By: NATE DeVILLE

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - - Fresh off a victory over Arkansas, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and the Volunteers shift their focus to the Alabama Crimson Tide, for the 108th installment of one of football’s greatest rivalries.

"It'll be a great environment against a great football team,” Heupel said, as he reflected on the significance of this third Saturday of October matchup.

“This is why you come to Tennessee, playing [in] a game like this, a great rivalry game with Alabama.”

Heupel has coached the Volunteers in four matchups against Alabama and has a 2-2 record against the Crimson Tide.

Heupel emphasized the importance of the Volunteers' defense in this game, facing an offense led by Heisman candidate QB, Ty Simpson.

“We need to win the turnover battle… [Simpson] has been great with the football, been really sound with his decision making… we gotta go play assignments sound, you gotta apply pressure to the quarterback, that’s part of creating turnovers.”

In their victory over Arkansas, the Volunteers’ defense surrendered 240 rushing yards. While acknowledging the need for improvement on this front, Heupel remains hopeful in his defensive unit.

“At times we've played [the run] extremely well… the other night we didn't… but as the game went on, we sure handled it in a better way. We just got to start faster.”

Tennessee sophomore RB DeSean Bishop suffered a right leg injury late in the third quarter of Saturday's game against Arkansas, ruling him out for the remainder of the game. 

Bishop, who had recorded 146 rushing yards and a touchdown on the day, has had a strong start to the season, helping anchor the Volunteers’ SEC leading, 527.8 total yards per game. 

Heupel spoke on Bishop’s availability for the Alabama game saying, “I feel like DeSean will be ready to go in this one.”