Alabama Football: Tennessee offense will try to test Tide early

The Alabama Football defense will prepare for a fast-starting Tennessee offense. Vols’ Head Coach Josh Heupel bases the Vols offense off a fast tempo triggering explosive plays. Speaking about his team, Heupel said,

"We’re one of the fastest, most aggressive football teams on the field every single Saturday."

Whether Heupel’s claim is true or not, his team has produced fast starts this season. The Tennessee Vols lead the SEC in first-quarter points. Tennessee’s total of 110 points is higher than both the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs, which both have 94 first-quarter points.

Tennessee Vols First Quarter Scoring

• Bowling Green Falcons – In a game the Vols won 38-6, Tennessee took a 14-0 lead with first-quarter scoring.
• Pitt Panthers – The Vols lost to Pitt 41-34, but took a first-quarter 10-0 lead.
• Tennessee Tech – Considering the Vols were facing a not very good FCS team, 14 points in the first quarter was a rather slow start. The Vols won 56-0.
• Florida Gators – The Gators were not the best defense the Vols have battled, but Florida held Tennessee to seven first-quarter points, in route to a Florida 38-14 win.
• Missouri Tigers – An offensive explosion began in the first quarter with 28 points. The Vols beat the Tigers 62-24
• South Carolina Gamecocks – Against the Gamecocks, the Vols had another first-quarter explosion, scoring 28 points. The Vols beat South Carolina 45-30
• Ole Miss Rebels – A not much improved Ole Miss defense held the Vols to nine first-quarter points. Ole Miss won the game 31-26.

What does the above information tell us? To answer, the quality of each Tennessee opponent’s defense must be considered. Before doing that, a quick take is Tennessee has played three good teams and lost each game.

Scoring Defense Stats Tennessee Opponents

• Bowling Green Falcons – No. 69 among FBS teams
• Pitt Panthers – No. 34 in FBS
• Tennessee Tech – No. 79 among 123 FCS
• Florida Gators – No. 38 in FBS
• Missouri Tigers – No. 123 in FBS
• South Carolina Gamecocks – No. 45 in FBS
• Ole Miss rebels – No. 100 in FBS

Tennessee’s tempo is a far greater factor against weaker defenses and tougher defenses are not much bothered by it.

Alabama Football Scoring Defense

As a point of reference, the Alabama Football defense is No. 35 in Scoring Defense with an average allowed of 20.14 points per game. In that stat, the Crimson Tide is fifth in the SEC. The Tennessee Vols are eighth in the conference, allowing 22.86 points per game.

Earlier in the season, Heupel said, “I don’t want to be patient.” In that instance, he wasn’t talking about the tempo of his offense. He was talking about making the Vols much better quickly. His Vols have clearly made progress, but until the Vols beat a good team, patience may be required.

An example of how crazy this season has been – Minnesota is 4-2 with two Big Ten wins. The Golden Gophers lost to Bowling Green. Though the Falcons are 2-5, Tennessee fans are calling beating Bowling Green a ‘good’ win.