Gene Stallings Says Alabama-Tennessee ‘Always Gives Me a Little Chill’
Former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings knows all about the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry. He spent seven years in Tuscaloosa as an assistant coach and another seven years as the Crimson Tide's head coach.
While he was in charge of the program from 1990-1996, Stallings lost to the Volunteers just twice. He finished with a career record of 4-2-1 in the series known as the 'Third Saturday in October.'
Stallings joined The Game a few days before Alabama and Tennessee were set to play in Knoxville to discuss the series and share his memories of the rivalry.
"Back when I was coaching at Alabama and we were getting ready to play Tennessee, we would go into our indoor facility and play 'Rocky Top' as loud as we could play it because it's going to be a hostile environment."
Stallings had a chance to see Tennessee and Texas A&M play last week and he agrees that Alabama should be the clear favorite on Saturday.
"Alabama, in my opinion, is the best football team. The best football team doesn't always win, but if I was coaching one or the other, I'd rather have Alabama's players than have Tennessee's players. But this is a big, big game for Tennessee."
You can listen to the full interview with Gene Stallings in the video above.
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