Tennessee fans can't cheer for Jeremy Pruitt without pulling for Alabama in the postseason
John Adams
Tennessee fans endured a dismal 2017 season. The postseason hasn’t been much better.
It’s bad enough that the Vols didn’t qualify for a bowl game. But now they have to watch archrival Alabama make a run at another national championship.
Not only that, but they also have a vested interest in Alabama’s success.
So UT fans might as well buy red-and-white pompoms and practice shouting “Roll Tide” because a rolling Tide will help provide confirmation of UT's new coach, Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.
I realize how unnatural pulling for Alabama might be for Tennessee fans. It’s also unnatural for every other team in the SEC.
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Most SEC fans root for SEC teams in bowls. But Alabama is an exception. It has won too often and won too many national championships.
In so doing, it has separated itself from the rest of the conference in football the way Kentucky has in basketball. Other fans might wear buttons that read “Beat Bama.” Alabama fans wear buttons that read “Beat Everybody.”
Alabama has qualified for all four College Football Playoffs. It has won four national championships since 2008 and is two victories away from a fifth.
The rest of the SEC suffers from Alabama fatigue.
But Tennessee fans will have to fight through that when Alabama plays Clemson on Monday evening in a CFP semifinal game.
A coaching change is the biggest reason for Tennessee fans to be optimistic about the 2018 season after the Vols went 4-8 in coach Butch Jones’ fifth and final season. The better Alabama’s defense looks against a talented offense like Clemson’s, the more optimistic UT fans can be.
Tennessee’s offense struggled terribly this past season. But its defensive problems extend beyond this season. The Vols have given up 36 or more points nine times in their past 14 SEC games. In seven of those games, they gave up 41 or more points.
When Pruitt leaves Alabama after its last game, he can’t bring all of Alabama’s future NFL defenders with him. However, it’s not farfetched to think he can get more from a less talented Tennessee defense.
The Vols have given up 1,399 yards in their past two games against Missouri. They have given up 94 points in their past two games against Alabama.
But the past two games again Vanderbilt have been just as revealing about UT’s defensive shortcomings.
In 2016, Vanderbilt entered the Tennessee game averaging 16.7 points in SEC play. It scored 45 on Tennessee.
In 2017, Vanderbilt entered the UT game averaging 19.7 points in SEC play. It scored 42 on the Vols.
That’s two successive seasons in which the Commodores offense has looked far better against Tennessee than it did against anyone else in the conference. That’s not just a matter of talent. That’s about coaching, too.
Given Pruitt’s reputation as a defensive coach, surely he can help Tennessee slow down the Commodores. But his next challenge will come against Clemson.
And most Tennessee fans will be on his side, even if his success leads to another Alabama national title.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.
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