Alabama Football: Breaking Down the Tennessee Offense

Spruce Derden–US PRESSWIRE

The Alabama Crimson Tide are gearing up for their trip to Knoxville for their Third Saturday in October matchup against rival Tennessee. This rivalry has been anything but, since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa as he has posted a perfect 5-0 record against the Vols.

The Crimson Tide are currently a 20.5 point favorite over Tennessee. The Vols were pegged by many as a potential surprise team in the SEC this season, but the 2012 Volunteers have been more of the same in Derek Dooley’s third year at the helm.

Tennessee is off to a 3-3 start to the season, with all three losses coming against SEC competition.

Still, despite Tennessee being just .500, this figures to be a very formidable challenge for the Crimson Tide and could very well end up being Alabama’s toughest test to date. Offensively, Tennessee has far and away the best offense the Crimson Tide has faced.

The Vols are the first Top-25 offense Alabama has faced this season. They rank 22nd in total offense, 45th in rushing offense, and 22nd in total offense. Tennessee is averaging 38 points per game which ranks 24th in the country.

Tyler Bray and the Volunteers passing attack figures to give the Crimson Tide’s secondary a massive challenge on Saturday evening at Neyland Stadium. The junior quarterback has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1730 yards and 16 touchdowns to 7 interceptions.

Bray is the best quarterback Alabama has had to face in 2012 with Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson missing the game against the Tide with a concussion. Bray is nursing an injury of his own after hurting his knee in the fourth quarter of Tennessee’s loss to Mississippi State last weekend.

Bray has the ability to air the ball out downfield against Alabama’s secondary that the Tide’s other opposing quarterbacks were not able to do. Alabama’s secondary has performed very well this year and cornerback Dee Milliner is looking more and more like a first-round NFL draft pick with each passing week.

But, the Tide’s secondary has not been challenged like it will be this week. Wide receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson could be the two best receivers Alabama has seen all season.

Justin Hunter is one of the best receivers in the country. Hunter has 497 receiving yards on 35 receptions with 4 touchdowns this year. At 6-foot-4, Hunter poses matchup issues for the Crimson Tide and will likely see Milliner shadow him for most of the game.

While Hunter is the better pure receiver, Cordarrelle Patterson is the big-play threat and is the closest resemblance we’ve seen to Julio Jones since he left Tuscaloosa after the 2010 season. Patterson has 23 receptions for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s also made an impact running the football and in the return game. He’s Tennessee’s second leading rusher with 214 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 11 carries.

He’s averaging over 30 yards per kickoff return with a touchdown. Patterson is extremely dangerous with the ball in his hands in space, so look for Dooley and Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney to find creative ways to get him the football on Saturday night.

While Hunter and Patterson get the majority of the praise, the Crimson Tide defense can’t focus too much of their attention on them because that will allow senior receiver Zach Rogers and senior tight end Mychal Rivera to get open and make plays.

Rogers has 17 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns while Rivera has 15 catches for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

We knew before the season that Tennessee’s passing game would be dangerous, but they have shown major strides running the ball this year. The Vols ground attack was abysmal a year ago as they averaged just 90 yards per game rushing, which ranked 116th in the nation.

Junior running back Rajion Neal has been excellent in 2012 with 500 rushing yards on 112 carries and 5 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Vols, Neal is doubtful for Saturday’s game according to Head Coach Derek Dooley with an ankle injury he suffered against the Bulldogs.

Sophomores Marlin Lane and Devrin Young will likely see the bulk of the carries this weekend. Lane has 185 rushing yards on 37 carries while Young has rushed for 116 yards on 26 attempts.

As Nick Saban said already this week, the Tennessee offensive line is the best Alabama has seen so far in 2012. The Vols have been exceptional up front, especially in pass protection as Tyler Bray has only been sacked three times in six games. Of course, Alabama’s pass rush has been stronger than it has been in recent years and they have sacked the opposing quarterback 19 times this year.

A key to this game will be how Alabama is able to pressure Tyler Bray. The best defense to big play receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson is to get to Bray before either receiver is able to get open. That won’t be easy against a very physical and veteran offensive line.

Statistically, Alabama has been the best defense in the country through six games, but they have yet to be challenged like they will be Saturday night. The defense doesn’t look like it has missed a beat after losing the likes of Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick, Dont’a Hightower, and Courtney Upshaw among others.

We’ll see if this defense is as good as the 2011 version on Saturday night against the high powered Tennessee offense.

Follow John on Twitter.