By Adam Bache
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It’s no secret that it hasn’t been a great season to this point for the Tennessee secondary. The group ranks in the bottom three both in total pass yards allowed and pass yards allowed per game in the SEC at the halfway point of the season.
They now travel to Bryant Denny Stadium to face a red-hot Alabama team led by quarterback Ty Simpson, who is currently second in Heisman betting odds, and a trio of wide receivers in Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton, who would all be the clear-cut best wideout on a lot of teams throughout the country.
“They like to play man-to-man, and they want to bring the house,” Bernard said Monday on The Next Round podcast. “So, yeah, it’s a great opportunity for our offense. They give up a lot of yards, but that’s because they trust and believe in their guys to get the job done. For us to have the opportunity to go against man-to-man, it’s a field of dreams.”
The Tennessee secondary will look to flip that narrative on Saturday. Safety Jalen McMurray said the Vols’ defensive mindset has been about attacking the ball and trusting each other to cover their assignments.
“If 11 people do their job, that’s a hard defense to really score on,” he said. “You need to trust the other people to do their job so you can execute yours… Everyone does their job, someone’s going to make a play, and that only benefits the team.”
Secondary coach Willie Martinez echoed that sentiment, as he emphasized communication and discipline as key for the secondary this week.
“if you’re not all on the same page, your holes – they’ll pick you apart. We’ve had 10 guys doing it right, one guy didn’t do it right, We’ve had that before.” Martinez stated. “Moving forward, I mean, that’s the whole idea, man. It’s just doing your job. Everybody just do their job, all 11 guys.”
The secondary has had success forcing turnovers this season, a trait that McMurray says comes from practice habits.
“In practice, we really focus on punching at the ball, creating those turnovers,” McMurray said. “When those turnovers happen, it’s because of the habits we created during practice.”
Stopping Simpson and his trio of elite receivers will demand near-flawless execution from the Vols. With the Crimson Tide offense firing on all cylinders, the Volunteer secondary will face its toughest test of the season. But Saturday at Bryant Denny is also a chance to flip the narrative for this group – If they can hold their ground against the Crimson Tide, Tennessee’s secondary could rewrite its story in a single night.