Tennessee dealing with several injuries as Alabama looms
Josh Heupel is getting his first taste of the Tennessee football vs. Alabama rivalry.
The Vols (4-3, 2-2 SEC) play at No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here is what you need to know:
Eye on the injuries
Tennessee is headed into its eighth straight game before hitting its open week. The Vols’ health reflects that.
Notably, four of UT’S best offensive players are battling injuries: quarterback Hendon Hooker, running back Tiyon Evans, and offensive linemen Cade and Cooper Mays.
“He’s still day-to-day at this point,” Heupel said regarding Hooker’s status on the SEC teleconference Wednesday. “Getting some work on the field (in practice). As we get to the end of the week, we’ll know if he’ll be available for this one.”
Hooker departed in the final minute against Ole Miss. Cade Mays was injured on the opening drive, while Cooper Mays did not play. Evans did not play against the Rebels due to an injury suffered the week before against South Carolina.
Tennessee pushing teams back
Tennessee is on pace to do something only one team in program history has done. UT is trending toward amassing more than 100 tackles for loss.
The Vols lead the SEC with 62 tackles for loss through seven games, a pace that would give them 106 in 12 games and 115 in 13 games.
The program record for single-season tackles for loss is 100, set in 2016.
Jeremy Banks leads the way for Tennessee in getting in the backfield. The linebacker has 9.0 tackles for loss. Safety Theo Jackson has 6 1⁄2, while defensive linemen Tyler Baron and Matthew Butler have 5.0 each.
Can the Vols snap their scoring slump against Alabama?
Tennessee has scored more than 20 points in regulation against Alabama twice this century.
This Vols team appears capable of being the third. UT has scored at least 26 points in all but one game this season and has topped the 30-point mark in five of seven games.
UT is averaging 39.3 points per game. Only Alabama (45) and Ole Miss (43.7) have higher-scoring offenses among SEC teams.
UT scored 35 against Alabama in a 2001 win and 21 in an 2018 loss. UT needed a defensive touchdown to get to 21 points in 2018.
Bryce Young is good — really good
Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young is dominating in his first season starting for the Crimson Tide.
Young leads the SEC with 24 passing touchdowns. He has thrown three interceptions and is completing 69.6% of his passes. He has thrown for 2,082 yards, one of seven quarterbacks in the nation to top the 2,000-yard mark.
Seems like such a long time ago
Several players in Tennessee’s freshman class were born in 2003, which is the last time UT won at Alabama. The Vols haven’t won at Bryantdenny Stadium since Oct. 23, 2003, when they won 51-43 in five overtimes. Alabama has won 14 straight in the series dating back to UT’S 16-13 win on Oct. 21, 2006.
The Crimson Tide holds a 58-38-7 edge over UT.
Prediction
Alabama 35, Tennessee 24: Young is the best passing quarterback Tennessee has faced this season. The Vols will be more competitive than in recent seasons against Alabama, but the talent gap is too large.