2022 Alabama Football Early Opponent Preview: No. 3 Tennessee

BamaCentral takes a long first look at each of the Crimson Tide's upcoming opponents this season, in order from the bottom to the top.

What was that quote from Alabama offensive lineman Roger Shultz back in 1990?

Ah, yes.

“We ought to pay property tax on Neyland Stadium because we own it.”

The All-SEC center uttered those words following Alabama’s 9-6 win against a favored Vols team in 1990. It was the Crimson Tide’s fifth straight win against UT and ninth in Neyland Stadium in 11 tries, going back to 1972.

It might be time to call the Tennessee state tax accessor again.

Alabama’s riding a 15-game win streak over Tennessee, including seven straight in Knoxville. Alabama’s going for No. 8 this season when the two rivals clash on Oct. 15.

It hasn’t been much of a rivalry during this Alabama win streak. It’s had its moments—Rocky Block in 2009 and Derrick Henry’s late touchdown to seal a 19-14 win in 2015—but this rivalry has been one-sided for quite some time.

Tennessee’s tried to make the right moves to be more competitive. Josh Heupel is the sixth head coach since 2008 and went 7-6 his first season. He’s made some significant changes, but has he done enough to break the Crimson Curse and turn the program around?

Offense

Heupel is an offensive guy. More than that, he’s a quarterback guy. He was a Heisman Trophy runner-up and led Oklahoma to a national title in 2000.

His impact was immediate as the Vols’ offense kicked into high gear, averaging 39 points and 475 yards per game last season. Hendon Hooker passed for 2,945 yards and 31 TDs with just three interceptions.

Hooker’s primary receiver, Cedric Tillman (64 catches, 1,081 yards, 12 TDs), is back. Add in Southern Cal transfer Bru McCoy, a few more returning receivers and tight ends and it’s safe to say Tennessee’s passing offense could be among the best in the SEC.

Hooker can run, too. He scrambled for 616 yards and five TDs behind leading rusher Jabari Small (796, 9), who returns to the backfield.

The only big concern is on the offensive line, which returns Darnell Wright, Cooper Mays and Jerimiah Crawford. The Vols allowed 44 sacks last season, which can’t happen if UT expects to improve on a 7-6 record.

Defense

If you look at last year’s game with Alabama, the Vols held their own for a majority of the game. Then the fourth quarter happened, where Alabama scored four times on the Vols’ defense to make it a 52-24 rout.

Tennessee’s defense will be an improvement in 2022, and it starts with the defensive line, which was the bright spot for the unit last season.

Defensive end Byron Young and linebacker Jeremy Banks each had 5.5 sacks to lead the team. Linebacker Aaron Beasley is another returning player who can help take the defense to the next level.

The Vols will be solid in the secondary, too. Safeties Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough will lead an experienced group.

The big improvement needs to be getting off the field. Opponents converted on third down 42% last season and converted 19 of 36 times on fourth down. UT got into the backfield a lot, but opponents still passed for 273 yards per game.

Schedule

Tennessee has four SEC road games, including LSU and Georgia. Winning these two is asking a lot from the Vols. Road games at South Carolina and Vanderbilt are the final two of the season, and both are winnable. The other road game is against Pittsburgh in Week 2. That’s a must-win game if Tennessee wants to start the season with confidence.

The key game is a home game with Florida in late September. If Tennessee is serious about winning an SEC East crown, something it hasn’t done since 2007, it has to win the showdown with the Gators.

SEC games with Kentucky and Missouri should be locks for UT, as should non-conference games against UT Martin, Ball State and Akron.

Outlook

We’ve seen this movie before. Tennessee starts the season strong and all looks fine and dandy—until disaster strikes and the season turns into a trainwreck.

That might not happen this time.

Heupel appears to be what the Vols need and he’s got the ability to get them to the mountaintop. It may not happen this season, but the potential is there.

The offense should take care of itself, and if the defense sees some big-time improvement, Georgia may be contending with the Vols for the top spot in the East.

