Several things had a role in the University of Alabama football team losing to Tennessee in 2022.
The crowd noise was a pivotal factor at Neyland Stadium.
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Tennessee fans had not tasted a victory over Alabama in Nick Saban’s tenure before last season. The place shook from start to finish, and it created anxiety for the Crimson Tide. Alabama’s players failed to match the intensity of the Volunteers and its crowd. The atmosphere Tennessee generated led to 17 penalties and other mental mistakes that Bryce Young could not overcome in a 49-52 loss for Alabama. It was one of two defeats on the schedule, forcing the Tide to not compete for a Southeastern Conference Championship and a College Football Playoff National Championship. Alabama played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Coach Saban knows the significance of home-field advantage. Tennessee and LSU had it last year versus Alabama, and it allowed both schools to beat the Tide. On Thursday, Saban challenged Tide fans on his radio show to create ‘winning momentum’ inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the players in Saturday’s meeting with the Volunteers. The Tide wants a new streak in the rivalry.
“We talk about what a great rivalry game this is and what a big game it is, but it should be a big game for everybody,” Saban said. “Everybody is on the team, all the fans, everybody. The fans in this game should have a huge impact on this game. You could have a huge impact with the noise you make. This team is trying to go fast. They run 2.7 plays every minute in a game, so you can affect that and disrupt that by making noise. It will create an energy and environment that our players will play better in. They will be able to sustain their intensity better, which is what we lost last week. It is going to take that kind of game for 60 minutes. These guys make a lot of explosive plays, they go fast, so it’s going to be one of those games, and everyone has to stay with it. As fans, you create the momentum of the game by what you do. Don’t worry about the players creating it, you create it for them.”
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Saban is asking fans to create a chaotic environment that makes Josh Heupel and Tennessee’s offense uncomfortable.
The Volunteers made Alabama uncomfortable a season ago, and we saw the outcome. Saban wants the passion from Tide fans to show out this weekend, but will he get it? We will know by the reaction from the crowd throughout the matchup.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
