He is a college football legend and a former member of ESPN, but he likes Saturday’s matchup between Alabama and Tennessee.
David Pollack, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, broke down the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry on a podcast and gave his thoughts on who has the edge. The native Georgian, former Bulldog, two-time Consensus All-American, and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner gives the edge to the Crimson Tide because of Jalen Milroe’s playmaking abilities.
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However, Pollack does see a way for Tennessee to get a must needed victory. He said the Volunteers have to run Nico Iamaleava more. Pollack feels Josh Heupel needs to call zone reads and quarterback runs to allow the freshman quarterback to settle in.
Pollack said a combination of Iamaleava and Dylan Sampson running ball is huge for the Vols. Iamaleava, a California native, has been in a slump the last two weeks. He was seven times combined versus Arkansas and Florida and was picked off once against the Gators. Pollack said Iamaleava needs to get something good early against Alabama to give him confidence.
“If he can make some plays, then Tennessee can easily win this game,” Pollack said about Iamaleava.
We will see if the freshman can have the game of his life or will Alabama’s defense frustrate him with different looks.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
