🏈 It's Tennessee Hate Week - Saturday marks 4,382 days since UT beat Alabama

Wednesday Insider Report (Tennessee week) | BamaInsider.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama worked outside Wednesday for its third practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against Tennessee. Players were dressed in full pads as they practiced in cloudy, 66-degree weather. Here are some notes from the media viewing session.

— DeVonta Smith (hamstring) was limited for a third straight day after injuring himself on a 57-yard reception in the second quarter against Missouri. The sophomore did not participate in drills with the rest of the receivers during the media viewing period. Instead, he stood off to the side with a ball in his hands.

— There’s nothing new to report on Tua Tagovailoa, who is still wearing a brace on his right knee while going through drills with the rest of the quarterbacks. At this point, no news is probably good news as both head coach Nick Saban and Tagovailoa himself have said the injuries isn’t serious.

— Deonte Brown replaced Lester Cotton at left guard on the first-team offensive line for a second straight day. Brown, a redshirt sophomore, has yet to start in his Alabama career but is looking more likely to do so this week. Listed at 6-foot-4, 344 pounds, the Decatur, Ala., native is the biggest offensive lineman on the team and should be able to provide ample push in the running game.

— Isaiah Buggs led the defensive line unit and was followed by Raekwon Davis, Quinnen Williams, La’Bryan Ray, Phidarian Mathis, Tevita Musika, Christian Barmore and Stephon Wynn Jr.

— Saban said that Raekwon Davis would be disciplined internally for his actions against Missouri. However, it is unknown how much time the junior will miss.

“We will have him do some things,” Saban said Monday. “I think it should affect his playing time in the future.”

— Alabama receivers worked in groups of two during positional drills. Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs led the unit and were followed by Jaylen Waddle and Derek Kief, Xavier Williams and Chadarius Townsend and Xavian Marks and Tyrell Shavers.

— Slade Bolden was the last receiver and was wearing a No. 1 scout-team jersey representing Marquez Callaway. Callaway (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) leads the Volunteers with 18 receptions for 286 yards this season. Bolden is listed at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds.

— Alabama worked out of its typical dime unit with Saivion Smith and Patrick Surtain II as the corners, Shyheim Carter at Star and Xavier McKinney at Money. Deionte Thompson and Jared Mayden were the safeties, while Mack Wilson was the lone linebacker.

— The second-team dime unit consisted of Josh Jobe and Nigel Knott as the corners with D.J. Lewis at Star and Kyriq McDonald at Money. Keaton Anderson and Eddie Smith were the safeties, and Dylan Moses was the lone linebacker.
 
Despite jokes, Butch Jones is an accepted member of Alabama's staff | BamaInsider.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Josh Jacobs couldn’t contain his laughter. The Alabama running back was all smiles when the topic of Butch Jones came up. The former Tennessee head coach is now on the opposite side of the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry as an offensive analyst for Alabama. However, that hasn’t stopped Crimson Tide players for sending some good-natured ribbing his way.

“We kind of joke with him about the situation,” Jacobs said. “He’s, you know, never smoked the cigar before. We’re trying to make that a goal of his.”

Jones, who served as Tennessee’s head coach from 2013-17, has a 0-5 record against Alabama and has been outscored 192-61 over that span. He’s been the butt of many jokes since he was labeled as an “intern” by Alabama head coach Nick Saban after taking the analyst job with the Crimson Tide.

The truth is Jones is actually a valuable asset to the Crimson Tide. While he’s not allowed to coach players on the field, the advice and input he provides to Alabama’s staff leading into a game is nothing to scoff at.

“Butch is a very bright guy, and he’s done a really good job of that,” Saban said during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday. “Basically what he does is assist [offensive coordinator] Mike [Locksley] as much as possible. He always gives me a little summary of things that he thinks we need to work on on offense just from an overall view from a thousand feet type of thing which has been very helpful.”

Jones is one of several former head coaches Alabama has brought on to serve as assistants. Most notably, the Crimson Tide hired Lane Kiffin as its offensive coordinator after previous head coaching stops with the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and Southern California. Current offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was originally hired as an offensive analyst after serving as head coach for New Mexico and Illinois. The same goes for former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who was the head coach at Washington and Southern California before joining Alabama.

