing to Texas A&M. Both sides of the ball performed exceptionally better, led by quarterback Bryce Young and defensive end Will Anderson. Business is back to usual.

Tennessee, on the other hand, had a nightmare to deal with Saturday. During a close loss to Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium, golf balls, beer cans, and even a full bottle of mustard were thrown onto the field. The SEC fined the Vols $250K for their actions.

How separate the two programs are have shown on the field as well. This is not your type of rivalry where every game is close. Alabama has dominated since Nick Saban took over. The closest margin of victory in the past five years has been 22.

Tipico Sportsbook expects the same on Saturday. The Crimson Tide has opened as massive 24.5 point favorites. For those of you in the know about the first half spread, it’s only 14.5 points.

You can check out the full game odds vs. Tennessee here:

Line: Alabama -24.5

Over/Under: 66.5

Money Line: Alabama -5000 Tennessee +1300

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

You can watch Alabama face off against Tennessee at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN.

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Griffin McVeigh on Twitter @Griffin_McVeigh.

Alabama vs Tennessee Prediction, Game Preview: SEC Tournament

SEC Tournament: Alabama Crimson Tide vs Tennessee Volunteers prediction and college basketball game preview.

SEC Tournament: Alabama Crimson Tide vs Tennessee Volunteers prediction and college basketball game preview.


Alabama vs Tennessee Broadcast

Date: Saturday, March 13
Game Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Network: ESPN

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Alabama (22-6) vs Tennessee (18-7) Game Preview

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Why Tennessee Will Win

Tennessee got tough.

It beat Florida 78-66 by getting nasty on the boards and doing a great job of getting to the basket with lots and lots of good ball movement. The Vols had 21 assists and the Gators had just seven – that has to continue against the Bama D.

The Crimson Tide are great at forcing steals and mistakes, but if Tennessee can keep the turnovers to under 15, the other parts should work. In the first and only meeting – a 71-63 Tide win in early January – Tennessee only turned it over nine times, so it’s possible. If it can just shoot a little better than 32% – that was an anomaly – it can hang around.

Why Alabama Will Win

That’s what’s called a statement performance.

Alabama ripped off a 47-19 first half run against Mississippi State on the way to a 85-48 victory, forcing a ton of Bulldog mistakes, hitting 49% from the field, and keeping the pressure on with great ball movement all game long.

Tennessee might have the ability and upside to keep up if this gets into a high-scoring fight, but its way too flaky – it’s just as likely to hit just 35% from the field as it is to make half of its shots.

To harp on this, it’s going to come down to mistakes. Bama has come up with double-digit steals in each of its last four games, but …

What’s Going To Happen

Tennessee leads the SEC in fewest turnovers.

Bama took its game to a whole other level against Mississippi State, but it’s generally not that strong a shooting team and it’s more prone to turnovers than the Vols are.

Can Tennessee ramp up the intensity like it did against the Gators? It’s got the ability to match Bama on the boards and play just enough defense to pull it off. It’ll shoot better than it did back in January.

Alabama vs Tennessee Prediction, Line

Tennessee 72, Alabama 69
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Line: Alabama -3, o/u: 137.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1

Must See Rating: 4

5: Michigan State Spartans
1: MSU Spartans presented by Rocket Mortgage

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#2 Alabama vs. Tennessee: NCAA college football live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, predictions

The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will face the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC matchup from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will face the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC matchup from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Alabama is coming off a big-time win over Georgia last week 41-24 and will look to go 5-0 with a win today.  Tennessee is looking to bounce back after back to back losses against Kentucky and Georgia.

Can Tennessee put up a fight against Alabama?  Tune in and find out, here is everything you need to know to stream the game.

#2 Alabama vs. Tennessee

  • When: Saturday, October 24
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Live Stream: via CBS All Access (try it for free)

Prediction: Tennessee is on the verge of a three-game losing streak and will have a tough matchup today against Alabama. The Crimson Tide covered a 17 point spread last week and would expect them to do it again tonight.

Bet:  Take Bama -21.5

NCAA Football Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA Football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET.

Alabama (-21.5) vs. Tennessee

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