3-2-1: Alabama not surprised by Mac Jones' hot start

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Due to an altered schedule, the Third Saturday in October rivalry actually falls on the fourth Saturday of the month this season. Nevertheless, No. 2 Alabama (4-0) will look to continue its success over Tennessee (2-2) this weekend. The Crimson Tide has won 13 straight games over the Volunteers and is currently a three-touchdown favorite heading into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Knoxville, Tenn.

Today we will dive into some of the matchup’s storylines by providing three observations, two questions and one prediction.

Mac Jones might have taken college football by surprise this season, but those inside of Alabama’s program saw this rise coming from a mile away. During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Nick Saban scoffed at the assumption that the redshirt junior had exceeded his expectations so far.

“I didn't say that, so I guess that's your assumption that he's exceeding expectations,” Saban said. “We had a lot of confidence in Mac. We thought he could play well. Our challenge is to always keep him in the right place where he makes good choices and decisions, and he's done that. He's done a really good job of that.”

Pick a passing stat, and Jones is likely at or near the top of it. He leads the nation in passer rating (120.1) and yards per attempt (13.2), ranks second in passing yards per game (379.5) and completion percentage (78.3) and is tied for seventh with 12 touchdown passes. Seven of those touchdowns have come from passes that have traveled 20 or more yards through the air.

Jones, who now finds himself as a Heisman frontrunner, started his career on Alabama’s practice squad behind two eventual Heisman finalists in Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts. Wednesday, Saban praised Jones’ patience, especially during an era where so many quarterbacks transfer after failing to receive early playing time.

“We've obviously always had a tremendous amount of respect for Mac in terms of how he viewed his development as a player,” Saban said. “He never was ever discouraged or really ever talked about leaving or transferring. I think he had a different mentality that I've got to work hard to try to earn a spot here, and by doing that over several years improved pretty dramatically and used the opportunity to play behind the good players to actually enhance his development, see how they did things. And consequently, I think when he got his opportunity after being here for several years, he's played pretty well.”

Butch Jones is heading into his third reunion with the team that fired him as head coach during the 2017 season. Since being let go from Tennessee, Jones has lived a quieter life as a part of Alabama’s support staff.

Once infamously described as an “intern” by Saban, Jones was promoted this year from offensive analyst to special assistant to the head coach. Wednesday, Saban discussed Jones’ new role, referring to him as an “off-the-field coach.”

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