KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee senior linebacker Rico McCoy's eyes widened with excitement. His voice rose a decibel or two. Amazing what a win over Georgia followed by an off week will do for a guy.

"I think we really can win this ballgame," he said of Saturday's showdown at No. 1 Alabama. "We really should win this ballgame. This team has come together. I'm excited about this one."
It would be easy to pass this off as blind loyalty to the Big Orange if not for the chief reason for McCoy's enthusiasm: defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

"Oh, he's definitely more confident breaking down Alabama's offense," McCoy said when asked to compare Kiffin's game plan against the Crimson Tide with earlier losing efforts against fellow SEC rivals Florida and Auburn.

"It's pretty simple for us right now. Simple doesn't make it easy. Simple doesn't mean you can stop it. But this is man-on-man football. You don't have to worry about reverses, about trickery. It's just going to be who flinches first."

Tennessee had pretty much flinched first all season when it mattered most until Georgia came to Neyland Stadium two Saturdays ago and left with a 45-19 loss. But embattled quarterback Jonathan Crompton is coming off a four-TD passing performance against the Bulldogs, the Vols are healthier than they've been all season and the Tide suddenly look a bit shaky any time they have to throw the ball.

All of which brings us back to Monte Kiffin, long regarded as one of the two or three best defensive coordinators in the NFL before he joined his son Lane at UT last winter.

Despite his NFL pedigree, Pops Kiffin had, by his own admission, struggled with the five-wide, shotgun, wildcat, mish-mash offenses of Auburn and Florida.

But Alabama doesn't run any of that. Befitting the NFL past of coach Nick Saban, the 7-0 Crimson Tide run a pro-style attack -- emphasis on "run," given their 229.3 rushing yards per game against a schedule that has included three Top 25 opponents.

Or as Lane Kiffin said Tuesday in comparing former No. 1 Florida to new No. 1 Bama: "Alabama comes more at you. Very physical on both sides of the ball. More what the NFL does."

In other words, more what Monte Kiffin is used to defending.

So when UT defensive end Chris Walker was asked about growing evidence that Bama is vulnerable to a strong pass rush, Walker grinned and said, "Oh, yeah, that brightens our eyes up. We're itching for some sacks."

Walker also said, "The coaches have done a very good job of getting us ready. Obviously, (Alabama) ranked No. 1. When we come out Saturday, we're going to have to disappoint a lot of people."

Before Bama backers dismiss this as misplaced confidence, they should consider that the Vols are third in the league in rushing defense and third in overall defense and held Florida to 323 total yards on its home field in a 23-13 loss.

"If we can stop the run, they'll have to pass, which is something they don't want to do," Walker said.

Of course, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach might be the only coach in the country who would want to pass if he could hand the ball to SEC leading rusher Mark Ingram (129.3 yards a game) or fleet freshman Trent Richardson (51.3 yards).

Still, even McCoy admits he's not quite sure what to expect Saturday.

"I'm hoping they're not as good as Florida, to be honest with you," he said. "We did lose that one, after all."