Volunteers try to slow down running back Mark Ingram, No. 1 Alabama’s ground game

Vols not expecting finesse from No. 1 Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Wes Brown likes No. 1 Alabama’s style.

The Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) runs the ball, hits defenses with play-action passes and doesn’t employ much trickery, unless you count running tailback Mark Ingram from the Wildcat formation.

It’s the kind of straightforward offense that a defensive tackle like Tennessee’s Brown can get up for going into Saturday’s game with the Tide.

“It does get frustrating when you’re playing the spread teams, and they’re throwing the ball everywhere, and just pitching the ball everywhere,” Brown said. “But you look at Alabama, and they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to show you we’re running the ball right here, so man up, and somebody’s going to falter.’

“It’s games like this, the really physical games, that are really fun to watch and really fun to play in.”

It’s the second time Tennessee (3-3, 1-2) has played the No. 1 team in the nation in Lane Kiffin’s first season. The first time, the Volunteers pushed current No. 2 Florida before losing 23-13 after plenty of offseason bickering.

Alabama jumped over the Gators just in time to give the Vols a second shot at No. 1, following a 20-6 win over South Carolina.

The Volunteers are the first team in nine years to play two No. 1s, and they are 2-7 against top-ranked teams. Tennessee was unranked the last time it beat a No. 1, topping Auburn 38-20 in 1985.

Unlike Florida, the only added source of friction for this one is that Alabama denied Tennessee’s SEC-approved request to wear its home orange jerseys on the road, which isn’t exactly prime bulletin board material.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said that was athletic director Mal Moore’s decision and that he has never had anything to do with uniforms.

Saban has nothing but praise for Kiffin, who entered the NFL with the Oakland Raiders just as Saban was leaving the Miami Dolphins.

“This is a really well-coached team,” Saban said. “They’re very well coached on defense, they’re very well coached on offense and Lane Kiffin does a really good job of that. They’re very disciplined, they don’t get a lot of penalties and they have made constant steady improvement throughout the season.”

Kiffin, meanwhile, said Alabama deserves the top spot over Florida. In fact, he indicated the Tide would be a program he’d like to use as a model for the Vols.

“He’s recruited great players. Back-to-back number one recruiting classes, that will help you a lot,” Kiffin said. “He has great discipline by the way that he runs his program. You can see it by the way that his players act, and you can see it in the style that they play with. They’re usually not a heavy penalized team. They’re very physical, they’re very aggressive and they play smart.

“I think there’s a lot of comparisons to what we’re doing and what they did three years ago.”

The Vols got their first big win of the Kiffin era two weeks ago with a 45-19 thrashing of Georgia before an open date. This one would be an even bigger statement and end Tennessee’s two-year losing streak in the rivalry.

Brown & Co. will have to find a way to slow down Ingram for that to happen. And Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton might have to duplicate his strong game vs. Georgia, this time against the nation’s No. 1 defense — which is third against the run.

Crompton earned SEC offensive player of the week honors after his first 300-yard passing game. Now, he faces a defense that has forced 11 turnovers in the last three games.

Alabama has allowed only nine points in its last two games, and that was against teams that were ranked at the time, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Ingram is coming off his best two games, combining for 418 yards rushing. The fact that 59 percent of his 905 yards have come after contact has the Vols wary.

“He thrives off that,” Brown said. “He just barrels through people. We’re going to have to tackle well, because he’s a very good back.”

Kiffin also had praise for Alabama freshman backup Trent Richardson, who brings a change of pace.

“When Trent goes in there, he’s as fast as they come,” he said. “It’s a great combination of two backs, and we’re going to really, really have to tackle well.”

The Vols defense ranks third in the league against the run, giving up 110 yards a game and only allowing four touchdowns on the ground.

Saban has had success in the traditional “Third Saturday in October” rivalry game in his first two seasons with Alabama. The Tide won the last two meetings against Philip Fulmer’s teams 41-17 and 29-9.

It hasn’t been a rivalry that has produced many upsets. The higher ranked team has gone 45-9-2 in the series since 1939. It’s only the second time the Vols have come into the game unranked since 2000.

AP Sports Writer Beth Rucker in Knoxville, Tenn., contributed to this report.