Tennessee football will be down a key defender when it takes the field against Alabama on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Sophomore linebacker Edwin Spillman is suspended for the first half of the rivalry matchup after officials penalized him for targeting in the second half of Tennessee’s win over Arkansas a week ago.
By NCAA rule, a player is ejected anytime they commit a targeting penalty. If the penalty occurs in the second half of a game, they can not play the first half of the following game. Spillman committed the obvious targeting penalty with 8:33 remaining in the fourth quarter against the Razorbacks.
Spillman is not a starter for Tennessee but he is still a key player on the Vols’ defense. Through the first six games of the season, Spillman’s recorded 28 tackles, one sack and five quarterback pressures.
Tennessee has leaded heavily on its top three linebackers this season. Junior Arion Carter leads the way with 323 total snaps while junior Jeremiah Telander is second with 237 snaps. Spillman is only slightly behind Telander with 228 snaps and totaled more snaps then Telander in wins over Mississippi State and UAB while playing the exact same number of snaps in the Georgia game.
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Spillman’s 70.0 PFF grade is also the highest of Tennessee’s top linebackers this season, barely edging out Carter (68.4) and Telander (64.2).
Where will Tennessee turn in the first half with Spillman sidelined? Carter and Telander could each play more snaps. Veteran Ben Bolton as well as underclassmen Jordan Burns, Jaedon Harmon or Jadon Perlotte could all see increased workloads against the Crimson Tide. All four have played sparingly this season but have failed to gain consistent roles.
Alabama is currently 8.5-point home favorites over Tennessee according to the DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 58.5
Kickoff between Tennessee and Alabama is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath are on the call for ABC.
