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Iconic Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler never beat Alabama on the field, but his son could play an important part in knocking off the Crimson Tide.
Navy Shuler, a fifth-year senior, is playing the role of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on the scout team in practice this week. Redshirt freshman Ryan Damron is also standing in for a few snaps.
Neither has the speed and athleticism of Milroe. Then again, very few quarterbacks do.
“Navy is obviously a really good athlete for us. And he did a really good job for us (in practice on Tuesday),” defensive coordinator Tim Banks said. “We’re trying to move different guys there to show (a Milroe simulation) to us. But we don’t have one of those guys on our (scout) team.”
Making Milroe uncomfortable is among the Vols’ top priorities, but that isn’t a singular task. He has the highest passer rating (191.04) in the SEC. And his 11 rushing touchdowns rank second in the conference behind UT running back Dylan Sampson’s 15.
No. 10 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) plays No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Neyland Stadium.
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Why it’s so hard to imitate Jalen Milroe
Heath Shuler, the 1993 Heisman Trophy runner-up, would have been a good stand-in for Milroe. He was a dynamic runner with a cannon for a throwing arm.
The Vols lost to Alabama during Shuler’s freshman and sophomore seasons. In 1993, he led them to a 17-17 tie, which was later forfeited by Alabama due to NCAA sanctions.
Navy Shuler is an elusive runner, so he serves the purpose of imitating Milroe this week.
However, no one on UT’s roster can throw a deep pass like Milroe, except for Iamaleava. But he has his hands full trying to fix UT’s frustrating issues on offense.
“When you (play against) a great player,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/heath-shulers-son-helps-tennessee-191510487.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-10-15 19:15:10
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