Jeremy Pruitt is 48 years old. He grew up in Rainsville, Ala., coached in the state at the high school level and spent three stints at the University of Alabama.
Throughout that time, the now Tennesee head coach has never seen a Crimson Tide offense quite like this.
“I think through the first four games, this is probably the best Alabama offense that I’ve ever seen since I’ve been alive," Pruitt said. “They spread you out all over the field. They can run the ball when they want to. They create explosive plays, lots of dynamic playmakers. They spread it around and make very little mistakes.”
Alabama ranks No. 2 in the nation in scoring offense with 48.5 points per game. The Tide has recorded the same number of touchdowns (26) and field goals (4) as No. 1 Texas, but a pair of two-point conversions and a safety on defense have given the Longhorns the top spot.
Alabama also ranks No. 2 in passing offense with 393 yards per game and ranks No. 5 in total offense averaging 561.3 yards. All this while managing an all-SEC schedule and coming off a game against the previously No. 1 rated defense in Georiga.
Pruitt, who served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator from 2016-17, will be tasked with slowing down his former team on Saturday. After looking over tape this week, that seems like a daunting task.
“They’ve been pretty good offensively for several years,” Pruitt reiterated, "but through four games, from efficiency, explosiveness plays, scoring, I would have to say they’re playing as good as any I’ve ever seen.”
In his evaluation of Alabama, Pruitt started at the quarterback position where Mac Jones leads the nation with a 220.1 passer rating while also topping the SEC in passing (1,518 yards), completion percentage (78.26) and yards per pass attempt (13.2).
He also highlighted the wide receiver position where DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie III all have more than 300 yards and at least three touchdowns apiece through four games. There’s also running back Najee Harris, who leads the nation with 11 touchdowns on the ground.
“But I’m not so sure that the strength of their offensive team is not their offensive line,” Pruitt said. “It’s probably the best offensive line that I’ve seen in a long, long time. They’re physical. They seldom make mistakes. Very efficient in the run game, score touchdowns, explosive.”
So how does Pruitt plan to stop the Tide’s attack? For starters, Tennessee’s defense has been decent itself, ranking in the top 40 in scoring (29.3 points allowed per game), total defense (362 yards allowed per game), passing defense (213.3), and run defense (148.75). However, the Volunteer head coach knows his team will have to do even better than that end up with a win over Alabama on Saturday.
“Obviously we need to create some negative plays,” Pruitt said. “Don’t need to give up explosive plays. We got to be able to get the quarterback off the spot, hopefully get some batted balls, create turnovers. Got to be able to win at the line of scrimmage and keep them from being able to run the football.
“Of course, that’s what everybody’s tried to do. Obviously, it’s been very hard to do.”
