ESPN: Tennessee 'has reached an inflection point' heading into Alabama game
Tennessee Football is at an inflection point entering Saturday afternoon’s game against Alabama, according to ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenburg. The Vols have gone from a high-flying offense through the first month of the season to struggling to score over the last two weeks.
“Tennessee feels like it has reached an inflection point,” Rittenburg wrote. “The Vols have looked like two different offenses, scoring 191 points in their first three games and 62 points in their three SEC contests.”
No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) hosts No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) in a 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff (TV: ABC) at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Vols to be tested by Alabama’s big-play offense
The Vols, according to Rittenburg, are the SEC team that college football fans will learn the most about this week, going up against a tough test in the Crimson Tide.
“Tennessee’s defense has been consistently strong, ranking second nationally in yards allowed (249.8 ypg), yards per play allowed (4.04) and third-down conversions allowed (24.1%), and fourth in points allowed (10.7 ppg),” Rittenburg wrote.
“But the Vols haven’t seen an offense like Alabama’s, which is tied for 15th nationally in plays of 20 yards or longer (37).”
Tennessee has been shut out in the first half in its last two games, the 19-14 loss at Arkansas and the 23-17 overtime win over Florida last week.
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Tennessee led 14-3 in loss at Arkansas, trailed 10-0 against Florida last week
The Vols rallied to take a 14-3 lead in the third quarter at Arkansas, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives to start the second half. The momentum didn’t keep going though, with the Razorbacks rallying to score the game-winning touchdown with 1:11 left.
Tennessee got down 10-0 against Florida before scoring 17 straight points. The Gators forced overtime with a 26-yard touchdown pass on third-and-18 with 27 seconds left. The Vols forced Florida into a 47-yard field goal that missed wide right on the opening possession of overtime, then Dylan Sampson ended the game on a 1-yard touchdown run five plays later.
Tennessee’s stingy defense had an interception in the second half and a forced fumble and fumble recovery on its own 1-yard line in the first half. The Vols won with 312 yards of total offense, the fewest in a win during the Josh Heupel era.
Against Alabama, Tennessee will have to keep relying on that defense.
“Tennessee just lost standout linebacker Keenan Pili for the season,” Rittenburg wrote, “and will need strong performances from a secondary that features several sophomores and freshmen at cornerback, including Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III.”
