Published On: 10.13.22 | 

By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Football preview: No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6 Tennessee, Auburn faces Ole Miss, UAB welcomes Charlotte

Alabama defensive back Brian Branch (14) makes a tackle against Texas A&M. The Alabama defense may get its biggest test so far this season when Alabama travels to Knoxville to play Tennessee. (Alabama Athletics)

To the surprise of no one, Nick Saban gave his Crimson Tide a less than sterling grade despite outlasting Texas A&M last week.

“I think it’s fairly obvious that there’s a lot of things that we need to work on, evaluate personnel, evaluate consistency and performance, evaluate priority of getting your job done the right way so that we can have a little more consistency in our performance,” he said. “We didn’t take advantage of opportunities when we had them in the last game. That’s certainly something that’s gonna catch up with you.

“Players have to understand (that) you’ve got to do things to keep from losing before you can think about winning,” he said, citing turnovers, mental errors and failing to read things correctly. “That’s something that we as a whole, as an organization, need to do a better job of working together with the players and the coaches so that we can do a better job of getting that right.”

And there’s no time like the present to get that right. After falling from No. 1 to No. 3 in the polls, Alabama (6-0) heads to Knoxville to face a 5-0 Tennessee team that rose two spots to No. 6 after trouncing LSU.

And while the Tide has beaten the Vols 15 times in a row, there’s no guarantee No. 16 will come at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS in Neyland Stadium.

Auburn’s Ja’Varrius Johnson (6) runs the ball during the Tigers’ lopsided loss to Georgia last week. This week brings another road game vs. a Top 10 opponent, the Ole Miss Rebels. (Todd Van Emst / AU Athletics)

“This game means a lot to a lot of people in Alabama,” Saban said. “It’s kind of a rivalry game, and that’s always been an important game for us.”

The health of Heisman Trophy-winner Bryce Young will certainly be a factor. The Alabama quarterback sat out last week’s game in favor of redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe. Young’s availability this week is unclear.

Auburn (3-3) lost 42-10 to Georgia, which is again No. 1. The Tigers head to Oxford, Mississippi, for an 11 a.m. Saturday meeting with No. 9 Ole Miss (6-0) on ESPN.

Coach Bryan Harsin said maintaining possession of the ball is something his team must improve.

“You go three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out three,” the coach said. “You come over after you get done, probably playing on special teams as well, punt return (and) offense gets the ball back. You go get a drink, you sit down, you make adjustments, and then you’re right back on the field.

“You want to give your defense a little bit of time to rest, but really to just go through some of the adjustments that the coaches in the box are seeing. Sustaining drives is huge.”

UAB (3-2) had a happy homecoming by beating Middle Tennessee State 41-14. Saturday, the Blazers welcome Charlotte (1-5) to Protective Stadium at 2:30 p.m. on Stadium sports network.

UAB, one of three teams tied for fifth in Conference USA at 1-1 in the league, dares not overlook the 49ers.

“I think it was 2017, UAB went to Charlotte, and they were winless,” interim coach Bryant Vincent said, recalling a 25-24 Charlotte overtime victory. “At the end of the day, it’s college football. Every given Saturday, every week of this football season, you’ve seen upsets, you’ve seen wins. Teams go to places, whether it’s an [Appalachian State] at Texas A&M. Each and every week, you see it over and over and over and you’ve got to get prepared. Your team has got to be prepared. You have to be ready because it’s hard to win Division I football games. It’s hard.

“You’ve got to stay the course on the things that got you there,” Vincent continued. “You’ve got to get ready. This football team is an experienced team; it’s a mature team.”

In other college action:

North Alabama vs. Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks (5-1) and the Lions (1-4) renew their rivalry at 6 p.m. Saturday at Toyota Field in Madison on ESPN Plus. UNA was competitive in falling 40-34 to Kennesaw State. Prior to having a bye last week, JSU outlasted the Owls a week earlier 35-28 in overtime.

