Alabama fans are waiting to celebrate Tide’s victory with cigars, a tradition that has endured for 63 years. Now the question is, will the Tennessee Volunteers let them easily win? This Saturday, fans can expect a thrilling contest filled with passion and determination as each team fights for a pivotal win. While Kalen DeBoer and his squad are currently looking to regain their momentum, Josh Heupel is eager to claim his sixth win of the season. As Tide prepares for its crucial matchup against Tennessee, an American sports reporter for ESPN, Pete Thamel, highlights the challenges the new coach is facing to uphold the long 17-year legacy of Nick Saban.

Can you state the differences between Nick Saban’s and Kalen DeBoer’s coaching styles? In a recent video shared on the ESPN College Football YouTube channel, Pete Thamel delves into the current state of Alabama football under head coach Kalen DeBoer. He compared DeBoer’s coaching style to Saban’s “Darth Vander” legacy.

“So my analysis of where Alabama is right now is going to just be a reminder of what Alabama is, isn’t it? It is not the Nick Saban Darth Vader marching forward emotionlessly, and you know, playing the sort of bloodless killer that they played for basically that game, right?” He added, “Kalen DeBoer is just a totally different style of coach. And if you look at who they hired, this is actually who they hired. They hired a guy who figures out how to win games and often wins them as a high-wire act.”

Thamel also acknowledged DeBoer’s coaching style, saying, “The Kalen DeBoer era, I feel like, is going to be fine. I just think we’ve been reminded it’s going to look and feel different. And right now, with the way college football has changed in the bottom of these leagues, moving up because of the portal, you know, it’s just going to be a different kind of fight for the time.”

The coming weeks are crucial for DeBoer as he tries to establish his vision for Alabama football. There have been more challenges than he would have hoped for, but things are fixable. Whatever is messy today looked efficient at some point this season. For instance, the offense dominated the Bulldogs and even Vanderbilt, but was off against South Carolina. That can’t continue. Jalen Milroe has something to say about that.

Jalen Milroe faces criticism but stays confident ahead of the rivalry matchup

Kalen DeBoer is not the only one facing scrutiny; Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is also under fire as he faces criticism regarding his recent performances. Before Alabama lost to a non-ranked team, Vanderbilt Milroe was leading the Heisman Trophy race, but unfortunately, Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and the rising star Ashton Jeanty surpassed him.

Even after facing criticism for two weeks, Jalen Milroe is keeping his morals high as he prepares for Alabama’s road game against Tennessee. “I feel confident,” Milroe said. “We have a lot of guys in the locker room that acknowledge the rivalry, acknowledge what it takes to win, and acknowledge all the hard work that needs to be done during the week so that we can put our best foot forward when it comes to this Saturday.”

He further reflected on their preparation for the biggest rivalry and mentioned, “Definitely a great week to be prepared, understand our assignment, and just have a lot of fun. Because this is going to be a lot of fun, playing in games like this, especially for all of us, so, it’s all about locking in today and being the best version of ourselves.”

The game is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CST. Will Neyland Stadium witness history this Saturday?