Vols: Keys To Beating Alabama

For the Tennessee Vols the keys to beating Alabama are the same as beating any other team.

Playing Alabama is special if you suit up for the Tennessee Volunteers. It is a storied rivalry. The Third Saturday In October is when the Vols and the Tide have traditionally played out this rivalry. There are books written on the subject. The Tide leads the all time series 51-38-7.

Recently it has been all Alabama. Tennessee has not beaten Alabama since 2006. Prior to this 8 game win streak for the Tide the Vols won 10 of a 11. That included one vacated 6-3 win for the Tide in 2005. There always seems to be an asterisk when it comes to Alabama’s football program.

The winning team will fire up a Victory Cigar in the locker room as a long standing tradition as well. I hope the Vols have a good humidor. Otherwise their cigars are dried up leaves. It has been a while since they have lit one up.

This is going to be another tough task for Tennessee. Alabama is possibly the best team in the Country. They are playing at a very high level at the moment. They have destroyed a good Georgia team and a good Texas A&M as of late. I mean destroyed as in the game was over in the first quarter. It was never a contest.

The Vols have played well, but don’t have a lot to show for it. They have lost 3 games this season. They were better than Florida, and they were better than Oklahoma. They lost to Arkansas who just lined up and ran over the Vols. Alabama is built similarly to Arkansas.

So how does Tennessee win? Do they even have a punchers’ chance?

Yes, they do have a chance. Tennessee is a dangerous team in its own right. They Vols have loads of talent. It is young talent, but it is still talent. Offensively the Vols score a bunch of points. The trio of Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara is lethal. They have been able to run on any defense they have faced, including Florida. Thy gashed the Gators.

The defense is suspect. The defensive line is the Vols strength on this side of the ball. The linebackers with exception of Jalen Reeves-Maybin are not playing at a top SEC level yet. The secondary with the exception of Cameron Sutton has been not very good to say the least. But the Vols defense did play better as a unit against Georgia. Somewhat better anyway.

So what can the Vols do to get out of Tuscaloosa with a W?. Here are the keys to game. They are not new “keys”. There is nothing here earth shattering that Butch Jones or any of you are going to read and think “wow, this guy is a football genius”. It is just the truth. The Vols are up against it tomorrow, but this is why they play the game.