To recap last week, we witnessed a thriller. The Alabama-Georgia game rarely disappoints. Unfortunately, the officiating crew completely took over the game, but that’s a topic for another day. Officiating in all levels of football has reached an all-time low. My predicted score of Alabama winning 34-24 was completely thrown off course when the weather was worse than anticipated. Field conditions were worse than I expected, and the wind gusts were stronger, too. Georgia won 20-17 in a game whose memory will unfortunately be tainted.
The Tide move on to week seven, traveling to Knoxville to take on the #14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The Third Saturday in October is here, folks. Let’s break it down.
Location: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN
Spread: Alabama (-7.5)
Over/Under: 50.5
Kane Wommack vs. Josh Heupel
Once again, we find ourselves talking about Kane Wommack facing the wide-choice offense, specifically Josh Heupel’s. Wommack has faced Heupel twice since becoming Alabama’s DC. In two games against Heupel, Kane Wommack’s defense has allowed 22 PPG, 6.65 YPA, and 4.65 YPC. In those two games, the defense has forced 4 takeaways, 7 sacks, and 12 TFLs.
I can also point to a recent matchup against Mississippi State, where Alabama’s defense destroyed Kamario Taylor and the rest of the Bulldogs. You’ll see a common theme in Wommack’s plan against these wide-choice offenses. He’ll take away deep passes, allow yardage in the run game, and force these offenses to operate in shorter fields. If the takeaways start to occur, then that’s a plus. But the goal is to force these explosive-reliant offenses to play in a short field where explosives are almost nonexistent.
Josh Heupel will likely run Desean Bishop until he needs an oxygen mask. His QB in this game, George MacIntyre, will be making just his second start. MacIntyre faced Arkansas last week, throwing for 247 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs.
Tennessee Run Game vs. Alabama DL
Tennessee’s goal is to spread the defense out so wide that it forces Alabama to play with a 5-man or 6-man box. Mississippi State tried this a couple of weeks ago and ran for 0.6 YPC. So why is this matchup worth watching this week? Well, Alabama will be without its starting NT, Terrance Green.
Green has played like the SEC’s best nose tackle up until his injury against Georgia. Before Green’s halftime injury, Georgia averaged just 3.3 YPC. After Green’s injury, Georgia’s YPC jumped to 6+. At 6’5 and 315 lbs, Green is Alabama’s best run stopper. He eats double teams, allowing Alabama to play in favorable counts even when outnumbered. His absence will be a huge factor in this game. For context, Alabama’s backup NT is out for the season, so Alabama will play this game without a NT.
Tennessee runs the football 42.8 times per game, good for #10 in the country. Alabama’s depth at the IDL positions will be tested throughout the game. Tennessee’s main goal should be to keep this game close. If Tennessee finds itself behind by 10 points in the second half, the run game will become obsolete. At that point, George MacIntyre will not lead a comeback against Alabama.
Tennessee DL vs. Alabama OL
This is the big matchup of the game if you’re Tennessee. The Vols’ DL has been dominant to start the season. The star of the show has been DT Xavier Gilliam, who already has 5 sacks and 10 TFLs. Gilliam has been college football’s ultimate game wrecker and is making his case for a first-round pick in 2027. As a defense, Tennessee already has 25 sacks, and the Vols rank #8 in sack percentage.
If Tennessee’s DL wasn’t already playing well enough, Alabama will be without its starting center, Racin Delgatty, for now. Delgatty has been a gem from Alabama’s portal class. From Cal Poly, Delgatty has been the Tide’s top communicator up front, and his athleticism has helped run Alabama’s complex scheme. If you don’t want to be without an offensive lineman when you go on the road to Neyland Stadium, it’s your center. His communication up front is paramount. Alabama will likely play Mal Waldrep Jr. in place of Delgatty. While Waldrep has guard experience this year, his lack of athleticism and center experience compared to Delgatty will be noticeable.
Tennessee’s DC, Jim Knowles, will be aggressive in this game. His secondary ranks #15 in YPA, but the Vols have faced a string of poor passing offenses. Knowles will not want to leave his secondary in coverage for long, and I expect him to bring pressure throughout the game. Once again, the expected absence of Racin Delgatty will play a factor here. He’s the main protection caller for Alabama, so Mal Waldrep and Keelon Russell will need to adjust quickly.
Ryan Coleman-Williams
I know this is probably starting to feel like the Alabama injury report, but these injuries will play a major role. Coleman-Williams will miss this game with a head injury he suffered after a helmet-to-helmet collision with KJ Bolden last week.
Coleman-Williams leads Alabama in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He’s also Alabama’s biggest deep threat.
Alabama will need its remaining wide receivers to step up. Lotzeir Brooks will be the expected go-to target. I would expect Noah Rogers, who led the WR3 competition in the spring, to make his official comeback on Saturday. Alabama has no shortage of weapons, but Coleman-Williams has been one of college football’s best wide receivers so far. His absence is a relief to Tennessee DC Jim Knowles.
Prediction
Alabama: 31
Tennessee: 17
Alabama is currently 5-1 against its expected point total and 4-2 against the spread, consistently beating expectations. Even with Coleman-Williams out and possibly Delgatty out, I expect Alabama to score 30+ points in this game. Alabama proved in the Georgia game that it can run the football against any defense. If that’s the case, it means the offense can perform well on the road, unlike last season.
There are two factors in this game that I cannot overlook. The first is Kane Wommack’s resume against the wide-choice offense. He seems to understand this offensive scheme well, leading to plenty of havoc plays and turnovers. Second, George MacIntyre’s lack of playing time. Despite Kamario Taylor performing so well, it was easy to predict Taylor’s struggles in the Alabama game due to Mississippi State’s scheme and Taylor’s lack of experience. I expect MacIntyre to struggle as well.
