Overview

• No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) visits Alabama (5-1, 3-0) on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
• Alabama’s Ty Simpson enters as a reported Heisman frontrunner with the SEC’s top passer rating, totaling 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception.
• Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar leads the SEC with 1,680 passing yards along with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions, and the Volunteers pace the FBS at 48.2 points per game.
• Simpson, a Martin, Tennessee native and son of UT Martin coach Jason Simpson, recalls meeting Peyton Manning and crying after UT’s 50-0 win over UT Martin in 2010.
• Simpson stayed at Alabama through coaching changes to earn the starting job, while Aguilar rose from no Division I offers through multiple junior colleges, Appalachian State and UCLA—stories amplified by viral family moments that have drawn national attention.