Josh Heupel breaks down how Tennessee can slow Alabama’s passing attack
By Mark Kern
Published:
Josh Heupel and Tennessee will be looking for the first Volunteers win at Alabama since a 51-43 quadruple overtime win in Tuscaloosa in 2003.
The Crimson Tide have bounced back from the Week 1 loss to Florida State to win their last 5 games. A big reason why is because of the play of quarterback Ty Simpson and the Alabama passing attack. Simpson has thrown for 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 1 interception.
If the Volunteers are going to win in Tuscaloosa, they will have to get pressure on Simpson and not let him get comfortable. During an appearance on the Mike Keith Show on Thursday, Heupel talked about what Tennessee needs to do to get the win.
“I think you gotta do a great job up front,” Josh Heupel said. “You gotta be able to apply pressure, you gotta get hands in his face, you gotta be able to make the windows tough. And then out on the perimeter, you gotta play with discipline. You gotta go win when you’re in man-to-man, when you’re in your zone principles, you gotta recognize the structure, the route patterns, who’s 2, who’s 3, and mash things out.”
One area where the Volunteers’ defense has been very good is getting pressure on the quarterback. Tennessee currently has 26 sacks in the country, which trails only Western Michigan. Being able to get pressure with the defensive line allows an extra defensive back to help in the secondary.
The Volunteers have played only one ranked team, and they lost a 44-41 overtime thriller to Georgia earlier in the season. A win in this game would go a long way in keeping the Volunteers in contention to win the SEC, as well as making it back to the College Football Playoff.
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
