KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Saturday will bring the latest edition of the Third Saturday in October. No. 14 Tennessee will host No. 6 Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium. The game will be nationally broadcast on ABC. Sean McDonough will have the play-by-play, and Greg McElroy will take the analyst duties. Katie George will report from the sideline.
As announced in August, both teams will wear their home jerseys as part of a two-year agreement between the schools’ administrations and coaching staffs, reviving an old tradition in the rivalry. It will be the first time since Oct. 17, 1970, at Neyland Stadium, during Bill Battle’s first season, that the teams have worn orange and crimson jerseys, respectively.
Both teams enter with 5-1 records, and on Thursday night, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel previewed the game on “The Mike Keith Show.”
How do you go about getting off to better starts on offense?
“It’s guys doing their jobs at an ordinary level. Nothing extraordinary, just settling in. It’s alignment, assignment, understanding of what you’re seeing on the other side of the football. It’s the details of the game.”
Can the coaching staff help with play calling or scheme early in games?
“Yeah, certainly you try to put them in positive situations if you’re anticipating maybe seeing some different structures. Our guys understanding what’s coming up early in the football game can relieve some of the stress early in the football game. There’s a routine that we go through with our guys to try to get them ready for it. We’ve started fast at times this year, and the last couple weeks we haven’t. We need to settle into this one early.”
Are you pleased with the play of tackles Jesse Perry and David Sanders Jr.?
“Yeah, pleased with a lot of things. There’s some things that we want to get corrected as well. Just talking holistically, where we can continue to get better up front. But it’s all 11 doing their job. Quarterback being at the right depth in the pocket. It’s delivering the football on time. It’s tight ends, backs in the run game too. But certainly pleased with those two.”
Have the tight ends settled into a groove since losing Ethan Davis?
“Yeah, we feel really good about the tight ends that we have. We’ve used them in 12 personnel and 11 personnel, out in space, in the core. Luca Wolf, as a young tight end, has continued to play more and more snaps last week. I’ve got great trust in all those guys.”
Where has Luca Wolf grown the most?
“Well, I think just the fundamentals and technique. As a young player, coming over from the NFL Academy over in Europe, he caught on to the scheme and had a pretty good understanding from some of the other guys that we’ve recruited from the academy as far as base football knowledge, but has really continued to grow in his fundamentals and technique.”
Is Alabama’s offensive line the biggest challenge yet for Tennessee’s defensive line?
“Yeah, I think as a complete unit, those guys are playing extremely well. They’re running the football much more efficiently this year than they did a year ago. They’ve been good in their pass protections, too. We know the structure of who they are offensively. They’re going to want to use some heavy play-action pass and try to push the ball vertically down the field. We’ve got to win early downs against the run. That’s the front, but that’s also the guys behind them. Great gap integrity. We’ve got to tackle extremely well. And when we get them in third down, we’ve got to get off the field.”
What do you see from Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell?
“Yeah, he’s playing really efficiently. He’s got the ability to be used in the quarterback run game, and they drop back and use him as a passer. He’s been really decisive, but when it breaks down, he’s got the ability to extend and make plays, and he extends those plays as a passer first. So you’ve got to match up on the wide receivers and the skill guys down the football field, but then you’ve got to be ready to rally to them and get them on the ground.”
With backs, receivers and tight ends who can all catch, do you have to cover the whole field against Alabama’s passing game?
“Yeah, you’ve got to cover all five of the skill guys that are eligible to go catch a pass. That’s a part of their quarterback working through his progressions, being able to attack the middle of the field, outside the numbers as well. And the back’s certainly a part of that.”
Have you seen this team’s blue-collar approach grow in practice, including this week?
“Yeah, this group has competed extremely hard on the practice field. That’s dating all the way back to spring ball. They’ve continued to get better in their practice habits. Important for us that we win the preparation here in the last 48 hours up until kickoff and get ready to play smart, physical football and go take it in the fourth quarter.”
Is preparing for adversity a coaching point in a heavyweight game like this?
“It certainly is. I compared it to a boxing ring earlier this week. You’re in a heavyweight prize fight, old school, and you’ve got to throw some blows. You’re going to take some blows. And then you’ve got to throw the punch that makes a difference in the fourth quarter. This team’s been resilient. It continues to compete. There’s going to be adversity during the football game. You’ve got to be ready to go play for 60 minutes.”
Will the Neyland Stadium crowd be ready?
“Let’s make sure that they’re ready. I have no questions. They’ll be ready for this one.”
