Tennessee
Alabama at Tennessee by the numbers: Kalen DeBoer enters the third Saturday in October
No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) at No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)
2:30 p.m. CDT Saturday (ABC)
Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee
1 Alabama coach in the SEC era has won five of his first six games with the Crimson Tide – current coach Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is the first first-year Alabama coach with a 5-1 mark since Frank Thomas started his 15-season tenure with the Tide by going 9-1 in 1931, two seasons before the SEC’s first campaign. Red Drew in 1947, Ray Perkins in 1983, Bill Curry in 1987 and Nick Saban in 2007 were 4-2, Bear Bryant in 1958 was 3-2-1, Gene Stallings in 1990, Mike DuBose in 1997 and Dennis Franchione in 2001 were 3-3, Mike Shula in 2003 was 2-4 and Ears Whitworth in 1955 was 0-6 after his first six games.
3 Teams rank in the top 10 in scoring offense and defense and total offense and defense nationally, including Tennessee. By per-game average, the Volunteers are No. 9 in points scored, No. 4 in points allowed, No. 9 in yards gained and No. 2 in yards allowed. Texas is No. 7 in points scored, No. 1 in points allowed, No. 7 in yards gained and No. 1 in yards allowed. Ohio State is No. 6 in points scored, No. 5 in points allowed, No. 6 in yards gained and No. 5 in yards allowed.
4 Victories and six losses for Alabama coaches in their first game against Tennessee in the SEC era. Red Drew in 1947, Bill Curry in 1987, Gene Stallings in 1990 and Nick Saban in 2007 won against Tennessee in their first season with the Crimson Tide. Ears Whitworth in 1955, Bear Bryant in 1958, Ray Perkins in 1983, Mike DuBose in 1997, Dennis Franchione in 2001 and Mike Shula in 2003 lost to the Vols in their first season as Alabama’s coach. Kalen DeBoer will be guiding the Tide against Tennessee for the first time on Saturday. DeBoer will be the second first-year Alabama coach to lead a ranked team against the Volunteers, the seventh in a row to face a ranked Tennessee team and the first to open against the Vols in a ranked-vs.-ranked game. On Oct. 15, 1983, Perkins’ No. 11 Tide lost to unranked Tennessee 41-34. Since then, the Volunteers have been ranked for every meeting with a first-year Alabama coach, with Curry upending No. 8 Tennessee 41-22 in 1987, Stallings upsetting No. 3 Tennessee 9-6 in 1990 and Saban defeating No. 20 Tennessee 41-17 in 2007.
6 Consecutive games with at least one rushing touchdown for Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson, who ran for three TDs in the Volunteers’ 23-17 overtime victory against Florida on Oct. 12. Sampson is the first Tennessee player with a rushing TD in six straight games since Montario Hardesty in 2009. Sampson has run for 15 TDs in 2024, the most by a Tennessee player in one season since Tony Thompson ran for 16 in 1990. The only other Volunteers with more rushing TDs in a season are Gene McEver with 18 in 1929 and Reggie Cobb with 17 in 1987.
7 Starts have been made by QB Nico Iamaleava for Tennessee. The Volunteers have a 6-1 record and have outscored their opponents 288-64 during Iamaleava’s starts. He’ll seek to become the first true or redshirt freshman quarterback to start a Tennessee victory against Alabama since Erik Ainge in 2004.
11 Rushing TDs by Alabama’s Jalen Milroe in 2024, two short of the school single-season record for a quarterback established by Jalen Hurts in 2016 with 13. Milroe has 24 rushing TDs during his Alabama career, one more than Hurts had during his time with the Crimson Tide.
12 Alabama-Tennessee games have been played on Oct. 19. Each team has won six.
SEC TOP 10 FROM WEEK 7
13 Victories in 15 games against teams ranked in the AP Poll by Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. Among active NCAA FBS coaches, DeBoer ranks seconds for victories over ranked opponents behind the 17 of Georgia’s Kirby Smart. Third on the list is Tennessee’s Josh Heupel with 10 victories over ranked opponents.
