Unpacking how Tennessee has attacked Alabama football defense, what it means for 2023
For anyone wearing crimson and white, Alabama football's defensive tape vs. Tennessee in 2022 might as well be considered a horror movie.
The Crimson Tide allowed 567 yards, 29 first downs, five passing touchdowns to one receiver and 52 points. Alabama hadn't given up that many points in a game since 1907 against Sewanee.
The Vols gashed Alabama's secondary with passing touchdowns of 36, 60 and 78 yards. In the process, Tennessee snapped a 15-year losing streak in the Third Saturday in October rivalry.
Of course, that's in the past and can't be changed. So there's no sense for Alabama to dwell on it. Instead, learning from it would be advised as the No. 8 Crimson Tide (6-1, 4-0 SEC) prepares to play No. 15 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday (2:30 p.m., CBS) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
So, The Tuscaloosa News looked at how the Tennessee offense gashed Alabama in 2021 and 2022. The News went back and watched every play from those games, charting each time the Vols gained 10 or more yards. Why 10 yards? It was the simplest measure of a "successful play" considering it's a first down.
Tennessee tallied seven plays of 10 plus yards in 2021 to go with 18 from 2022, totaling 25 over two games.
"The thing that I think is going to be really important is not to give up big, explosive plays," Nick Saban said Monday, "which was a real issue for us a year ago."
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What has hurt Alabama football, Tennessee's running or passing?
With quarterback Hendon Hooker leading the offense, the pass served as the main catalyst for success. The Vols threw for 19 of the 25 successful plays of 10 or more yards.
When Saban speaks of explosive plays, these are it. In addition to the three touchdowns off long passing plays in 2022, the Vols also scored off 57- and 70-yard touchdowns in the 2021 matchup.
Runs haven't been near as damaging; the longest Tennessee has gone over the past two games on the ground in one play was 20 yards when Hooker scrambled.
Tennessee's wide split, and the challenge it presents
The wide split is one of the more unique elements of Tennessee's offense. A wide split is when receivers line up outside the numbers on the field, near the sideline. Many times, the Vols will put two receivers next to each other outside the numbers, which forces two defenders to be near the sideline as well.
"They certainly make you defend 53 yards wide of the field," Saban said. "There's two challenges. It affects run support in the box because the guys that are covering the receivers are so far away from the box. And they run a lot of vertical routes from out there so the people covering them get pretty isolated because they're far away from, whether it's split safety or middle of the field safety."
Tennessee's receivers have lined up in a wide split 62% of the time on successful plays vs. Alabama. All seven touchdowns of 10 or more yards the Vols have scored over the past two matchups have included at least one receiver in a wide split. Usually, there has been more, too.
The inclusion of pre-snap motion
Sometimes, the Tennessee offense used motions on successful plays. It's not as common, but it has played a role. Two of the seven passing touchdowns of 10 or more yards have included pre-snap motion from the receivers. Only nine of the 25 successful plays included movement beforehand, though.
What can Alabama football do to counter Tennessee's offense?
Alabama defenders in the box cannot afford to miss tackles or assignments. The front seven defenders need to be sound in maintaining their gaps. Because of the wide-split receivers, that draws some defenders away from the box to stop the run.
And stopping the run will be more difficult in this matchup than the previous two; Tennessee has the SEC's top rushing offense thus far, averaging 231.33 yards a game. With the wide splits, there's lot of open grass, and the Crimson Tide has to minimize opportunities for Tennessee to take advantage of the space.
"I think the offensive line blocks together well as a unit," linebacker Deontae Lawson said. "They're physical up front, got two good running backs and they just I think, they just play together."
Alabama must also stay ready and manage the Vols' fast-paced tempo, which is easier said than done. Tennessee likes to hit defenses with runs before they can get set and ready for it.
Speaking of defending against the wide split, winning those one-on-one matchups becomes paramount because the defensive backs are often isolated in coverage. They might not have the usual help.
Tennessee has also done well at finding mismatches in the vertical passing game vs. Alabama. At times in 2021, the Vols went after Daniel Wright. Then in 2022, Tennessee attacked DeMarcco Hellams. Whoever the Vols try to go after this season must step up. Otherwise, it could be another long day for the Alabama defense.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Tennessee attacked Alabama football, and what it means for 2023
