| Each week during the season, Joel Buchsbaum spotlights key college games.
This week, he previews Alabama vs. Tennessee. He breaks down each team, provides a
scout’s perspective on top players and picks a final score.
| Alabama vs.
Tennessee |
Saturday, Oct. 21
at Knoxville, Tenn. |
 |
Alabama’s
Freddie Milons
|
This was supposed to be the year Alabama competed for the national championship and
Tennessee went through a semi-rebuilding year. The part about the Volunteers has held true
to form, but for the Crimson Tide, this season was ruined by a terrible September. Instead
of rolling, the Tide got swept away by Southern Mississippi, UCLA and Arkansas. However,
Alabama played its best game of the year last week, beating Mississippi despite losing
starting QB Tyler Watts to a season-ending knee injury.
With 18 starters back from a team that won the Southeastern Conference and beat Florida
twice last year, Alabama was supposed to roll to its second straight SEC crown at the very
least. However, people underestimated just how much the Tide would miss OLT Chris Samuels
and RB Shaun Alexander and how overrated some of the talent was.
On the other hand, no team lost more key players to the NFL than Tennessee. By keeping
scouts away from his players and trying to prevent scouts from even looking at his
juniors, Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer defeated his whole purpose. Instead of
getting the real scoop from the scouts, too many of Fulmer’s players believed what
agents and certain draft followers told them. Thus, Fulmer had eight players who were
convinced they were first-round picks. At least three of those players could have returned
to school and probably could have been first-round picks this year. Now, Fulmer has 13 new
starters and a very uncertain QB situation.
Quarterbacks — In a surprise move, Fulmer announced Monday he
will bench redshirt freshman A.J. Suggs in favor of freshman Casey Clausen. Suggs played
very well vs. LSU but struggled vs. Georgia. Clausen seems to have recovered from a sore
arm and is the better passer of the two. Losing Watts for the season may be a blessing in
disguise for Alabama. Now, the Tide has one starting quarterback in Andrew Zow instead of
rotating two. Zow is the stronger passer of the two and will no longer be looking over his
shoulder every time he has an ill-advised pass picked off. Edge: Tennessee
Running backs — Alabama kept talking about all the great backs it
had behind Alexander. But to date, nobody has really stepped up, although sophomore Ahmaad
Galloway has had his moments. Tennessee’s Travis Henry may not have as much pro
potential as Jamal Lewis had, but he is an even better college player. He runs very hard
and is a strong, low-to-the-ground runner who gets an awful lot of yardage after contact.
He has tremendous balance, strength and desire and can be his own blocker. Edge:
Tennessee
Receivers — Alabama’s Freddie Milons was supposed to be this
year’s Peter Warrick and still is one of the best do-everything players in the
country. However, he may have read too many of his own press clippings and at one point
developed alligator arms when catching over the middle. Now he has been slowed by injuries
and may have to sit this one out. Tennessee always has a lot of good receivers, but
starters Cedrick Wilson and David Martin lack great speed. Wilson is a really good college
player who is quick, small and savvy. Martin probably should bulk up and become an
H-back-type tight end on the next level. He is a great big target who stepped up in the
LSU game and showed he could be a solid possession receiver. Eric Parker and Donté
Stallworth have big-play speed and seem to be coming on nicely. Edge: Tennessee
Offensive linemen — Tennessee entered this year with only one
returning starter in Fred Weary, and he suffered a season-ending injury. Since Weary went
out, the Volunteers have had a lot of problems up front vs. LSU and Georgia. At times,
they’ve started true freshman Michael Munoz. While he’s not the same kind of
athlete as his father, Anthony, Munoz is huge and a lot bigger, more athletic, mature and
dedicated than most top recruits and is a sure-fire player with a future. Losing Samuels
just killed Alabama. He was the best left tackle and pass blocker in college football last
year. To replace him, the Tide first moved last year’s freshman sensation, Dante
Ellington, to left tackle, but he could not handle the heat. Then the Tide moved Ellington
back to the right side and was starting backup TE Shawn Draper at left tackle until
starting TE Terry Jones suffered a season-ending injury, forcing Draper to return to tight
end. C Paul Hogan is viewed as an All-America candidate, but bigger nose tackles will give
him problems. Edge: Tennessee
Defensive linemen — Alabama was supposed to have the best
defensive line in the country, but a season-ending injury to DE Kindal Moorehead and not
having DE Kenny King and DT Kenny Smith in peak health all year has hurt. Tennessee has a
really good pass rusher in Will Overstreet. John Henderson has the tools to develop into
an All-America tackle if he stays in school one more year and works his fanny off. Albert
Haynesworth is another tremendous talent as a 300-pound sophomore, but he needs to learn
to push himself harder. Edge: Even
Linebackers — Alabama’s Saleem Rasheed is an
All-America-type athlete with tremendous speed, range and ability, but he needs to improve
at the point of attack. Tennessee has three senior linebackers who can run like halfbacks
in Eric Westmoreland, Anthony Sessions and Dominique Stevenson. Westmoreland and Stevenson
are former tailbacks, and Sessions is a former defensive back. However, while all of them
are very active, they are undersized and have trouble taking on blocks. Thus, they do a
lot of running around blocks, which at times will create big running lanes for the
opposition. Edge: Even
Defensive backs — Tennessee rebuilt its secondary around Andre
Lott, who moved from cornerback to safety to stabilize things. Lott is an excellent
athlete, but he was more at home at cornerback and may have been the Vols’ best pass
defender last year on a team with two second-round picks in the secondary. However, this
year he has been hampered by a hamstring injury, and when he was struggling to stay on the
field vs. LSU, the Vols’ secondary fell apart. Alabama went into this year with all
four starters returning, although S Tony Dixon lost his job at the beginning of the season
before regaining it. The Tide had too many breakdowns and gave up too many big plays early
in the season. Edge: Even
Special teams — The Vols may have the second-best punter (Nick
Harris from California is the best) in the country in David Leaverton, who after an
up-and-down career seems to have settled down nicely. They also have big-play return men.
Alabama’s Milons can be as good a return man as anyone in the country when he is on
his game. Edge: Tennessee
Game notes — Alabama has gone to a more run-oriented offense.
Crimson Tide head coach Mike DuBose reportedly told his athletic director, Mal Moore, he
would quit if Moore wanted him to after Alabama’s 1-3 start. Both teams are known for
their great ability to recruit players and are annually rated in the top 10 in the
recruiting rankings. Alabama kept putting its defense in holes with turnovers early in the
year, but the defense also let UCLA run over it and hit on big pass plays. Tennessee lost
to Florida but clearly outplayed the Gators in a game in which it was hurt by a very
questionable call at the end. The Vols also lost to LSU in overtime in the Tigers’
den.
Prediction: Alabama 24, Tennessee 20
Also see: PFW's College Top 10 |