19 Points are the most that have been scored against Tennessee in the Volunteers’ past seven games. It’s the longest stretch of games without any of Tennessee’s opponents reaching 20 points since a seven-game stretch in 1998 that included a 35-18 victory over Alabama. Tennessee hasn’t held more than seven straight opponents to fewer than 20 points since doing so in the final nine games of the 1985 season. Alabama has scored at least 20 points in 17 consecutive games and has at least 34 points in each of its past eight games against Tennessee.
25 Yards per reception have been averaged by Alabama WR Ryan Williams this season, the best in nation among players with at least 11 receptions. Williams has 23 receptions for 576 yards and six TDs. He has more receiving yards than any other freshman in the nation.
30 Victories and one loss for Tennessee under coach Josh Heupel when the Volunteers are ahead at halftime. The lone loss came on Oct. 21, 2023, in a 34-20 setback against Alabama, which Tennessee led 20-7 at halftime. Tennessee has outscored its opponents 149-12 in the first half this season.
42 Points have been averaged by Alabama and Tennessee this season. The Volunteers have scored 253 points and the Crimson Tide has scored 250 points in six games apiece. Alabama has exactly twice as many points as its opponents this season. Tennessee is a field goal short of having four times as many points as its opponents this season.
107 Football games between Alabama and Tennessee when they kick off on Saturday. The Crimson Tide leads the series 60-38-8 on the field. The teams have squared off annually since 1928 with the exception of the 1943 season. Alabama leads the series 13-9-1 when both teams are ranked, which is the case this season.
140 Alabama points have been the responsibility of QB Jalen Milroe, whose responsibility-average of 23.3 points per game is the second-highest in the nation this season. Milroe has 12 TD passes, 11 TD runs and one 2-point conversion pass. Miami (Fla.) QB Cameron Ward has 20 TD passes, three TD runs and two 2-point conversion passes for 142 points for a 23.7 average.
316 Games have been played by Alabama since it was most recently shut out. Alabama’s scoring streak is the third-longest in SEC history. Alabama’s most recent shutout loss came 9-0 to Auburn on Nov. 18, 2000.
699 Rushing yards for Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson this season, the most in the SEC. Sampson has averaged 5.9 yards and scored 15 TDs on 118 carries. Alabama’s rushing leader in 2024, RB Jam Miller, has 360 yards and five TDs on 51 carries.
1,350 Games for Tennessee when the Volunteers take the field against Alabama on Saturday. Tennessee has an on-the-field record of 881-415-53. Eight percent of the Vols’ games have come against Alabama, and the Crimson Tide is responsible for 14 percent of Tennessee’s losses.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Tennessee
Former Tennessee Football Legend Accepts SEC Coaching Gig
The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the main teams when it comes to producing talent and sending talent to the NFL, which is something that has often been discovered as a standard for the football program. This is something that has been going on for quite some time and isn’t anything new to the news cycle, as the Vols have been able to produce plenty of talented prospects.
Tennessee is the home of many stars, including some of the best defensive players in SEC history. Guys like Eric Berry have found their way through the Tennessee program and onto the NFL, where they would have legendary careers. However, the defensive side of the football is the only side that has produced plenty of talent, as Tennessee has produced a lot of offensive talent as well. With the likes of Peyton Manning and company, the Vols have shown a great track record in getting talent drafted.
The Vols have produced someone who could be considered as one of the best players to play the Tide end position, as the Knoxville, Tennessee program is the home to Dallas Cowboys legend, Jason Witten. Witten is someone who made the most of his career and has been viewed as a top player at the Tide in position, and someone who is often referred to as a legend for the Cowboys, along with being a legend in the game of football as a whole.
