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Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban shares challenges of facing Tennessee’s wide splits

Andrew Peters

By Andrew Peters

Published:

Tennessee has made a name for itself through its high powered offense.

The Vols favor wide splits that give them the option to go deep or keep it on the ground with the defense spread out.

On Monday ahead of Alabama’s matchup with the Vols, Nick Saban discussed the challenges that come with defending Tennessee’s wide splits.

“They certainly make you defend 53 yards wide, and there’s 2 challenges,” Saban said during his press conference. “It affects run support in the box because the guys that are covering the receivers are so far away from the box, and also they run a lot of vertical routes from out there. So the people that are covering them get pretty isolated because they’re far away from whether it’s split safety or middle of the field safety. It is very challenging and the thing that I think that is going to be really important is not to give up big, explosive plays, which was a real issue for us a year ago.”

Tennessee beat Alabama through the air last season with a big performance from Hendon Hooker and receiver Jaylin Hyatt, but this season the Vols have found their offensive identity through the run. If the Vols are able to connect through the air, it could lead to some major challenges for Alabama’s defense.

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