Ok, Then: Alabama’s Germie Bernard Fires A Shot At Tennessee Defense Ahead Of SEC Clash, Vols Coach Responds

Alabama receiver Germie Bernard has essentially called his shot against Tennessee's defense ahead of Saturday's showdown. 

The Vols will make the trek to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a rematch that carries major College Football Playoff implications. And if Tennessee’s secondary defenders don’t take Bernard’s recent comments personally, that’s on them.

This game was already going to be intense, given the history between the two teams facing off on the ‘Third Saturday in October’, along with Tennessee winning two of the last three games against the Tide'. 

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But, comments made by Alabama's Germie Bernard have upped the stakes for a Tennessee secondary that has struggled against the pass for a majority of the season. 

Appearing on ‘Next Round Live’, Bernard pointed out that since the Vols enjoy playing man-to-man defense on the back end, this presents the perfect opportunity for Ty Simspon and his group of receivers to have a big game. 

"They like to play man-to-man, and they want to bring the house. So yeah, it's a great opportunity for our offense. They give up a lot of yards, but that's because they trust and believe in their guys to get the job done."

Ok, that doesn’t seem all too bad. Not much trash talking, right? Wrong, as Bernard wasn’t done talking about the Vols secondary. 

"For us to have the opportunity to go against man-to-man, it's a field of dreams," Bernard continued. "That's what wide receivers want, those one-on-one matchups. It's just going to be up to us to go out there and make the plays."

Yep, that will do it.

If the Vols needed any extra motivation to step up their pass defense, Bernard just handed it to them.

The problem is that Bernard is actually speaking a lot of truth, even if it was a shot at the Tennessee secondary. 

Currently, the Vols rank dead last in pass defense, giving up an average of 257 yards per game, which also ranks them 123rd in the country. 

Tennessee Secondary Coach Responds To Germie Bernard

It was a given that someone on the Tennessee defense was going to be asked about the comments by Bernard, though I didn’t expect it to be the Vols secondary coach Willie Martinez. 

"Again, I don't really read what's been said, that would be the first time I've heard it," Vols secondary coach Willie Martinez said on Tuesday. "I’m sure that they (Tennessee players) probably listen to stuff like that. Or it’s out there on social media. Obviously, everybody that we play is really good and they’re going to be ready for us. We’ve just got to be at our best when we play them. They got great receivers and we know that. We faced them last year. They’ve got a couple of other guys too that are doing a really good job. 

"A quarterback that’s hot. Simpson is doing a really great job of managing the offense and being very productive. So we’ve got to do a good job again on those early downs, trying to get them behind the sticks to force the third down and longs and be efficient and the best we can."

If Tennessee wants to slow down Alabama’s receivers, it starts up front. The Vols will need consistent pressure on Ty Simpson to disrupt his rhythm and force bad throws.

Still, if Bernard’s comments weren’t plastered across Tennessee’s defensive meeting rooms within hours, that’s a missed motivational opportunity by the coaching staff. 

Saturday’s matchup didn’t need extra juice — but thanks to Bernard, the rivalry just got a little more personal. 

This one should be fun.