Texas State at Troy: The Trojans (4-2) are celebrating homecoming this week as the Bobcats (3-3) come to Veterans Stadium at 2:30 p.m.

Samford at East Tennessee State: The Bulldogs (5-1 and 3-0 in the Southern Conference) head to Johnson City, Tennessee, for a 2:30 p.m. Central game on NEXSTAR and ESPN3. ETSU is 3-3, 1-3 in the league.

Lane at Miles: The Golden Bears lost to their second straight nationally ranked opponent last week, falling 20-3 to No. 24 Benedict. Miles (1-5) hopes to notch its second win of the Sam Shade era on homecoming at 4 p.m. Saturday against the Dragons (3-3).

Coach Mike Turk’s Huntingdon Hawks have won four in a row after losing their season opener. This week brings a face-off with the Brevard Tornadoes. (Huntingdon Athletics)

Central State at Tuskegee: The Golden Tigers (4-2) have stretched their win streak to four games after starting the 2022 season 0-2. After downing Morehouse 31-14 at Legion Field, Tuskegee welcomes the Marauders (2-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

West Alabama at Delta State: The Tigers (4-2) are 2-1 in the Gulf South Conference. Next up for UWA is a 6 p.m. Saturday meeting with the No. 10 Statesmen, who are 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the league.

Louisiana-Monroe at South Alabama: USA (4-1) celebrates homecoming with a 6 p.m. Saturday contest against the Warhawks (2-4).

Brevard at Huntingdon: The Hawks continue to soar after falling in their season opener, stretching their win streak to four games. The Tornadoes bring a 2-4 overall record into the game at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Alabama A&M vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff (Sunday): The Bulldogs have paired some bite with their bark the past two weeks. After going winless through four games, A&M (2-4) won its second game in a row last week, improving to 2-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Coach Connell Maynor’s team plays a neutral-site contest in the St. Louis River City HBCU Football Classic at 3 p.m. Sunday against the Golden Lions (2-4, 0-3).

Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State: The Hornets (3-3, 1-2 SWAC) are batting .500 overall and are below the Mendoza line in their league. ASU looks to get back on track in its 6 p.m. Saturday contest. Those win-loss records seem likely to improve as Bama State greets the Delta Devils, who are having a devil of a time notching wins at 0-6 and 0-3.

Millsaps at Birmingham-Southern: It is homecoming on the Hilltop and the Panthers (3-2, 1-1) welcome Southern Athletic Association foe Majors (3-2, 2-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Faulkner at Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky): The Eagles (3-3, 2-2) face the No. 3 team in NAIA at 1:30 p.m. Central on Saturday. The Blue Raiders are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Mid-South Conference.

Idle this week: None.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Class 7A: Tuscaloosa County (5-2) is No. 10 in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association poll. The Wildcats face a challenge if they’re going to hold onto – or improve – that ranking as they take on No. 2 Thompson (6-2) on Friday.

Class 6A: Calera (3-4) is coming off a double overtime win at Briarwood Christian. Can the Eagles continue to fly high as they host No. 8 Helena (6-1) on Friday?

Class 5A: No. 3. Moody (8-0) hosts No. 2 Leeds (7-0) on Friday in a border war that will certainly be worth the price of admission.

Class 4A: Westminster Christian (5-2) outscored Madison County 70-42 last week. This week, the Wildcats travel to No. 4 Priceville (8-0) on Friday.

Class 3A: No. 6 Houston Academy (7-0) visits No. 4 Opp (6-1) on Friday.

Class 2A: Luverne leads its all-time series with Reeltown 38-20. The Tigers (5-3) host the No. 6 Rebels (5-1) tonight.

Class 1A: No. 8 Loachapoka (7-0) visits Maplesville (5-2) on Friday.

AISA: No. 8. Macon-East Academy (5-2) welcomes No. 4 Chambers Academy (5-2) on Friday.

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