TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Here's a look at three lessons learned in No. 1 Alabama's 45-10 win over Tennessee on Saturday night.
Collins can play: Alabama might miss Vinnie Sunseri, but it might not be in terms of his leadership. It was clear from early on Saturday as he shouted at teammates and limped on and off the field that despite a season-ending knee injury, Sunseri is determined to spearhead the secondary as its vocal leader on the sidelines. During the game, Landon Collins picked up the slack. The talented true sophomore was a playmaker, returning an interception 89 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. Tennessee never got anything going through the air as Justin Worley and Josh Dobbs combined for 195 yards passing and two interceptions.
Drake is still learning: He's blazingly fast. His acceleration is staggering. His big play ability is really something. But for everything Kenyan Drake does well at running back, he's still learning. Too often he gets out of control and out of position. Against Tennessee he did it again, breaking a great run before fumbling the ball on the 1-yard line. Cleaning up the finer points of his game like ball security will take his game from promising to productive.
Alabama fans listen: Nick Saban made it clear he didn't want to see an empty seat in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He said if you don't want to stay, give away your tickets. And for the most part, Alabama's fans listened. Despite the Tide jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead, the vast majority of fans stuck around to watch the final minutes of the second half in Tuscaloosa.