The Game

Date: Oct. 15

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Neyland Stadium

Series: 58-38-7. The Crimson Tide has won 15 straight.

Last meeting: Alabama won 52-24. The Crimson Tide scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including three touchdown in a little over six minutes. Bryce Young passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for two additional scores, plus Brian Robinson Jr. totaled 107 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

The Team 

The Coach: Josh Heupel, second season 7-6 (fifth season overall, 35-14)

Offensive Coordinator: Alex Golesh

Defensive Coordinator: Tim Banks

2021 Record: 7-6

2021 Rankings: Total offense No. 9; Total defense No. 99

Returning Starters: 15, eight on offense, seven on defense

Players to Watch: QB Hendon Hooker, RB Jabari Small, WR Cedric Tillman, G Jerome Carvin, T Darnell Wright, DE Byron Young, LB Jeremy Banks, P Paxton Brooks

Top Newcomer: Bru McCoy is listed as 6-3, 220 pounds as a wide receiver. He originally enrolled at Southern Cal before spending the spring of 2018 at Texas and then returning to USC for three seasons. However, hasn't had a catch since 2020.

Biggest Question: Heupel's offense needed only five games to outscore the entire 2020 Tennessee team, but can the defense improve enough for the Volunteers to challenge Georgia and contend for the SEC East title? The unit should be better, but that's a tall order. 

The School

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded: 1794

Enrollment: 31,700

Nickname: Volunteers

Colors: White and orange

Mascot: Smokey

The Program

Coaching Changes During Saban Era: Five

Last Time Beat Alabama: 2006, 16-13 in Knoxville

Last Time Won Division: 2007

Last Time Won SEC Championship: 1998

National Championships (6): 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998

Playoff Appearances: None

SEC Championships (13): 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1967, 1969, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998

Bowl Appearances: 29–25

Last Time Didn’t Play in a Bowl: 2020

Heisman Trophies: None

Consensus All-Americans During Saban Era (4): DB Eric Berry, 2008-09; KR/AP Evan Berry, 2015; DL Derek Barnett 2016

First-Round NFL Picks During Saban Era: Seven, the most recent being DL Derek Barnett, No. 14 by the Eagles.

2022 NFL Draft: Five selections led by DB Alontae Taylor in the second round, by the Saints.

Last Four Recruiting Class Rankings: The Class of 2022 was No. 18. Previously was No. 22 in 2021, No. 11 in 2020, and No. 13 in 2019. 

The Schedule

Sept. 1: Ball State
Sept. 10: at Pittsburgh
Sept. 17: Akron
Sept. 24: Florida
Oct. 8: at LSU
Oct. 15: Alabama
Oct. 22: UT Martin
Oct. 29: Kentucky
Nov. 5: at Georgia
Nov. 12: Missouri
Nov. 19: at South Carolina
Nov. 26: at Vanderbilt

Did You Know?

There was a new addition, or actually four new additions to Neyland Stadium during last season, which many Alabama fans will for the first time this season.

Bronze statutes of Lester McClain, Jackie Walker, Condredge Holloway and Tee Martin were unveiled outside Gate 21, recognizing significant "firsts" in the football program.

• McClain became the program’s first Black player in 1967, and was also the first Black SEC player to score a touchdown (at Georgia Tech on Oct. 12, 1968).

• Walker was the SEC’s first Black football All-American in 1970 as a linebacker.

• Holloway the first Black player to start at quarterback on an SEC team (Sept. 9, 1972, at Georgia Tech).

• Martin was the first Black quarterback to lead an SEC team to a national championship (23-16 over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4, 1999).

This is the 10th story in series previewing Alabama's opponents:

No. 12 Austin Peay

No. 11 Louisiana Monroe

No. 10 Vanderbilt

No. 9 Utah State

No. 8 Mississippi State

No. 7 Auburn

No. 6 LSU

No. 5 Ole Miss

No. 4 Arkansas