One thing Tennessee's players must do after hearing Nick Saban's latest comments if Vols are going to beat Bama
A year ago, several Alabama players, including edge rusher Will Anderson, said they had some anxiety before playing the Tennessee Vols in Neyland Stadium. On Thursday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN and he mentioned the anxiety that his team had last season against the Vols. Saban also suggested […]
A year ago, several Alabama players, including edge rusher Will Anderson, said they had some anxiety before playing the Tennessee Vols in Neyland Stadium.
On Thursday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN and he mentioned the anxiety that his team had last season against the Vols.
Saban also suggested that Alabama's players will play "upset" and with an "edge" — which is when Saban feels his team is at its best — on Saturday when Tennessee visits Tuscaloosa for a much anticipated rematch.
"We have played well when we're a little bit upset and have an edge to us," said Saban. "And that's something we have to go into this game with. I thought we played the game last year with a lot of anxiety. There was a lot on the line. All the guys put a lot of pressure on themselves. We don't really want to go there. We want to keep an edge in how we compete, how we focus, how we play."
This certainly doesn't come as a surprise. I've written plenty about Saban telling his team to "make it personal" on a weekly basis (sorry Deion Sanders, you weren't the first to preach about making it personal).
Tennessee will need to have the same edge as Alabama. In fact, the Vols need to have more of an edge since this game is in Tuscaloosa.
If the Vols don't have that edge, they won't win on Saturday. It's that simple. The team that plays with emotion — without being emotional — will win the game. These two teams are so even that the team that keeps its edge is the team that's gonna leave Bryant-Denny Stadium smelling like cigars.
So how do the Vols keep that edge?
It won't be easy. But there are plenty of players on the Vols' roster that were on Tennessee's 2021 team that gave Alabama all they wanted in Tuscaloosa. The Vols made it a one-score game in the fourth quarter before Tennessee's lack of depth showed up in the game's final 12 minutes.
Tennessee's players that were on that team — and that includes players like Jabari Small, Kamal Hadden, Aaron Beasley, Tyler Baron, and Jacob Warren — need to use that game as motivation. They were as good as Alabama that evening, they just couldn't close it out because of their lack of depth (thanks in large part to the NCAA investigation that rocked the program the previous winter).
You just know Saban is showing his teams clips of UT fans rushing the field a year ago in Knoxville. You know he wants his players to be pissed off about the wild celebration that ensued after Tennessee heavily damaged Alabama's chances of making the playoff. He wants revenge.
But Vols players should want revenge for the last 20 years (it's been 20 years since Tennessee's won in Tuscaloosa). And their edge should be that they want to be the Tennessee team that's remembered for breaking the streak.
Their edge should also be all the noise that's come from the outside over the last few weeks. All of the talk about the Vols' offensive struggles and how, even at 5-1, the national media doesn't think Tennessee has a chance to be a factor in the playoff later this winter.
All of the motivation in the world is there for Tennessee. And they have to use it. If they don't, then Alabama will have the advantage.
The Vols have to be pissed off and focused. It's the only way they can take care of business in Tuscaloosa.
Speaking of business, Alabama linebacker Henry To'o To'o said last season that it wasn't personal, it was just business. That approach proved to be a mistake for Crimson Tide. It can never be just about business in a rivalry game.
It better be personal for Tennessee on Saturday.
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