Football Finalizes Gameplan for Top-10 Contest at No. 9/11 Tennessee
10/13/2016 5:19:00 PM | Football
The annual “Third Saturday in October” matchup is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama football team went through a final practice on Thursday afternoon, working a 90-minute session in shells inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The practice focused on special teams and put the final touches on a gameplan for No. 9/11 Tennessee.
The annual "Third Saturday in October" matchup with the Vols will air live this Saturday on CBS at 2:30 p.m. CT. The tandem of Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson will have the call from the booth with Allie LaForce helping from the sidelines.
The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series with Tennessee, 52-38-7 (53-37-8 actual), and has won nine straight games against the Vols. Saturday will mark the 99th meeting between the two teams in the "Third Saturday in October" rivalry that dates back to 1901. Alabama has won the last four contests with Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, including a 34-20 victory in 2014, the last time the two teams squared off in Knoxville. The most recent meeting occurred last season in Tuscaloosa, when the Crimson Tide came away with a 19-14 win.
Earlier in the day, sophomore corner Minkah Fitzpatrick earned his third national honor and fourth player of the week award, this time being named the Chuck Bednarik Player of the Week. The second-year defensive back earned the honor thanks to his three-interception performance in Fayetteville last weekend which included an Alabama all-time long return of 100 yards for a score on his final pick of the night. Fitzpatrick had previously been named the Walter Camp Defensive and Bednarik Player of the Week as well as the Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week on the national scale in addition to earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors from the conference.
Following Saturday's game with the Vols, Alabama will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium to host No. 6/6 Texas A&M on Oct. 22. The Tide is 6-2 against the Aggies and 1-1 all-time in Tuscaloosa. Alabama defeated Texas A&M, 59-0, in the Aggies' last visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2014. Head coach Nick Saban is 3-1 against Texas A&M in his career, with all of those meetings taking place during his tenure at Alabama.
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