Rocky Top Roundtable: Alabama
Tennessee hosts Alabama this weekend with both teams looking to avoid a second loss as the second half of the season begins. For the entire staff, it starts with running the ball effectively against the Tide.
“They have to run the ball early in the first half is what they have to get done,” Brent Hubbs said. “Sampson’s numbers in the second half are really good but his numbers in the first half aren’t really good. As a result, Tennessee’s ground game is middle of the pack in the SEC, which seems unlikely and unthinkable from early in the year.”
The offense was lethargic against Florida and Arkansas. It has to be better which means playing complimentary football.
“Tennessee was just a yard or two yards away last week,” Austin Price said. “It’s a game of narrow misses and Tennessee can ill afford to have narrow misses against an Alabama team that doesn’t normally miss those type of deep shots.”
Watch the Rocky Top Roundtable below
Tennessee vs Alabama: How To Watch
Kickoff Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time
TV: ABC
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
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The Third Saturday in October
Alabama leads the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry 59-39-7. Tennessee won the last game in Knoxville, the 52-49 thriller in 2022 that ended with Chase McGrath’s walk-off 40-yard field goal as time expired. Hendon Hooker threw five touchdown passes to Jalin Hyatt in the win, with Hyatt finishing with six catches for 207 yards.
Tennessee built a 20-7 lead at halftime in Tuscaloosa last season, before the Crimson Tide answered with 27 straight points in the second half to win 34-20. Squirrel White caught a 39-yard touchdown pass, Charles Campbell kicked to field goals and McCallan Castlescaught a 6-yard touchdown pass to build the first-half lead.
Alabama scored 41 seconds into the second half and had three touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the third quarter to regain control and take the lead.
Tennessee’s win in 2022 snapped a streak of 15 straight Alabama wins in the series. The Vols won seven in a row between 1995 and 2001 and 10 of 12 between 1995 and 2006.
