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Alabama Football vs. Tennessee: Score Prediction, Scouting Report

Alabama Football vs. Tennessee: Score Prediction, Scouting Report

Saturday could be Kalen DeBoer’s first experience with the Alabama football-Tennessee rivalry.

But in the days leading up to kickoff between the Crimson Tide and Volunteers, he’s doing everything he can to prepare “so people can celebrate and enjoy the rivalry on our side.”

“A lot of respect for Tennessee, its coaches, its players,” DeBoer said. “But we just invest in the things we can control, what we can focus on, and we want to bring that joy not only to the hard work that we do personally and within this team, but also for our fan base to have fun too can have something to do with it.”

Alabama takes on Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 2:30 pm CT on ABC.

Here’s our scouting report on the Volunteers and how they compare to the Crimson Tide, along with an Alabama-Tennessee outcome prediction.

Tennessee football players to know

  • RB Dylan Sampson: No defense could really stop Dylan Sampson. The Tennessee running back has recorded more than 100 yards rushing and multiple rushing scores in five of six games in 2024. He is the centerpiece of the Volunteers offense, yielding more than 20 touchdowns regardless of his yards per carry. Sampson could be the Crimson Tide’s worst nightmare as he faces an Alabama defense that has struggled to defend long, drawn-out offenses.
  • EN James Pearce Jr.: Tennessee’s defensive end appears to be ramping up production in conference play. The SEC’s 2023 sack leader has two sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss in three conference games, along with 18 tackles, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Alabama couldn’t stop Kyle Kennard against South Carolina. To be successful on Saturday, Pearce must be stopped.
  • QB Nico Iamaleava: The SEC game was difficult for Nico Iamaleava. The redshirt freshman quarterback has been sacked 10 times in three games, has completed 60.5% of his pass attempts for an average passing distance of nearly 174 yards and has thrown just one touchdown. Iamaleava has the best running game in the SEC. But the former five-star quarterback will have his time to assert himself against a takeout-friendly Alabama defense.

Alabama football vs. Tennessee story

Alabama has dominated its recent history against Tennessee. The Crimson Tide have won 16 of their last 17 meetings with the Volunteers, including a 34-20 victory in Tuscaloosa in 2023. From 1995 to 2006, Tennessee won 10 of 12 against Alabama, including the Volunteers’ most recent win at Bryant-Denny Stadium : 35:24 victory on October 21, 2001.

Alabama leads the overall series against Tennessee 59-39-7.

How Alabama-Tennessee does on offense

Third down conversion percentage

  • Alabama: 46.4% (29th place nationally)
  • Tennessee: 44.7% (No. 41)

Passing offense

  • Alabama: 263.2 yards passing per game (No. 36)
  • Tennessee: 238.3 yards passing per game (No. 61)

Red zone offense

  • Alabama: 83.3% (No. 80 – undecided)
  • Tennessee: 90% (No. 39 – undecided)

Rushing offense

  • Alabama: 179.2 yards rushing per game (No. 51)
  • Tennessee: 246.2 yards rushing per game (No. 7)

Bags allowed

  • Alabama: 2 sacks per game (No. 72 – tied)
  • Tennessee: 2.17 sacks per game (No. 81 – tied)

score offense

  • Alabama: 41.7 points per game (No. 10)
  • Tennessee: 42.2 points per game (No. 9)

Total insult

  • Alabama: 442.3 yards per game (No. 35)
  • Tennessee: 484.5 yards per game (No. 9)

How Alabama-Tennessee performs on defense

Third defense

  • Alabama: 31.2% (No. 23 – undecided)
  • Tennessee: 24.1% (No. 2)

Overtaking yards allowed

  • Alabama: 213.3 yards passing per game (No. 63 – tied)
  • Tennessee: 170.2 yards passing per game (No. 19)

Red zone defense

  • Alabama: 83.3% (No. 64 – undecided)
  • Tennessee: 63.2% (No. 6)

Rushing defense

  • Alabama: 129.2 yards rushing per game (No. 55 – tie)
  • Tennessee: 79.7 yards rushing per game (No. 5)

Sacks

  • Alabama: 2.33 sacks per game (No. 36 – tied)
  • Tennessee: 2 sacks per game (No. 61 – tied)

Goal defense

  • Alabama: 20.83 points per game (No. 42 – tie)
  • Tennessee: 10.67 points per game (No. 4)

Total defense

  • Alabama: 342.5 yards per game (No. 55)
  • Tennessee: 249.8 yards per game (No. 2)

Alabama vs Tennessee spread

Note: Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, October 16th

  • Spread: Alabama -3
  • O/U: 56.5 points

Alabama vs. Tennessee score prediction

No. 10 Tennessee 35, No. 7 Alabama 28: The combination of the loud atmosphere at Neyland Stadium, Dylan Sampson and Tennessee’s running game, and the Volunteers’ defense that has become one of the best in the SEC will be too much for the Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon. While Vanderbilt left Alabama in shock, Tennessee will provide a first true “welcome to the SEC” moment for Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.