Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt will be looking to do something Saturday that none of Nick Saban’s former Alabama assistants have been able to do: defeat him. The Crimson Tide head coach is 22-0 against his former assistants, which includes a pair of wins over Pruitt, who was their defensive coordinator from 2016-17 and previously an assistant from 2007-12.

The Vols are coming off a 34-7 home loss to Kentucky, so they’ll need to play much better if they’re going to pull off the upset against No. 2 Alabama at home on Saturday. The Crimson Tide have won their past 13 meetings with the Vols, as Tennessee hasn’t earned a win in the series since 2006.

Here’s what Pruitt had to say about Alabama during his Monday press conference:

  • On matchup: “We’ve got to get ready for a really good Alabama team this week. You look at them offensively, one of the most explosive teams in college football. Probably the most explosive team in college football.”
  • On offense: “Really, really good up front. One of the better offensive lines that I’ve seen in college football probably in my career. They obviously have dynamic playmakers on the outside. Two really good runners. Play multiple tight ends, four or five different tight ends. And Mac Jones has been as efficient as any quarterback I’ve seen in this conference. Playing really well there.”
  • On quarterback Mac Jones: “Mac was the scout team quarterback when I was the defensive coordinator there. You look at him and how much he has improved in four years. It is really interesting. When he was the scout team quarterback compared to four years later, just shows you over time when you are in the same system, you can continue to develop. He has really done a nice job doing that. He came in last year and played well. He is playing at a really high level right now, with a lot of confidence.”
  • On defense: “They have lots of talent up front. They have talent in the back end. Got really good linebackers. They’ve given up some plays a little bit this year, but I think some of it is circumstance. If you watch them offensively, they’re scoring so fast they have to play a lot of snaps on defense. Which is a little bit different.”

Tennessee and Alabama are set to kick off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.