A respected and well-documented rivalry in college football adds a new chapter this weekend.
The “Third Saturday in October” battle between Alabama and Tennessee has a new coach for the Crimson Tide in Kalen DeBoer.
RELATED: What Kalen DeBoer needs to do to position himself for this award at Alabama
DeBoer has the opportunity to guide Alabama through the remainder of its regular season schedule without a blemish.
The Tide suffered a 35-40 loss to Vanderbilt, yet the defeat looks like a quality one with how the Commodores have excelled under Clark Lea this year. Tennessee fans remembered defeating Nick Saban at Neyland Stadium in 2022, so they are excited to welcome DeBoer to Rocky Top in Knoxville, Tenn. Many questions surround this matchup, but what are the biggest ones?
Those are below for this game.
1. Will Alabama’s third down defense show improvement?
Third-down efficiency will be the biggest area for Alabama’s defense.
Kane Wommack has to consistently win this category over Josh Heupel.
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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.