KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban and Tennessee coach Derek Dooley share the same philosophies on how to succeed at football. The state of their two teams couldn’t be any more different right now, though.
Dooley spent seven years on Saban’s LSU and Miami Dolphins coaching staffs before taking his first head coaching job at Louisiana Tech. Saturday’s meeting between the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) and the struggling Vols (2-4, 0-3) will mark the first time the two have been on opposite sidelines.
Dooley says he expects it to be a little strange when he sees his former boss before the game, but during the game he knows he’ll be so busy coaching his players during the game he won’t think about it.
Saban calls Dooley a “student of the game.”