“I think that guys who have been head coaches obviously have done a good job along the way as assistant coaches in whatever their expertise is as well as, in most of these cases, some success as head coaches,” Saban said. “So they’re knowledge and experience is something that can be beneficial in trying to help us improve our program.”

Saban said while he enjoys helping former coaches get back on their feet, the No. 1 reason behind hiring assistants like Jones is the value they bring to the program. The head coach said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for all his hires, stating he appreciates the help they’ve brought to the program.

Alabama players share that sentiment. And while there still might be a few laughs here and there, it’s the reason Jones is now a welcomed addition to the Crimson Tide’s staff.

"He's here to help us out obviously and like I said he's always been a great guy when I've spoken to him,” Miller said. “I'm glad to have him on board. Anybody who wants to help us out and be a part of our team, we're always willing to accept them.”

Alabama will play Tennessee Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT inside of Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. Jones is scheduled to make the trip with the team.​
1 Tony_Tsoukalas, Today at 11:39 AM
 
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Know the foe: Tennessee looking to ride momentum after big win | BamaInsider.com

1. Do you feel Tennessee turned the corner with its win against Auburn?

That depends on what the definition of turned the corner means. Is Tennessee back? No. They aren't back ready to win the SEC and be the program they were in the 90's. Did they turn a corner in confidence and buy into this coaching staff, I think that answer is yes. Jesse Simonton said it best on our Volquest podcast on Tuesday. This Tennessee program is growing in the right direction, but growth is not a straight linear line. While growing occurs, there are up's and downs. Tennessee has more up's and downs coming, but the Auburn win showed the current team and recruits at things are moving in the right direction.

2. Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson said he's noticed Jarrett Guarantano has played with more confidence this season. Have you noticed that in his game?

I didn't think he was very confident against Florida. He got hit early, turned it over early and I think that rattled him a bit. He wasn't great mentally against Georgia but was better. Saturday, he had early success and you could see his confidence growing. He made not just quality physical plays but did a pretty solid job in his checks at the line of scrimmage. Getting guys shifted, lined up properly, etc. Wilson is right in that if you compare Guarantano last year to this year he has a lot more confidence. And it's confidence that is continuing to grow.

3. What's the biggest difference with this team under Jeremy Pruitt?

They are tougher mentally and physically. Defensively, their football IQ appears to be much improved. They aren't hurting themselves on defense with a bunch of bust like we saw early in the season. It's a defensive unit that has grown a lot and that growth starts with the defensive front. They are getting much better play out of that unit with guys like Alexis Johnson and Kyle Phillips who were not great contributors a season ago.

Offensively, they are still trying to find themselves. They were an unbelievable 7 of 10 on third and long conversions last week. Guarantano throw for 188 yards on third down. So they are still working on an offensive identity. Running the ball is a struggle, but that unit is improving.

I think this team was starving for some structure and starving for some success. I think that has helped them buy into the new coaching staff. And this staff can coach they know what it takes to win in the SEC.

4. It's going to be tough to beat Alabama, but is there an area you feel Tennessee can expose?

Can anyone expose any area of the Crimson Tide? This is a terrific Alabama team. If and it's a big if, Tennessee can protect Jarrett Guarantano then I think Tennessee will try and attack Alabama's corners some. Not sure how effective they can be with it, but Tennessee's receivers are much improved from a year ago and they play the ball in the air very well using size to their advantage.

5. Can this team make a bowl game in Pruitt's first year? If not, what will make this season a success?

I think what's interesting about this team and this season is after the Alabama game, Tennessee has conference games left with South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. I think they could win any of those games and could lose any of them depending on how they play. To get to a bowl game, Tennessee will have to win two of those four as I think they will win their last non-conference game against Charlotte.

So yes, it's possible they could get to a bowl, but it's by no means a given. I have said since the summer that the judgment of this team rests in how much they improve throughout the course of the season. If this is a team that continues to improve the way they have the first six games then it will be a successful first season for head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
 
I'm doing the ol' "mental pregame" stuff like I used to when I was writing about Bama. It's a habit I can't break, right?

It dawns on me this morning when I'm considering Florida intercepted Guarantano twice--his only two of the year--that Bama has been good with takeaways this season. Going back...it's been since the Mississippi State game where the Tide didn't have one.

As Bama plays Tennessee looking for their 12th win in a row they'll also be looking for their 12th game in a row with a takeaway.
 
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