Tide Illustrated staff writer Henry Sklar spoke with VolReport Assistant Managing Editor Ryan Sylvia to get insight into this week's matchup between No. 7 Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee

The program has almost done a complete 180 since then in terms of strengths and weaknesses. While in 2022, it was possibly the best offense in the country that covered up a weak defense, now, it's possibly the best defense in the country bailing out what has been a struggling offense. The pieces are there for this offense to find its footing again, but through three SEC games, it's been subpar. If the offense can return to even an average level, with this defense, Tennessee will be an extremely tough team to beat. At this point, you kind of have to see it to believe it, though.

Nico Iamaleava has shown flashes of the potential he can reach, but it's been tough sledding the last few weeks. A big reason for this is the offensive line. Both tackle spots have had a rough stretch and it's hurt Iamaleava's ability to keep his eyes downfield. He can certainly play better himself, but if he has another rough game, I expect it to be because the Alabama defensive line is getting into the backfield. If he does get a clean pocket, he has to be more accurate, though. He had a few moments during the win over Florida where if he throws just a little bit better of a ball, it's a long touchdown and the game could've been put away. Instead, the Gators forced overtime and nearly caused an upset. It feels like Iamaleava and the entire offense are close to putting all the pieces together but it won't be an easy task to do so this weekend.

Since Jalin Hyatt left for the NFL, it's been Squirrel White in the slot. Now in his junior season, he is coming off an upper-body injury suffered against Arkansas that clearly limited him against Florida. He can still run fine, but the range of motion with his arm is limited and possibly played into a missed deep ball against the Gators. Dont'e Thornton is another speedster who could have a similar breakout game but he's battling through a lower-body injury that held him to all but four snaps against Florida and may limit his ability to go downfield. Bru McCoy, who caught the pass to set up the game-winning field goal in 2022, is also banged up in multiple spots. Chris Brazzell is the healthiest and has made some big plays but has been inconsistent this season. Because of this, it's tough to predict who could be an x-factor at receiver. If I had to pick, I'd say White out of the slot, but we'll see how he looks health-wise this weekend.

I think Tennessee's defensive line is as good as anyone's in the country. It's led by edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Tyre West who will have to do a sound job of keeping Jalen Milroe from getting to the outside. On the interior, there are more proven players who should be able to defeat blocks and keep him from stepping up in the pocket and escaping that way. Nobody will fully limit what Milroe can do with his legs, but the Vols are set up to defend him as well as anyone in the country. With upwards of 12 defensive linemen playing every game, the advantage of having fresh legs is also notable going up against gassed-out offensive linemen.

For Tennessee to win, it'll need the offense to take a step forward. I don't think the Vols will need to score 52 points again, but the output from prior SEC games likely won't be enough to top the Tide. The offensive line will need to give Iamaleava time and he'll have to be accurate while making sound decisions when given opportunities to throw. Getting the run game with Dylan Sampson, the Vols' biggest offensive threat, going will also be imperative to opening up the rest of the offense. If Tennessee can get in the upper 20s or 30s on the scoreboard, I think the defense is capable of doing a good enough job to win.