Alabama quarterback Bryce Young to start Third Saturday in October game vs Tennessee

Alabama star quarterback Bryce Young will be starting against Tennessee, a big break for the Crimson Tide ahead of what is arguably the biggest game of the college football season to date. The reigning Heisman winner injured his shoulder against Arkansas two weeks ago and will make his first appearance since.

After missing the remainder of the Arkansas game after his injury, Young dressed and was announced as the starter last weekend against Texas A&M but did not play. He was seen in warmups not throwing the ball while other quarterbacks warmed up.

It would seem that by missing the game on the second Saturday of October, Young is set to come back in a massive Third Saturday in October matchup, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He joined College GameDay Saturday morning and reported that Young is expected to start vs. Tennessee. Here was what he said:

“Rece, Bryce Young is expected to start today against Tennessee. He’s going to go through warmups. Barring anything unexpected, Bryce Young will take the field and lead the Tide against the Vols today.”

Bryce Young is officially active for Alabama today. Huge news for the Crimson Tide. On3’s Clint Lamb was ahead of the news on Friday, reporting on BamaInsider that Young was trending heavily to return.

Speaking on his weekly radio show, “Hey Coach and the Nick Saban Show” on Thursday ahead of the massive matchup at Neyland Stadium, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said a decision on Young’s status would be based on his ability to throw the ball effectively.

“Bryce has practiced some this week, and I think it comes down to does he feel and do we feel that he can throw the ball effectively enough?” Saban said. “He’s not going to hurt himself by doing it. I just don’t know how much it will hurt him if he does it. He’s done it on a limited basis. That’s the question, and nobody’s going to know that until Saturday comes, aight? He won’t know it, I won’t know it, nobody will know it. I know he wants to play and I know he thinks he can play, and we’ll see. We’ll see.”

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Young returning comes at an opportune time for the Crimson Tide. No. 3 Alabama managed to survive Texas A&M last week without Young after finishing off the Arkansas win — the game in which he got hurt — without him. But the offensive splits with Young at quarterback versus backup Jalen Milroe are stark.

In the four games Young played in full, Alabama averaged 282.5 passing yards, 48.25 points per game, 25.75 first downs a contest and turned it over just 1.25 times a game. The averages in the past two weeks with Young getting hurt and then Milroe starting against the Aggies: 174.5 passing yards, 36.5 points per game, 20.5 first downs and 2.5 turnovers a game.

The turnovers were the real killer for Milroe against the Aggies, and he showed off his electric athleticism both against the Razorbacks and Texas A&M. But it’s evident to anybody who has watched that Young is the straw that stirs the drink for Alabama on offense.

Against the No. 6 Volunteers, with one of the most potent offenses in college football — Tennessee leads the country in total offense with 547.8 yards per game — Alabama will need the full offensive arsenal at its disposal.

And now, with Young starting, they should.