The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) will face the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (6-0) this Saturday for a highly anticipated rivalry game in Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium. The Crimson White sat down with The Daily Beacon’s sports editor, Andrew Peters, to discuss the upcoming matchup. 

Merifield: After an impressive win last week at LSU, how is the team preparing for their toughest test yet this season against Alabama? 

Peters: “I think practice is definitely more intense this week going into the rivalry game. They’re looking at this game as a chance to one, get a statement win over a rival, and two, just another chance to prove themselves. They picked up the big win last week, they picked up the big win two weeks ago with Florida, and I think they’re looking at this game like, ‘Hey, if we go win this game, it kind of changes things for this program. It kind of puts us in a whole different category than what we were in before.’ Preparation wise, I think they’re keeping things the same as they always do. I would say the main difference is they’re trying to get players healthy. The main guy, Cedric Tillman, he had the ankle injury four weeks ago and he’s still recovering from that. I would say the main priority is getting him up to speed so he can hopefully play on Saturday.” 

Merifield: Bryce Young’s status remains uncertain for Saturday. Is the team preparing for Jalen Milroe, or a scenario if Young were able to play? 

Peters: “They’re probably preparing for the better quarterback, which is Bryce Young. You’ve got to have your team ready for that. If Milroe ends up being the guy, I think that in preparing for Bryce Young, you kind of are prepared for Milroe. I think Nick Saban and Josh Heupel are very similar where they like to keep their players’ statuses within the organization, that way they can’t have a leg up on preparation. That’s definitely going to be one of the trickiest points of preparing for this game, just that status. It’s just a simple fact that if Bryce Young doesn’t play, Tennessee has a much better chance to win. Bryce Young is a Heisman quarterback and he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I think the outcome of the game is definitely going to change based on who the quarterback is.”  

Merifield: Tennessee hasn’t come into this game undefeated since 1998. Is this the best Tennessee team heading into this rivalry during this winless streak against Alabama? 

Peters: “It definitely is. I think the only other argument you can make is 2016. That team was very talented, obviously a lot of NFL guys on that squad and coming into that game it was kind of similar to this. Tennessee had a really hot start. The only difference is they dropped the game to Texas A&M before. But I think the difference between that team and this team is that this team is a lot more tested, and that this team has aced those tests a little more than that 2016 team did. Pittsburgh was what it was, it wasn’t the best win in the world, but they got it done. Same thing with Florida. Then they go into LSU and just came out with a huge win.” 

Merifield: Hendon Hooker has had a remarkable season so far. How much of an impact does he have on this team? 

Peters: “It’s huge. It really can’t be understated. Last year, he came in the Pittsburgh game after Joe Milton goes down with an injury, and just immediately had a huge impact. He finds his receivers well and he’s efficient. He’s only had three interceptions in his time at Tennessee, which is just unheard of. There’s just so many different factors that make him a great quarterback, and that’s not even mentioning the off the field stuff. He’s a great leader and his team likes him.” 

Merifield: Aside from Hooker, who are some of the other players on the team that are expected to make an impact Saturday? 

Peters: “I mentioned Cedric Tillman earlier, and that’s still kind of up in the air. If he plays, I think he has a huge impact. He is Hooker’s favorite target. He can burn defenders, and he’s just an all-around great receiver. On the same level of that is Jalin Hyatt. He’s emerging as the number two guy for Tennessee, really the number one while Tillman is out. He’s got great speed, is really quick and can run with the ball if he needs to. The third guy is Bru McCoy, the USC transfer. He’s immediately come in and had a huge impact. He had over 100 yards against LSU and over 100 yards against Florida. To step away from receivers, Jabari Small is great in the backfield and had probably his best game at Tennessee last week. He can have a great impact when they don’t want to air the ball out.” 

Merifield: Are there any noteworthy inactive or injured Volunteers ahead of Saturday’s game? 

Peters: “Tillman is the main one, the big question mark right now. Obviously, the Jaylen McCollough arrest takes a toll on Tennessee. The secondary was already the weakest link of the team. They’re not deep there. Losing McCollough hurts Tennessee on the field for sure but also takes an emotional toll on them.” 

Merifield: “College GameDay” will be making the trip to Knoxville for the second time already this season. What is the overall energy of the fanbase gearing up for this matchup? 

Peters: “It was a similar feeling for Florida. I think that game was a little bit different because Tennessee was expected to win because at that point, they had looked a lot better than Florida. But that entire week, it seemed like that was the only thing students were talking about. Not just students either but this whole community is kind of based around the campus and Tennessee football. There’s going to be 100,000 or so people in the stadium but there’s going to be countless people downtown and walking around campus tailgating. It really is an unmatched environment on game days. I think you’re going to have the emotion of the Florida game, mixed with the fact Tennessee hasn’t won this game in fifteen years, and if they do win it’s going to be insane.” 

Merifield: What does Tennessee need to accomplish, offensively and defensively, to achieve victory Saturday? 

Peters: “Offensively, they need to do what they do best, and that’s play fast, play efficient and score a lot of points. That’s honestly what it comes down to. Score more points than Alabama. On the flip side of that, Tennessee is not going to win the game on defense, but on defense the key is they have to play their best game of the year. The defensive line looked outstanding against LSU. It looked like a completely different team. The secondary, the weakest point on the team, they have to come out and have their best game. They have to all be locked into their matchups and be ready for whatever Alabama throws at them. This is a given, but you can’t have any mistakes. You can’t fumble the ball or throw interceptions. You can’t be doing that against a team like Alabama.” 

Kickoff is set for Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]