On the Bama Game: Chavis,Slade,Caldwell,Brooks

#5
#5
Miscellaneous Bama/Tennessee stuff, courtesy of al.com...

-- STAT OF THE WEEK: Alabama has given up one rushing TD this season, the fewest in the nation. Tennessee is one of four teams that has given up two.
-- GAME NOTES: The teams have met every season since 1928 with the exception of 1943, when neither school had a team. The first 66 of those meetings were played on the third Saturday in October. ... Alabama is seeking to beat Tennessee in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-92. ... The series is tied 20-20-1 in Knoxville. ... At No. 2, Alabama will be taking its highest ranked squad to Knoxville since the No. 2 Tide posted a 56-28 victory in 1986. ... Tennessee has a 9-5 record against the No. 2 team in the AP poll.... This season will be the first since 2000 that Tennessee is not ranked for the game. ... Alabama coach Nick Saban has a 7-0 team for the first time in his career. ... At least one of the teams has been ranked for the contest all but three times in the past 50 meetings. ... Alabama has a 31-18-1 record against the SEC East. Tennessee has a 35-14-1 record against the SEC West. ... Alabama CB Javier Arenas moved into 11th place last week in SEC history for career kick return yardage, with 2,123 yards in punt and kickoff returns. He needs 3 yards to replace LSU's Eddie Kennison in the top 10. ... Alabama G Mike Johnson is the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. ... Alabama is second in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. ... Alabama has trailed for 75 seconds this season. ... Alabama leads the SEC in rushing offense. ... Tennessee is tied for the national lead with 14 interceptions. ... Tennessee LB Ellix Wilson is the SEC's leading tackler. ... Tennessee has given up one run longer than 20 yards this season. ... In the SEC, Alabama ranks first and Tennessee last in time of possession. ... Tennessee has not allowed an opposing ballcarrier to score more than once in the same game in its past 24 contests. ... Tennessee has played one conference game on Oct. 25 — a 51-43, five-overtime victory against Alabama in 2003. ... Tennessee freshman DE Willie Bohannon played at Blount.
-- QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "If you start thinking in the game that 'I've got to win the game,' 'We might lose now,' 'If they score a touchdown here we can lose,' it affects your performance because of the anxiety it creates and you're not competing like you should compete. That's why I go back and say our guys need to focus on what they need to do to dominate."
— Alabama coach Nick Saban
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#6
#6
Tony Barnhardt on Bama/Tennessee this morning...

3. Will Saturday night be Phillip Fulmer’s last stand? Saturday night’s game against Alabama will be Phillip Fulmer’s 200th as the head coach at Tennessee. This is Fulmer’s 16th full season as the Volunteers head coach. Saturday night’s game could well determine if he is around for No. 17. There is no way to sugar coat this: It has been a bad season on Rocky Top for Fulmer and his offensive coaching staff. There is this nagging sense that if the Volunteers (3-4) lose and drop to 3-5, it’s going to be hard for Fulmer to survive. I’m going to Knoxville Saturday night because I want to see the mood of the crowd. They will be jacked up at the beginning of this game because it’s Alabama and there is an opportunity to beat the No. 2 team in the land and salvage something from this disappointing season. But what happens if the game turns ugly and Tennessee gets embarrassed? Or what happens if Tennessee wins? Either way, it’s going to be an interesting evening at Neyland Stadium.
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#9
#9
Gentry Estes, former Vol beat writer for the TFP, now with the Mobile Press Register, has an interesting piece today...

He spoke with several current UT beat boys about the state of UT Football...

Q: First the big question: How vital do you think this Alabama game is for Phillip Fulmer?
Brice: "Phillip Fulmer has coached in a lot of big games through the years, and this will be his 200th game as head coach. But I don't think he's ever coached in a contest more vital to his future. As the discussion continues regarding Fulmer's future at his alma mater, the fact remains that the Vols are in a prolonged championship drought and haven't fared well against their chief rivals in recent years. Looking at a presidential term -- four years -- the numbers don't reflect well for Tennessee against Alabama, Georgia and Florida; the Vols are just 3-8 against those teams entering this week's clash."
Edwards: "This game is really important for Phillip Fulmer. A lot has been made of Tennessee's run to the SEC championship game last year after getting blown out by Alabama, and rightfully so. That was a very good coaching job by Fulmer and his staff to get that group to rebound. But despite winning the East, the Vols still had two huge losses to Florida and Alabama by a combined margin of 100-37. If Tennessee loses to Alabama this week (which is very likely, I think), it will be a combined 1-5 in its last six games against Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

"I'm not sure that Tennessee absolutely has to win for Fulmer on Saturday, but it certainly has to be competitive. Athletic director Mike Hamilton and those who make the decisions here want to see signs that Fulmer and his staff are capable of not just winning the SEC East but winning an SEC championship and going back to the BCS in the near future. If you're 1-5 in the last two seasons against the SEC heavyweights you play every year, that doesn't really build a whole lot of confidence. Heading into Saturday, the average margin of defeat in those games for UT is 24.7 points. So they're not only losing those games, they haven't really been that close."
Rucker: "I don't think the Vols absolutely need this win to save Fulmer's job, but I think another blowout loss to a rival would cause more serious unrest with some influential members of the UT family. Fulmer's nightmare scenario would be embarrassing losses to Alabama and then at South Carolina (and old nemesis Steve Spurrier) next week. It would be hard for him to bounce back from that, in my opinion. A second losing season in four years would be as popular around these parts as heavy metal music at Dollywood."
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The rest of the story...
LINK:AL.com
 
#12
#12
Fulmer sez Vlad Richard can be "great"--but he's not been able to crack the starting lineup until last week? This is the type of wtf coaching disconnect that baffles observers. Coaches not recognizes who the best players are--bit of a problem!?
 
#13
#13
armchairvol said:
Fulmer sez Vlad Richard can be "great"--but he's not been able to crack the starting lineup until last week? This is the type of wtf coaching disconnect that baffles observers. Coaches not recognizes who the best players are--bit of a problem!?
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Jacques and Parker aren't exactly problems on the offensive line.
 
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