One key advantage Alabama Crimson Tide must take to beat Tennessee Volunteers

This week's marquee matchup has the Alabama Crimson Tide going to Neyland Stadium to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. This looked like a potential showdown with two top-five teams, but each squad has struggled in recent games. Nevertheless, the outcome of Alabama vs. Tennessee will help determine the race for the SEC.

The seventh-ranked Tide and 11th-ranked Volunteers have some of the most talented players in the nation. This is an excellent opportunity for both 2025 NFL Draft prospects and up-and-comers to excel.

Key to Win for Alabama vs. Tennessee

The biggest advantage the Crimson Tide have over the Volunteers is in the trenches. While the Tide haven't committed to the run nearly enough, this is the perfect time for head coach Kalen DeBoer to prioritize getting someone other than Jalen Milroe involved in the offense.

Milroe leads the team with 77 rushing attempts in addition to his 132 passing attempts. That's a problem, as he's outpacing Jamarion Miller and Justice Haynes in touches, but averaging only 4.1 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Miller and Haynes are averaging 7.1 and 6.4 yards per carry, respectively.

The backs themselves are not where the talent gap is in this game, but rather the trenches. Besides Milroe, the two best 2025 NFL Draft offensive prospects on the Tide reside at guard and center. Left guard Tyler Booker and center Parker Brailsford could be All-Americans.

While PFF has its flaws, its grades and advanced stats do pass the eye test from what I've seen. Interior defensive linemen Omarr Norman-Lott and Omari Thomas are graded as above-average as pass rushers, but Bryson Eason and Jaxson Moi are no better than average.

The bigger issue for the group is the run defense. Of the Volunteers' top 20-graded run defenders, only Simmons is an interior defender, but he's only played 47 qualifying snaps. The rest are linebackers, edge rushers, and even most of the starting secondary.

It's a huge red flag for Tennessee than Norman-Lott, Thomas, Eason, and Moi are between average and flat-out bad in the ground game. Being unable to fill run gaps without blitzing puts immense pressure on the second-level of the defense, and that's especially scary when Alabama has Milroe and Ryan Williams to attack exposed coverage.

The Vols also have 13 defenders with a missed tackle rate of at least 10 percent, and five of those individuals are over 20. Thomas, Simmons, and Eason are the interior perpetrators  on the list, but at least their rates are more in line with positional expectations.

If DeBoer creates a gameplan to pulverize this weakness and ride Booker and Brailsford, the Tide can run their way to a comfortable road win.