The Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide face off for the 109th time this Saturday and it is once again a massive matchup. Both teams enter the contest ranked for the fifth season straight, with the Vols entering ranked 14th and Alabama 6th. This game is poised to have big implications on the SEC and the College Football Playoffs.
Tennessee will enter the game as the underdogs in Neyland and will need to fix some of their offensive issues to feel comfortable in the game. The Crimson Tide will rely on their star quarterback, Kellon Russell, to carry them to a win, especially without wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams in this game.
The contest is shaping up to help define each team's season and could ultimately be the make-or-break game for their Playoff chances. For Tennessee to win this game, they have to avoid one key mistake.
George MacIntyre has to Take Care of the Football.
Coming into his second career start, there is a lot to be excited about with sophomore George MacIntyre. Against Arkansas, he showed great poise under pressure and looked confident facing the blitz. There are many other things he did well, but one thing he can not replicate is his three turnovers.
Now I will preface this and say, I believe two of his three turnovers were really not his fault. One he got crushed while throwing the ball, and another DeSean Bishop’s elbow hit the ball out of MacIntyre’s hands. These are unfortunate and not “mistakes.”
For the Vols to feel comfortable with their chances in this game, the turnovers need to be limited to one at most. Any team can overcome one turnover, but when they start to compound, it gets very difficult. Now that one turnover can not be a pick-6 or set up the Alabama offense in the red zone. Obviously, it would be ideal for the Vols to have no turnovers, but once again they can survive one, but only one.
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