While the Hall of Fame quarterback won’t be in attendance in Tuscaloosa for this weekend’s coveted Third Saturday in October game between No. 11 Alabama and No. 17 Tennessee, former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning still has his eye on the matchup and the lead-in to the game.
Manning made the media rounds on Thursday doing interviews with both The Pat McAfee Show and Always College Football and spoke quite a bit about this Saturday’s game between the Vols and the Tide.
Manning provided a look into the Vols’ offense during his interview with McAfee but couldn’t help but start off with a few jokes directed toward the Tide.
“It’s funny. I mean, I can’t think of the last time that Alabama has beaten us,” Manning said with a laugh on McAfee’s show. “We obviously took care of business last year. The series has been so one-sided since 2022! So, I’m going to tune in Saturday but I think I kind of know what’s going to happen because we’ve kind of had our way with them since 2022.”
McAfee swiveled around in his chair in the background holding in his laughter while former NFL great AJ Hawk had a grin on as well.
Manning did come back around to give some thoughts on the game and give credit where it was due.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Manning said about the upcoming game. “Nick Saban, for some reason I think he remembers that game from last year, he remembers the pictures of the cigars – I was having one as well in the locker room – it had been a long time since we had the chance to do that. I know Coach Saban is going to have those guys ready but I also think that Coach Heupel has challenged our team to be known as a really elite team. We’ve got to win on the road and we didn’t do that last year in Athens and in South Carolina. This is our first big road test. It’s going to be rocking in Tuscaloosa.”
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While Manning might be forgetting about the Vols’ Florida game, as many in the Vols’ fanbase have tried to as well, the quarterback’s point still rings true. It’s going to be imperative that Tennessee comes out better in a hostile environment than they showed against Florida in Week 3 of the season. Communication must be strong to combat the Alabama crowd looking for revenge.
“Alabama-Tennessee, it’s what it’s all about,” Manning continued on to say. “I was honored to be part of that rivalry for four years and won three out of the four. I still have a couple of those cigars, Pat. I have those framed. Those are keepsakes for sure.”
One name that was not present for Manning’s wins over Alabama back in the day was head coach Nick Saban. The Alabama coach took over before the 2007 season and did not lose to Tennessee until the 2022 season. Saban was also a guest on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and gave some of his thoughts on the game, too.
“We have played well when we’re a little bit upset and have an edge to us,” Saban said on Thursday. “That’s something that we have to go in this game with. I thought we played the game last year with a lot of anxiety. There was a lot on the line. A lot of guys put a lot of pressure on themselves. We don’t really want to go there. We want to keep an edge about how we compete, how we focus, how we play because the way they (Tennessee) play challenges you to do that.”
Saban continued to break down Tennessee’s offense.
“When they go fast on offense, they run 2.7 plays a minute,” Saban said. “That’s completely different for a defensive player. It’s a difficult preparation because you can’t get your scout team to do it right during the week of practice. They’re going to fast and you have to be able to get lined up on defense and not make mental mistakes and be able to execute and do what you do.”
No. 11 Alabama will host No. 17 Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. ET in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The game broadcast will be on CBS.
“I won’t be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday but I’ll be pulling hard for the Vols,” Manning said. “It should be a good one.”
