Jalen Milroe and Alabama made it fairly apparent that they aren’t too scared of Tennessee’s vastly improved defense entering the Third Saturday in October.

Last season’s bout gave us one of the best games of the college football season. And honestly, one of the better football games in recent memory. It was back and forth, had an elite atmosphere, 2 elite teams, 2 elite quarterbacks and all the dramatics you could ask for.

This year’s battle should be interesting for different reasons. Tennessee’s defense is playing incredible football right now, and Alabama has rebounded in a major way since losing to Texas early in the season.

James Pearce, Tyler Baron and the rest of Tennessee’s defensive line are the catalyst for Tim Banks’ squad. They made life difficult for Max Johnson in Week 7 and forced a couple errant throws. But how will it fare against a more mobile option in Jalen Milroe?

Milreo himself was made aware of Tennessee’s knack for getting to the quarterback on Monday. Here’s what he had to say:

Let’s see what Pearce and Co. have to say about that in Tuscaloosa this Saturday. We should be in for a fun one, folks.

The Tide and Vols kick off at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.