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Ryan Williams’ rankings of Alabama football rivalries has not changed since he was a kid.
It was always the Iron Bowl vs. Auburn first, with his dad being a former Tigers cornerback. But Williams remembers “The Third Saturday in October” too, name-dropping Peyton Manning and Jalin Hyatt as the players he thinks of first when it comes to the Volunteers.
“I typically think of the ones where we didn’t do as well, so then it adds to the fuel,” Williams said.
In the 17 editions of the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry Williams has been alive for, he has not seen much other than Crimson Tide successes. The Volunteers’ only win against the Crimson Tide since 2007 was a 52-49 win in Knoxville in 2022.
It’s a rivalry that carries weight in Tuscaloosa, something Kalen DeBoer has come to understand as he leads a new era of Crimson Tide football. But it’s also a rivalry DeBoer and the rest of the team is approaching from a larger lens.
“As a coach, they’re all big and you take one at a time. But certainly understand the significance of the rivalry,” DeBoer said. “Guys are going to be very motivated to go out and do their best and prepare well and be great on Saturday.”
Alabama football vs. Tennessee: ‘We can make it what we want to make it’
Freddie Roach knows the significance of the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry more than most. And he’s had the chance for his fair share of victory cigars.
When Roach was an award-winning linebacker for the Crimson Tide from 2002-05, Alabama split its four meetings against Tennessee. In his first Alabama stint as an assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2008-10, the Crimson Tide outscored the Volunteers 82-29 in three wins. And since his return to the Alabama as its defensive line coach in 2020, the Crimson Tide have won three of four against Tennessee.
But Roach isn’t buying in on the rivalry noise.
“We…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-football-approaching-first-tennessee-090559663.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-10-17 09:05:59
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