Everything Anthony Poindexter Said Ahead of Tennessee vs. Alabama

The Tennessee Volunteers are set for their next game of the season, and one could argue that this is their most important game of the season, as they are set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This is a team that they historically hate and will want to defeat for a third straight time in Neyland Stadium.

Ahead of the game, Anthony Poindexter spoke with the media. Here is what he had to say.

Anthony Poindexter on the Safeties Thus Far

Anthony Poindexter's X profile picture | Anthony Poindexter

“I think they’re playing together well, they’re communicating well, they’re taking the game plans well. Obviously each week, I think we gotta continue to constantly talk about wrapping in our tackles, we leaky a little bit on some tackles. But they’re playing hard, they’re showing up every week trying to win the game and trying to execute the game plan. So we just gotta keep getting better each week,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on Keelon Russell

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to cover. Obviously, they’ve got elite wide receivers and the quarterback is elite. He can extend plays. But when you watch the tape, he can extend plays and throw accurate balls on the run. So he’s gonna be a challenge, very talented player. And we’re gonna have to have our A game,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on Xavier Gilliam

“Well, probably just, I mean, he’s been on the grass. He played two years for us at Penn State. Now he’s in his third year, you can just see the maturity, the growth, the strength. He understands football, he understands the system, and he’s playing phenomenal right now,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on What He Knew About Tennessee vs. Alabama as a Recruit

“Well, I actually took an official visit here to Tennessee my senior year in high school, but I really didn’t know much about the rivalry. But what I’m finding out this week, this is a real rivalry. It’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of the country and playing for the Cigar,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on Qua Moss Being Back

“It’s great. I mean, Tevis (Metcalf) came in and did a phenomenal job two weeks ago. No, but having a player like Qua back, I mean, he’s a talented player. And having him back last week, he made some impactful plays in the game. And he helped us win,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on What Went Wrong in the Third Quarter vs. Arkansas

Arkansas wide receiver Chris Marshall (6) moves past Tennessee defensive back Ty Redmond (4) during a college football game between Tennessee and Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 10, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“You’re on the road, you gotta bring your own energy. You play that first half like we did, and give up no points. We came out flat, and kudos to the kids. They regrouped and played much better in the fourth quarter. But when you’re playing against good teams, and Arkansas was a good team, you can’t have lows in the game like that for a quarter and expect to win the game. But kudos to the kids; they bounced back in the fourth quarter, made the plays when we had to make them. And we came out with a win,” Poindexter said.

Anthony Poindexter on Dejuan Lane and the Team Getting Better

“They just got to keep getting better, man. Each week, we watch the tape, and we find two comments. There’s a lot of stuff on tape that (Xavier Gilliam) and (Dejuan Lane) can do better. Our whole team, offense, defense, special teams. So it’s always a growing process throughout the season and trying to get better. We haven’t peaked yet as a team. So we got a lot of room to get better and grow. You gotta come to practice each week and each day ready to get better,” Poindexter said.

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