Jason Witten Accepts TE Coach Position For Oklahoma
Witten is now taking a new gig, which has him in a huge role inside the Southeastern Conference. The Vols legend is now the tight end coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have had some success out of their tight ends in the past, but the sky is the limit with a guy like Witten coaching up the players. Witten has the opportunity to do really well, as coaching tight ends won’t be an issue, and you have to imagine that he will be able to recruit very well, considering he has a huge name around him, as this is something that we have seen from positional coaches as well as head coaches who have done great work in the league. You have to imagine that the Vols will now have stiff competition for his son, Cooper, who is a five-star recruit for the upcoming 2027 class at the linebacker position.
More Vols News
Tennessee
Tennessee Football DB Transfer Boo Carter Visits the Vols Rival
The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to land many of the nation’s best players in the transfer portal to replace the players who have already announced they are transferring away from Tennessee. One of the players they lost very early on to the portal, and his plans of entering the portal is Boo Carter.
Carter is someone who has quickly made a name for himself, as he played for the Vols as a freshman. He also played for the Tennessee Vols this past season before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Carter entered the portal and left an announcement on his X page for those interested. Here is what was said.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank The University of Tennessee Coaches, administrators and fans for a wonderful 2 years. Unfortunately my season has been cut short due to injury. I have decided to enter the transfer portal and I am excited about the opportunities going forward!-Boo Carter”
Boo Carter Visits Vanderbilt
Now that the portal is here, he has started to hear from many teams, including a team many anticipated to be in the picture. The Vols DB heard from the Vanderbilt staff and is now reportedly visiting them. This is a school where many of his friends go currently, and a school that has been doing well, but it is no secret that this is one of the Vols’ biggest rivalries.
He is undecided on a possible commitment somewhere, but the reports have started to indicate that the Commodores are a team to watch moving forward. This will be one to watch for the Vols, as there is a good chance they may see Carter next season.
“Dynamic athlete who quickly made an impact on defense and special teams as a true freshman … Earned the starting STAR position and shined while becoming a dangerous weapon as a punt returner as a true freshman in 2024 … Saw action as a slot receiver as well during 2025 spring practices … Early enrollee in January 2024 who participated in Citrus Bowl practices and spring practice before his true freshman season … Has compiled 63 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups and one interception on defense in his career … Dynamic punt returner who averages 16.0 yards per return in his career … Played in 21 career games and made five starts,” the Tennessee Vols athletics website stated.
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Tennessee
Tennessee Football Misses on Major Transfer Portal Target
The Tennessee Volunteers have been looking to land the best of the best when it comes to the transfer portal, and they have been targeting the best, but as of recently, all it has been is a bunch of swings and misses.
The Vols have missed yet again, as they have failed to land one of their top targets on their board when it comes to the college football transfer portal at a position that they currently need more than any. That position is the cornerback position, which is one that they need very badly.
The player that they failed to land in this go-around is Troy cornerback Jaquez White. White is one of the better players that the portal has seen at the position, as he was easily named as a top portal target for many. He was seriously looking at Tennessee, and the Vols were ready to bring him in, but instead, he has opted to commit to the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies have done a decent job in the portal thus far, but their portal class has definitely improved following the addition of White.
Whether this is a money thing or the Vols just couldn’t do enough convincing, the point is that they have missed on guys left and right recently. The vision isn’t clear, but fans are hopeful that it will be soon.
Here is what White did in his 2025 season according to the Troy website.
Jaquez White’s 2025 Season
“Earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors … Ranked third in the league (seventh nationally) with 14 total passes defended and fourth (15th nationally) with 11 pass break ups … Started 12 games and played in all 14 contests … Returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in Troy’s victory over Louisiana; added interceptions against Nicholls and in Sun Belt Championship Game at James Madison … Finished season with 67 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack … Sack came in Troy’s win over South Alabama; added five tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass break up in the game … Season-best seven tackles against Memphis … Broke up four passes in win at ULM and had a pair at Southern Miss … Troy’s top-rated defender per PFF with an 87.6 rating … Played 879 defensive snaps, second most on the team … Third-rated cornerback in the country (min. 700 snaps) per PFF and fourth-rated cover corner … Held opponents to a 54.5 reception percentage (36-of-66).”
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