The Tennessee Volunteers will travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night to take on the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in an SEC matchup.
The Volunteers are 4-3 (2-2) thus far and are coming off a 31-26 home loss to the 13th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. Senior quarterback Hendon Hooker is questionable with a leg injury as he went 17-of-26 for 233 yards with a touchdown.
The Crimson Tide are 6-1 (3-1) and are coming off a 49-9 road win over the Mississippi State Cougars. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young went 20-of-28 for 348 yards with four touchdowns.
Playing with the Joneses
The Tennessee Volunteers love to throw the football, and they give the bulk of the targets to senior wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. So far this season, he has 28 receptions for 435 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and three passing touchdowns while also a rush for 15 yards.
Looking at the last game against the Ole Miss Rebels, Jones had six receptions for 93 yards (15.5 yards per attempt). If they can figure out how to get him the ball, it will do wonders for the offense.
The Tennessee Volunteers have been doing well defensively as they are giving up 22.9 points per game this year. In their previous game against the Ole Miss Rebels, they allowed 26 points on 467 total yards of offense (245 passing, 222 rushing).
They were unable to stop the Rebels from moving the chains as they went 11-of-21 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down. They also struggled to get the rushing game off the field as Ole Miss averaged 4.5 yards per running attempt. If they can continue to improve defensively, they will be in a great spot.
A Shot of Jameson
The Alabama Crimson Tide offense has always been a good passing team as junior wide receiver Jameson Williams has been playing well this season as he has 29 catches for 587 yards (20.2 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.
Looking at his recent game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, he finished with two catches for 77 yards (38.5 yards per reception) and found the end zone once. If Williams can figure out how to find the end zone here and produce numbers like he’s used to, the Crimson Tide will be in a great spot.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been a great defensive team this year as they are giving up 20.1 points per game. In their previous game against the Mississippi State Bullldogs, they allowed nine points on 299 total yards of offense (300 passing, -1 rushing).
The Crimson Tide did well at limiting the run as the Bulldogs had -0.1 yards per rushing attempt. If Alabama can do just that, they will dominate here once again.
Who to Bet
Alabama is sitting as a huge home favorite and should be able to cover the spread at home here. The Volunteers are not sure if Hooker will be under center in this game, and that is a huge blow for the program if they cannot have him start.
Bryce Young has been an incredible starting quarterback as he has 24 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. Tennessee is 1-4 against the spread in their last five games against Alabama so go with the Alabama Crimson Tide to cover here.
If you want to know more about these NCAAF teams stats and previews like this Volunteers at Washington State betting preview keep up on @InsidersBetDig.